Barry Schwartz on SERoundtable.com put up a quick blurb about a comment from Google’s John Mueller.
Mueller was apparently responding to a Google Webmaster help question on whether the user needed the keyword in their domain.
You don’t need your keywords in your domain name. Websites without them in there rank just fine. Instead of focusing on that specific keyword, I’d recommend spending the time to make your site the absolute best of its kind.
Schwartz points out that Mueller has expressed this sentiment in the past.
This isn’t new advice, he said something similar back in 2011 and we now have the Exact Match Domain Google filter, so be careful with that.
Forum discussion at Google Webmaster Help.
Read the full story here
GenericGene says
In Google Yes, As a DBOSearch & Investment YES !
Donny M says
Why not own both emd and make a great site.
IMO
Bing emds are extremely important they rank way high. Just a matter time when apple switches over to bing default for search on mobile, and mobile is where everyone is searching.
Some people say emds are not important but when you’re running adwords or bing search ads they mean all the difference in the world- your ctr is higher and roi becomes higher in the end. Once bing gets pay per call all up you will see the switch from google to bing. Bing wants searches and apple holds the cards for mobile search.
Raymond Hackney says
I agree you want to have both if you can, I think the person asking the question was not going to be able to get the EMD and was worried they could not be successful. It depends what niche you in, imo. I would love to have CarInsurance.com if that was my business but not having some long multi word emd in other fields would not bother me and building your own brand might stand out more.
GenericGene says
Additional to traditional search engines – A good DBOStrategy should consist of three or four generics – a great investment to enhance your web site – In many cases the domain names have wound up worth more than the business it’s self ~
YourDomainNames says
100% agreed.
We have clients who have done this, secure several names relating to one niche market.
Another way to do this is have seperate sites, if you don’t mind the work…
A typical example is something like this:
http://healthylunch.recipes
http://healthyeasy.recipes
http://easycrockpot.recipes
You’ll see they are brand new and doing that, which I think is a good strat.
So here you’ll notice similar keywords, although they seperate site they will link in to each other perfect.
The new GTLDs has just just started, this is a new market and we really have no idea where it’s headed. But if you look at previous trends we can be almost certain that its going to be a huge positive. Apart from that, consider this, Google themselves have purchased over 100 extensions, so they seem to think there is huge value in that. 🙂
Steve Cheatham says
It’s true. Content is King on the search engines. No relevant domain name needed.
If you want people to remember your web site address you had better get a relevant name!
Domo Sapiens says
in the other hand:
http://dnsr.com/did-apple-just-help-end-domains-and-hurt-the-new-gtld-domains
I wonder what the pro developers think of that?
YourDomainNames says
I don’t think apple has enough traffic power to destroy GTLDs, I think the move is a permanent one to be honest. Obviously Apple doesn’t like it… but I dont think any large brand does… :\ hard to make out with this one.. doesn’t scare me though.
Domainer says
I am pretty sure that EMD are still very important, although not as before. Anyway, for SEO, it is still better to own EMD than any other domain.
Mabye Google would penalized EMD+SymbolsAndCharacthersAndAdditionalWords.com, but pure EMD.com will not!
I do know for many websites under EMD, well optimized, and for perfectly optimized websites in the same niche under brandable domain. The one with EMD ranks better!
If you read carefully, you will see that Google never said that PURE EMD would be penalized. They only said that they don’t have the same value as before. Well, if you know that before it was enough to have EMD with one page website to rank on top, it is not so bad that you will now have to build better quality website. Anyway, PURE EMD WILL STILL HELP.
Jon Schultz says
Google is just saying that if you obtain an EMD, thinking that’s all you need to do to rank highly, and put up a site which they consider worthless, they will try to downrank you. That doesn’t change the fact that a site they like, built on an EMD, will have a distinct advantage over an equally-liked site which isn’t.
As the Web becomes more videocentric, keywords in domains will have to retain significance in search rankings as search spiders will not be able to evaluate video content.
Domo Sapiens says
“as search spiders will not be able to evaluate video content”
That doesn’t sound right, it seems to me they already do….
Domo Sapiens says
from the article I posted:
“Some people estimate that Apple represents more than 30% of all web traffic, and upwards of 84% of tablet traffic. ”
The White Elephant…. millions and millions of domains are becoming unneeded worthless/useless purposeless…slowly but surely and this is one of the reasons the domainer-to-domainer market is DEAD (stick a frok to it) and there is NO Aftermarket for NONE of the New gTLD crappola….