Choosing the ideal domain name in the past significantly affected your SEO results. But in the contemporary optimization for search engines, a few things have changed.
EMDs, or exact match domains, were quite popular. Because the keywords were in the domain, Google would improve your rankings. A website gained legitimacy and ranking strength only from that.
On the surface, it seems logical. A website with a name like www.buyacomputer.com or www.bestcomputerdeals.com would seem to be the best location to show you machines for sale if you wanted to buy a computer and performed a Google search.
In an effort to slightly improve their rankings, some businesses utilized subdomains and subfolders to cram even more keywords into each URL. To gain immediate SEO effects, a website might add a page with the URL www.abcelectronics.com/buy-a-computer.
1. Everything Was Different back then.
Google came to the conclusion that reputable websites need more than simply a catchy domain name. Numerous additional characteristics, including referring websites and trustworthy information, are now taken into consideration by the algorithm.
The results page makes the importance of site content very evident. Before, while listing results, Google would highlight the terms in the title tag, which often included the domain. The terms in the search query are now bolded in the schema markup or website text when searching for purchasing a computer.
All of this is to imply that domain keywords are no longer a guarantee of a good ranking.
2. Then, do domain names matter?
Absolutely. Your marketing approach must include choosing the appropriate domain name. You need to choose a simple domain name that complements the branding of your business.
A URL’s name is not the only factor to take into account. TLD (top-level domain) considerations should be made by businesses. Whether your domain ends in.com,.org, or computers important (or any of the other thousands of options). Since the majority of prospective clients are likely to believe that’s how your website address finishes, we advise companies and organizations to choose the a.com domain. In other words, if it ends in.com, it will be simpler for people to navigate directly to your website.
Your URL must be easy to read and provide a professional image. This Moz image provides an effective illustration of how a URL address influences a user’s perception:
3. PPC and Domain Names.
PPC is one area where domain names may have a greater influence. Having a keyword in the domain may be helpful if you have little room for advertisements. PPC ad clickers often seek certain items rather than businesses.
When the place is mentioned in the domain or subdomain, local SEO results may also improve.
John Mueller from Google responded to a query on whether adding a.job TLD can help a job posting website rank better in a recent Google Webmasters video. Although he says “no,” there is more to it than that.
If a visitor to Miami is looking for a bar nearby, for instance, citing North Miami rather than South Miami may increase the number of hits depending on your location.
Another example is if your domain terminates in a country-specific TLD, such as.uk or.de. If a user is looking in that area, the clickthrough rate for these kinds of sites will probably be greater.
4. Do I need to modify my domain name?
If you already have an exact match domain, you may be considering if it is worthwhile to switch.
5. Most likely not, but it may be.
Businesses and websites with established brands and traffic do not need domain changes. Building a brand takes years of effort and careful reputation management; if a business is having success with it, don’t modify it.
Instead, concentrate your SEO efforts on producing high-quality content, creating backlinks, and obtaining positive reviews or significant mentions.
You may want to think about switching if your business is young and you are just getting started. From a marketing perspective, as your business develops, you may wish to broaden the scope of your offerings beyond the term you used for your domain. Your future development potential may be constrained by an exact match domain.
The goal is to concentrate on achieving the greatest SEO results using methods other than simply using keywords.
Having a strong SEO strategy is crucial regardless of where your company is on the business lifespan spectrum. We can assist your business by offering completely managed, cutting-edge SEO services. Get a free quotation from us right now.