Editor’s Note: This blog post was originally published in 2016. As of June 2021, it’s been updated and republished to reflect current information. The article was cleaned up, recommendations were reassessed, and references refreshed.
Back in the day, picking the right domain name had a big impact on your SEO rankings. Today though, things are a little different.
Exact match domains (or EMD for short) were a big deal. Google would boost your results because the keywords were right in the domain. That alone gave a website validity and ranking power.
It makes sense on the surface. If you were looking to buy a computer and did a Google search, a website name like www.buyacomputer.com or www.bestcomputerdeals.com would look like the best places to show you computers for sale.
Other companies used subdomain and subfolders to stuff even more keywords into every URL in the hopes of ranking a little better. A site would add a page with a web address of www.abcelectronics.com/buy-a-computer to get instant SEO results.
Then things changed.
Google realized that authoritative sites needed more than just a great domain name. The algorithm was changed to take many other factors into account, like referring sites and reliable information.
The emphasis on site content is clearly shown on the results page. Before, Google would list results and bold the keywords in the title tag, which often included the domain. Now, when doing a search for buying a computer, keywords in the search question are bolded within the schema markup or piece of content from the site.
All this is to say that keywords in domains are no longer an automatic high-ranking factor.
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Do Domain Names Matter Then?
Absolutely. Picking the right domain name is a vital part of your marketing strategy. You should choose a domain that fits with your company branding and is not too complicated.
The name alone is not the only consideration in a URL either. Companies should think about the TLD (top-level domain) portion. It matters if your domain is a .com, .org, or .computers (or any of the other thousands of options). We recommend businesses and organizations use a .com domain because most potential customers are naturally going to assume that’s how your website address ends. In other words, it’s going to be easier for them to go right to your site if it ends in a .com.
It is also important that your URL is readable and looks professional. This graphic from Moz is a good visual on how a web address affects a user’s perception:
Domain Names and PPC
One area that domain names may see a higher impact is with PPC. If you have limited space for ads, having a keyword in the domain may help. People who click on PPC ads are generally looking for specific products, not companies.
Local SEO results can also be higher when the location is included in the domain or subdomain.
In a recent Google Webmasters video, John Mueller from Google answered a question about whether using a .job TLD will help a job posting site rank higher. His answer is no, but there is more to it than that.
For example, if someone is visiting Miami and searching for a bar close by, mentioning North Miami instead of South Miami may improve the number of clicks based on where you are located.
Another example is if your domain ends with a location-based TLD, like .uk or .de. The clickthrough rate will likely be higher for these types of domains if someone is searching in that location.
Should I Change My Domain Name?
If you have already an exact match domain, you may be wondering if it is worth changing.
Probably not, but it depends.
Companies and websites that are established with branding and traffic do not need to change their domain. Years of work and reputation management go into building a brand, and if a company is seeing success with that, don’t change it.
Instead, focus your SEO efforts on writing quality content, building referral links, and getting good reviews or influential mentions.
If your company is newer and you are just starting out, you may want to consider a switch. From a general marketing standpoint, as your company grows, you may want to expand your products or services beyond the keyword you put in your domain. An exact match domain could limit your future growth potential.
The key is to focus on getting the best SEO results through strategies that go beyond just keywords.
No matter where you are on the business longevity spectrum, it is important to have a solid SEO strategy. We can help your company by providing fully managed, advanced SEO services. Contact us today for a free quote.
Great stuff. I really liked that you pointed out that a brand name based domaine can improve CTR and credibility, both of which increase value. I work mostly on French Canada and it seems that Google.com rules are not updated in regional Googles like google.ca. I still see many websites doing very well in organic results just by having keyword-rich domains. Sad.
Sad… but interesting. That is definitely something that is worth delving a little deeper.
The last few and the recent algorithm changes make the SERP much cleaner than the past. Most of the time we used to see an EMD ranking on the top without any strong reason but things have changed today. Without quality content, good UX and authority backlinks it is almost impossible to rank just with an over optimized domain name. Google still needs to clean its local search results which is most of the time full of EMD business names.
That’s an interesting point about the local results. The reason for it might be related to the reason that EMDs still work for better PPC clickthroughs. It makes some sense that if someone is looking for a specific type of business in a specific place, they’d be more likely to click on the result that has the location in the domain name. Those extra clicks could encourage Google to continue to rank them high in the local search results.
It is a good point about local support for EMD. Our SEO agency does not have SEO in the title, and we still rank. But some of our local clients so have PMD, and it seemed to accelerate their rankings well.
May I ask if those results were on completely new PMDs that were purchased to target a specific product or location? Or did those local clients always have those domains, and then your SEO efforts worked more effectively on them than domains without the keyword inclusion? (This local element is definitely something I want to research a little more.)
If your domain is Not Related to Keywords then Try to Build Your Brand so User Can User Your Domain name to Search otherwise You can Put Keywords In Your Domain Name that will Help you to Rank Easily with your Targeted Keywords. Google Say it was not Working But Still Google Result showing that was working
This is a great article, perfect guidance for choosing domina names. I have a question, in recent days few top level domains are trending ( Few examples: .brand .academy .institute .digital). Is it really worth to use that kind of TLD & will they perform like .com and .org? Kindly advise.
My personal suggestion for selecting a domain name is to use your company’s name and branding in the domain. Keep it short and simple (KISS). Stick to dot com’s if possible/applicable. And as for SEO, get a good strategy for keyword use in search engine friendly URL’s and title & description metadata. Take some time to pick a domain that you can commit to using for the life of the business, after all website age is another important SEO factor.
I recently purchased a .org for a website that specializes on a certain game reserve.
The make-up of the name is http://www.name-park.org
Will this hurt me as I read somewhere that the – is a problem.
Thank you in advance for your reply.
Hello, between an old domain .info (2005) and a new domain .com (2017) i have, which choice is better for an international website ?
.com is a best for domain and seo. Keyword also help to rank your website.
we have changed the domain name since two weeks or so, and so far dropped totally out from first results for our major keywords. The new domain does not contain the main keyword (taobao) and the domain is now ranked on 4th-5th page in google results. We are not sure yet if dropping this keyword from domain name influenced the ranking or the domain name move is still undergoing and it is not yet properly indexed/ranked by google?
p.s. some our other pages did get to the first positions in search results but it is for minor keywords with way less traffic
I was confused about choosing right domain name before, thanks for making it crystal clear for me.
Thanks for sharing these tips. How many keywords are safe in a domain?
which URL is better?
legal.videoproduction.com
or
videoproductionlegal.com
That’s an interesting one, and it could go either way, depending on a number of variables, such as: are you already working on/branding a videoproduction.com site? If you already are, then I’d say a subdomain added on to it (legal.videoproduction.com) would be better than buying and building up a whole new – and different – domain. You’re just adding a whole lot of extra marketing/SEO work for that. At the same time, legal.videoproduction.com probably isn’t getting the same kind of “authority boost” as it would if you went with videoproduction.com/legal. So there is a lot to consider here, but I hope this gives you something to think about.
I think you can create sub domain from your main domain
You can choose 2nd one
Hello,
Nice article. I have seen many websites with exact match domain and that sites rank well on google.
So, i have a question, if i want to make a website on amazon affiliate or on particular niche for example, “best juicer for home” then should i buy the domain name that exactly math this keyword or not? Does this help me in SEO & search engine ranking.
Regards, Shubham
Thank You for providing us the valuable information, This is a very well written article but i have a doubt regarding something mentioned above “If your domain includes a keyword, it will be bolded in the search engine results”, does it really happen because i could not find it on Google SERPs. Please let me know if it really works.
That is an excellent question, and something that needs to be revisited in this article. This article was originally written in November of 2016, so about 2 years ago. And as you can see in the images included in the article, at the time, the keywords in the domains in the results for “Amway” or “car insurance” were indeed in bold. However, having just repeated those searches, it does in fact appear that Google’s SERPs no longer do that. So that’s a great catch and it shows how we need to revisit this article very soon and make sure it’s updated. Thanks, Saloni.
You guys only briefly touched on the importance of a .com extension vs. the plethora of other available extensions.
Can we get some more information or clarification on how important (or not) it is to have a .com?
Yes sir indeed more information from them
I searching about domain effect or not our ranking. Here I learn lot of others things, like subdomain or other Google policy’s. I have no idea how I thanks to you, but wanna say just one things it is great article I ever read on internet about domain effect or not.
So now I decided to buy a new domain related my keyword related domain.
Thanks man, for this article.
Suggest me how to choose a good domain according to our business/keyword. Thanks in advance 🙂
I have a domain which includes the same keyword as one of my commericial pages. I think this is having a negative effect as the actual keyword is hardly ranking for my page. Is that something that can happen? It is worth taking down that page?
Good tips. I ended up here while searching for a good domain for locksmith business. Is it ok if I use numbers at the start of a domain name like 247locksmithdubai.com or locksmith4dubai.com, any suggestion is highly appreciated!
Hai, I have to two domains. Both targeting one website. Will it effect SEO
A quick question Andy! does a domain name is really necessary to get ranked in google. Can I get my site pointed towards an ip like 35.25.12.3 and still get ranked in google. I know domain name is really necessary for humans to remember but I am just curious about this.
I have a somewhat unusual question that may bear on questions about domain name value. I’ve been around for a very long time — registered private domain #2, domain #42 overall (and sold it to keep our nonprofit afloat 🙂 ). We serve a number of long-term nonprofits. My question relates to the value (if any) of:
– legacy domain names (15-20+ years old)
– historical content and historical timestamps
A practical example: one org’n we serve ran a huge project in the 1990’s. The site has been archived since then and still receives dozens of referral hits and more daily. Now 20 years later, there is consideration of designing for posterity, so to speak.
Some interesting questions arise… lots more than these but these are squarely in your realm 😉 —
* Is there value in not-touching the actual content of an historic website? (Thought process: search engine knows the content is stable and highly valued; changing it would force a complete re-evaluation.)
* Do timestamp changes have any meaning at all in SEO? (We can force the timestamps to remain stable, even as we make subtle site-wide edits to tags or headers. Would it, could it, make a difference?)
* This site currently comes out on top of most searches involving its content… even though the HTML is literally from mid 1990’s. Not even slightly mobile-friendly 😉 … will the following decision have a significant SEO impact?
a) Create a separate m.dom.ain redirect site with brand new content for mobile, selected in .htaccess… and keep the existing site pristine.
OR
b) No worries; fix up page headers/includes to Do The Right Thing for mobile. This won’t harm SEO at all.
Your thoughts appreciated!
Pete
Interesting point: “you should still think of brand first and keywords second”. I think many people are missing this point and focusing only on keywords. Thanks again.
Should we use www or non www?
Very insightful article for selecting the right domain name. Even I have selected .monster top-level domain for my website to stand out in the crowd. Thanks for mentoring us.
Thank You for providing us the valuable information, This is a very well written article but i have a doubt regarding something mentioned above “If your domain includes a keyword, it will be bolded in the search engine results”, does it really happen because i could not find it on Google SERPs. Please let me know if it really works….
Hi. Yup, in the years since this blog was originally posted, a lot has changed in the SERPs. Keep an eye on our blog, though, for when we revisit this topic in the near future.
Interesting point: “you should still think of brand first and keywords second”. I think many people are missing this point and focusing only on keywords. Thanks againn.
Does the expire domain get more growth than the new domain names?
Great article, searching for a good domain for business. Is it ok if I use numbers at the start of a domain ?
Amazing and very informative article and as per the article title “DOES YOUR DOMAIN NAME AFFECT YOUR SEO?” My answer is Yes, the domain name plays high level of role to generate the traffic and eye catchy to user, because first they see or listen the domain name.
Now a days its wont affect SEO
how we can reuse expaire domain?
I think Domain name affects SEO. It is always a good idea to keep domain name related to industry related word. But if it is not related to industry related. It doesn’t mean that you don’t have a chance to rank.
which is better? Expired Domain or New domain?
if I use numbers in my domain name is this will useful or harmful for me?
Many people wonder if using numbers in their domain name is beneficial or not. Numbers are often seen as more professional and related to large corporations, but they can be a hindrance for small businesses looking for startup capital. You may find that you have less of an opportunity when it comes to getting attention from search engines like Google because many of them don’t show up on the first page with the number of domains listed at all.
Working in the SEO scene, I have observed that many domains that top in ranks don’t usually have a subdomain except those that are directly linked to their main website, they don’t affiliate themselves with any other company to be exact. Before companies affiliate themselves to other companies for a chance to rise in the same industry in the industry but now the game has changed and everyone’s aspiring to be unique in their own aspect. This has truly been an eye-opener especially to those who relied on the past techniques to gain leads, with that said Thank you for this article.
Broadly speaking, while your domain name itself isn’t considered to be a direct Google ranking factor, elements of your domain name may play into your overall SEO success. These include elements such as memorability, length, keyword usage, brand-ability, and more.
Interesting read and insightful.
Can you shed some light on C-TLD domains and their SEO benefits.
TIA
Nandeesh
Exactly domain name affects SEO but having keywords in the domain name doesn’t matter anyway. The one thing which matters is having TLD (Top Level Domain) extensions because it helps to boost the rankings. You should focus that your domain name shouldn’t be that long, and doesn’t contain numbers and characters.
Thanks & Regards
Ayush
I have chosen a domain with a .software extension for my internet business, I hope I have not made a mistake with this TLD.
In theory, the TLD chosen for your domain does not affect when it comes to positioning a website in Google.
Very interesting to know that if the location is included in the domain or subdomain, it helps in local SEO results.
I am an SEO person working for M Gheewala Global HR Consultants and I have seen that the domain name have a huge impact on SERP ranking and even the age of domain plays an important role now there are many gheewala families in the same business so the google ranks the old domain first then our’s.
Can we add special characters in our domain name or subdomain?
I have a domain which includes the same keyword as one of my commericial pages. I think this is having a negative effect as the actual keyword is hardly ranking for my page. Is that something that can happen? It is worth taking down that page?
Hey Andy,
It’s a very informative article about the domain. I have a personal website for website design and its domain is my own name. But I have a question! I want to make another personal website for a travelling blog so which domain name is perfect for a website? My name or some attractive travelling name? Please reply!
By the way, Awesome work!
Can we add special characters in our domain name ?
I have just switched my domain name as the old domain name was not going with my brand name. When I choose any domain name, I just focus on the brand name. Your article has enriched me with new knowledge. Thank you.