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SEO Are Exact Match Domain Names with SEO Value Worth More?

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Lonn Dugan

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This came up in another discussion...

Do exact match domain names (natural type in search phrase) still have SEO value that should be considered in domain pricing?

In a video posted today, Niel Patel, an acknowledged leader in SEO strategies and tactics, confirms that exact match domain names still have SEO / SERP Value.

"Now a lot of people say exact-match domain names don't work as well as they used to, and that's correct, but they still do. Now creating a domain that's a exact match to the service or product you're selling is a great way to get some traction in the SERPs. " Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=totiNw9Rypc&feature=emb_logo

What do you think? Are you willing to pay more for an exact match domain name?

#topics / tags: seo
 
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The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
true exact match domain still have some SEO value...
however startups and online entities nowadays they prefer to have a branded website.
They could be interested in EMD if they have enough money to develop them.
 
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A direct keyword does help the domain hit the first page maybe not the top 3 alone but the first page if developed & a .net .org or .com other tlds are harder to get up there on keyword alone. (From experience)
 
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Hi Pablohc86

Thanks for the reply. That's right. As you say, "branded sites might be more desirable."

However, nobody is searching for a brand before it is established at a high cost in advertising.

So it seems like EMD domains actually cost less to develop to the point of ranking at Google.

What do you think? Have you worked on monetizing both kinds of sites?


true exact match domain still have some SEO value...
however startups and online entities nowadays they prefer to have a branded website.
They could be interested in EMD if they have enough money to develop them.
 
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Hi ROAR:

Thanks for your thoughts about this.

I was getting push back elsewhere with people saying that exact match domains might not be worth anything unless they also come with traffic...

Good to know I am not the only one thinking the way I do.

A direct keyword does help the domain hit the first page maybe not the top 3 alone but the first page if developed & a .net .org or .com other tlds are harder to get up there on keyword alone. (From experience)
 
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I find that an exact match domain still does help with SEO, but not nearly as much as it used to. I used to be able to rank on the first page of google within hours with a new exact match domain and just a couple links.
 
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I don't know, really, but from what I have read, it seems to me yes still some value, but probably less so than they did in the past. Clearly the actual content, and measures of reliability, have gone way up in importance. Also the way that search is now based on intentions, rather than on precise wording, makes a difference. And of course Google keep saying that the TLD does not matter. I suspect, as Google attempt to further emphasize reliable and secure and fast sites, and have cut off many new sites that used to be able to use Adsense, that there are implications both for SEO and for the nature of the web and the value of domain names.

It is a great discussion, and thank you to all who have commented.

Bob
 
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@Bob Hawkes Yes, it takes more work these days, and CONTENT is certainly king!

I know that putting the same content on a non EMD and doing the same on page and technical SEO work will prove out that the EMD name will rank sooner and higher!
 
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Hi Pablohc86

Thanks for the reply. That's right. As you say, "branded sites might be more desirable."

However, nobody is searching for a brand before it is established at a high cost in advertising.

So it seems like EMD domains actually cost less to develop to the point of ranking at Google.

What do you think? Have you worked on monetizing both kinds of sites?
Never tried to develop or monetize as I'm not involved in that. My direct experience come from brokering those kind of names.
If the enduser already have a website + the company is not big enough + no one decision maker is savvy enough about domain investing / domain benefits, the chance that they will be interested to purchase that domain are really low.
 
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I fully agree. The EMD on .com/.net/.org tld will rank organically quickly & easily as compared to a branded/Non-emd domain. Besides, EMD domains are easy to re-call by visitor when doing offline marketing.
 
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@Bob Hawkes Yes, it takes more work these days, and CONTENT is certainly king!

I know that putting the same content on a non EMD and doing the same on page and technical SEO work will prove out that the EMD name will rank sooner and higher!

I fully agree. The EMD on .com/.net/.org tld will rank organically quickly & easily as compared to a branded/Non-emd domain. Besides, EMD domains are easy to re-call by visitor when doing offline marketing.
 
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Question here:

My brandable business website is: popvid.com

If I have "TorontoVideographer.com", "MontrealVideographer.com", NewYorkVideographer.com", etc and forward them to my brandable domain, so does this work? or not
 
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FORWARDING a domain that never had content WILL NOT help rank your branded site at all. If Google has never indexed a site then forwarding that domain cannot pass any link juice because it never had any.

HOWEVER, creating a 5 to 10 page site with meaningful, keyword-rich, on-topic content that LINKS to your main site (especially using good anchor text) WILL DEFINITELY help your main site. These are called doorway sites or mini sites or landing page sites. They don't have to be pretty. No high style needed. Google will never "see" the site. The doorway sites don't even have to rank well as long as they are indexed by google. The facts of on topic content and keyword rich anchor text links will send positive search rank signals to Google for the main site.

Question here:

My brandable business website is: popvid.com

If I have "TorontoVideographer.com", "MontrealVideographer.com", NewYorkVideographer.com", etc and forward them to my brandable domain, so does this work? or not
 
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@Bob Hawkes Yes, it takes more work these days, and CONTENT is certainly king!

I know that putting the same content on a non EMD and doing the same on page and technical SEO work will prove out that the EMD name will rank sooner and higher!

That may very well be true but most go the route of a cool memorable brandable for their business not an EMD. If they don’t want it —how valuable is it? Most companies are aware how they can rise in rank. With the huge shift to social media marketing, content and engagement Google is just one facet of success.
 
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Its depend ... If we could build strong backlink on EMD as emotional brand, Google would love your sites based exact match domain , but if we make a mistake and create massive unnatural link , google would consider your sites as spam .

EMD still have seo value if we combine with proper strategy , using natural seo process really recommend when your site still new in search engine.
 
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Well no i wouldn't pay for exact phase but will pay for exact generic i really thought this kind faded with gTLD introduction and the move for shorter names. I can say i dropped a few over years as the inquiry dried. 3-4 word isn't 2 word buyers might buy more but they aren't buying the phrase as first purchase.
 
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Don't really know why some members say EMD have SEO value.
This is a completely false statement.
EMD has NOT any SEO value in 2020.
To be honest are YEARS that EMDs don't work anymore.
You can rank a domain like fehdshfdiufd.cc for EVERY keyword if you know what you're doing.
High quality content, backlinks, social signals, and many other factors are important for SEO not EMD.
Many domainers love keyword rich domains like insurance, crypto, p*rn, but they completely ignore that those niches are impenetrable, extremely difficult and over saturated.
You'll never dominate (aka rank in 1st page on G) in those niches with an EMD domain.
Maybe in '96.
 
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For 2 to 3 word long tail phrases we find EMDS still work well in low competition niches.

We set up a Squarespace site with 5 pages of content and a few backlinks: 1 twitter link, 1 youtube link and a homepage link on a site with moderate domain authority

Within a week site went straight to number 5 for the keyword phrase, a few months later it's still sitting there driving leads to the client's main site.
 
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I also rated a one word + gTLD on top and still see some value in direct phrases but they are typed few and far between.
 
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For 2 to 3 word long tail phrases we find EMDS still work well in low competition niches.

We set up a Squarespace site with 5 pages of content and a few backlinks: 1 twitter link, 1 youtube link and a homepage link on a site with moderate domain authority

Within a week site went straight to number 5 for the keyword phrase, a few months later it's still sitting there driving leads to the client's main site.

Here it's the misconception.
You think that EMD work for low comp keyword.
And I agree with this, but: in low comp niches EVERY domain works, not only EMDs.
Your site ranks in 5th positions NOT for the EMD, but for tiwtter + youtube + HOMEPAGE links on high DA site (this is the main reason you rank 5th, homepage links are insanely powerful).
That's it :xf.smile:
 
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There's often the added bonus of improved Click through rates and conversion with EMDS not just in PPC but in organic search.

Google's algorithm often rewards higher CTR with higher rankings

Here's an old but interesting case study from Australia:

https://www.smartcompany.com.au/tec...ange-resulted-in-a-40-million-turnover-boost/

Shaun McGowan’s business, Beep.com.au, was turning over $60 million. Five months later the company has grown by 60%, now exceeding $100 million in turnover, through one simple change – the domain name.

McGowan purchased a new, premium domain name CarLoans.com.au in June and since then the business’s click throughs have increased, its marketing spend has reduced and turnover has increased by $40 million.

“We noticed the impact the very next day. The moment we launched CarLoans, we had a 35% drop in our AdWord spend the next day,” he says.

“A lot of our inquiries are driven through AdWords, but we’re now getting the same number of leads for much less. Our click-through rate went up and our conversion rate alone has increased by 30%.”
 
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This article is from 2013.
We can not read SEO article from 2013.
Here, in the SEO world, many thinks change on weekly basis.
Google are releasing update EVERY week.
We can not use information released 1 month ago don't even imagine how many things are changed since 2013.
Here you are quick snapshot of serp volatility in the last 30 days.
https://www.semrush.com/sensor/?db=US&category=
Everybody can understand that everything move super fast and some "old school" ideas don't work anymore.
Even ideas created 1 month ago.
 
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Brandable names are great, but sometimes a multipronged online approach using a few different EMDs each with unique content flowing back to the main site and driving leads works well.

Bing and Duck Duck Go, make up 15-20 percent of the search market and they have different algorithms to Google

These engines are completely ignored by most digital experts

The site mentioned that's 5 on Google, is 2 on Bing

If you're selling a big ticket item like Platinum Bullion a few extra leads/sales soon add up
 
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"Everybody can understand that everything move super fast and some "old school" ideas don't work anymore...."

Neil Patel is on the cutting edge of Digital Strategy and he and others believe EMDs still work very well in certain sectors

EMDs are not our main focus but after the Penguin update of 2012 we noticed many SEO experts stating they were now useless.

That was a false assumption, many companies missed opportunities to acquire golden generic domains that exactly matched their product or service, because their SEO expert said they no longer worked.
 
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