Domain names that contain keywords are considered valuable for a number of reasons, including the long-held belief that they may directly or indirectly contribute to ranking purposes.
Choose a domain name is an important step in launching a website, so it’s important to make the right choice.
The choice of domain name is generally divided into three categories:
- Keyword field.
- word+keyword domain.
- Brand domain.
Which method is best is debatable. Undisputedly, it is helpful to understand the subject before making a decision.
key field
A keyword domain is a domain name that has keywords in it. An example could be Widgets.com.
Using a domain name that contains keywords can provide sense of authority.
Some companies have generic domains and redirect them to their website for whatever reason.
For example, Coffee.com redirects to Peet’s Coffee, an artisanal coffee roasting company. This makes it easy for people to navigate to Peet’s.
However, the downside of generic keyword domains is that “all the good domains” are already registered, and it’s prohibitively expensive to pry away from the domain owner.
There is also some internet history related to generic keyword domains.
There was a time when Internet users typed keywords for the product or service they wanted directly into a browser or search engine.This practice is called direct navigation.
Direct navigation generates significant ad revenue for those who own these domains and “park” them.
Parking the domain is setting it up so that the domain shows ads and only ads.
The lucrative business of hosted domain names was aided by the search engines of the time, which ranked these hosted domains in search results.
So if someone enters a word query like [burgers]then Google might rank Burgers.com.
Then in 2011, Google reduced the search visibility of parked domains from search results.
So, do keyword domains have ranking power? Not anymore, but Google’s John Mueller has something to say about it, and more below.
word + keyword field
That’s why a popular choice is to add a word to the domain name to help describe what website visitors expect from the site.
This leads to domains like cheap[name of product/service].com, [name of product/service]review.com, fast[name of product/service]and many more.
One word plus one domain keyword is not a bad approach.
Advantages of Word + Keyword Fields
Keywords immediately mark the content of a website, and the word tells website visitors what to expect in terms of user intent.
Looking for reviews?try [name of product/service]review.com.
Disadvantages of Word + Keyword Fields
The downside of this approach is that it locks the site into offering a specific niche and limits its ability to grow.
So if you start out with [JoesCameraReviews]it will be difficult to transition the site to reviewing (or selling) other products.
There are many websites in the domain that rank very well for keywords.
Brand domain name
A branded domain is a domain name that does not necessarily contain keywords.
Amazon, Zappos, and Etsy are examples of branded domains.
The beauty of a branded domain is that the brand name does not necessarily limit the content of the website.
Many sites with branded domains have little problem ranking in search results.
Google Offers Four Insights About Keyword Domains
in the process of answering questions recent In a webmaster hangout, Google’s John Mueller offers four insights into the ranking power of keyword domains.
Four insights on keyword domains and rankings:
- Keyword domains don’t rank faster.
- Keyword domains don’t automatically rank better.
- Keyword domains lost their strong ranking influence a few years ago.
- Keyword domains are ranked the same as branded domains.
1. Keyword domains have no time advantage
There is an opinion that keyword domains rank faster than branded domains. But that’s not the case, according to Google’s John Mueller.
Getting keywords in links through anchor text has obvious advantages. This is something that has been discussed for years. Arguments for and against can be presented.
Unfortunately, John Mueller’s statement made no mention of this perceived advantage.
This is confirmed by John Mueller:
“…As with any new website, it takes time…Obviously, there are a lot of sites out there that rank for keywords in their domains. But they probably worked on it for years…”
2. The keywords in the domain are not ranking well
John Mueller is pretty firm in his assertion that keyword domains don’t rank better than branded domains.
“…just because a keyword is in a domain doesn’t mean it will automatically rank for those keywords.”
Ranking has a lot going on, such as content, user intent for that content, and links. All of these may take precedence over things like keywords in the domain.
While John Mueller did not explicitly state that keywords in a domain name are not ranking signals, he did confirm that there is no significant benefit to having keywords in a domain name. This is an important insight.
3. The keyword field lost its influence years ago
John Mueller asserts that keyword domains lost their clout years ago.
Here’s what John Mueller said:
“…just because a keyword is in a domain doesn’t mean it automatically ranks for those keywords. This has been the case for a long time.”
This may be a reference to the 2011 algorithm update (Google’s official announcement is here).
In late 2011, Google updated its algorithm to add a classifier to remove parked domains from search results.
Quoted from Google’s algorithm update announcement:
“This is a new algorithm that automatically detects parked domains. Managed domains are placeholder sites with little unique content to our users and are often just populated with ads.
In most cases, we would rather not show them. “
Still, the idea of keyword domains being superior to branded domains persists in the search industry, even though Google no longer supports parked keyword domains.
It can be said that there is a minimum signal. But there is nothing to support this theory.
It’s been a long time since any search engine published research on keywords in a domain as signals of any kind.
We live in an era keywords in the title (H1, H2) reduces the ranking weight.
Current Algorithm No more giving extra weight to title tags. We know this, and it questions the idea of Google continuing to offer direct ranking bonuses for keywords in domains.
4. The keyword domain name ranks the same as the brand domain name
This is another claim that contradicts the idea that keywords in a domain name have a ranking advantage.
John Mueller points out that keywords in a domain have nothing to do with their current rankings:
John Mueller’s statement about keywords in domains:
“…it’s normal for them to rank for these keywords, and they happen to have those keywords in their domain that have nothing to do with their current rankings.”
Mueller made it clear that including keywords in a domain name has nothing to do with rankings.
Research a domain name before using it
It’s always a good idea to research a domain name to see if it’s been registered before and how to use it.
In rare cases, a domain used for spamming can get stuck in the Google algorithm loop, causing it to be banned for a month, released for a few days and then banned again, preventing the site from ranking higher than the number one position in search results. Two pages.
For more information on legacy domain penalties, read Google Algorithm Error Leaves Sites in Weird Edge State.
SEO Advantages of Keyword Domain Names
Including keywords in your domain name has many advantages. But as Mueller points out, an SEO advantage isn’t necessarily one of those advantages.
“…they happen to have them in their domain name that has nothing to do with their current rankings.”
Stand out with your domain name
It might be a good idea to choose a domain that stands out. This can be a keyword or a brand name.
In a 2011 webmaster help video, former Googler Matt Cutts suggested that picking a compelling domain name might be a good idea in some cases.
“For example, if you have 15 websites about Android, and they’re all Android, Android, Android, Android, it’s a little hard to remember to get out of the noise, out of the hustle and bustle.
However, if you have something more branded, then people will remember that. They will be able to get back to it. Even a site like TechCrunch doesn’t have any tech news. “
Domain Takeout
There are pros and cons to the different types of domain names used for websites.
If a business wants to leave wiggle room to grow to cover a wider range of topics, a domain name that is less focused on one topic or even a brand name is suitable.
Of course, it’s possible to start with a narrowly themed domain name and then change it in the future. But this may cause other sites to change their minds about linking to the site, and fans of the site will lose interest.
So, the best advice is probably to get the business to think about what it wants to accomplish now, what impression it wants to make on site visitors, what story the domain name conveys to the visitor, and how well the domain name fits into the future of the business.
Regarding the ranking issue, it is clear that there is no direct keyword-based ranking advantage for a domain name, which makes choosing one a little easier.
Watch John Mueller discuss domain names at 21:50 minutes:
More resources:
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