discuss Domains and Searches

[Bob Hawkes]

While over the years NPs has had many threads on SEO and related topics, and aspects of search have been discussed frequently in other threads, I think this might be an opportune time to reconsider the topic. My hope is that we will share information from multiple viewpoints. Wherever possible I would ask those contributing to the thread to provide links (to other posts on NPs or elsewhere) to provide evidence and further information.

Here are some of the questions I see as important (this is definitely not an exclusive list so additions welcome!)

1. Google says that gTLD does not matter for search. Do we really believe them?
2. Some have claimed mechanisms by which a match in TLD can enhance search placement. Is that really so?
3. Using a country code (not generic ones) helps search in that country but harms it outside the region. Is this a reason some should move from country code to global TLDs, or in fact an argument the other way? Implications for domain investors in country codes?
4. What is the current list of which country code extensions are considered general as opposed to country specific?
5. Do we think Google may in future give advantage to their own secure space TLDs?
6. If there are lots of Google search results for a term, does that matter much?
7. What about specifics of search - e.g. order in multiple word, use of quotation marks, etc.? What can they teach us about how desired a domain name might be?
8. What are the best tools for evaluating search aspects of a domain worth?
9. If one was considering new extensions, is there an advantage to using an extension that corresponds to a commonly searched term? Or does (1) mean it doesn't matter much?
10. We all accept that voice searches, already important, will become more so (Alexa, Siri, etc.). What are the implications for domains?
11. We have seen how even a single change in Google search can have a huge impact on search (and monetization). What possible changes to do we see on the horizon?
12. Most of us talk about search as if it was only Google. Of course there is Bing and also other options. Do we see Google becoming even more dominant, or will new players take a bit of the market.
13. Are there changes in AI which drive search that may also influence domain names.
14. A few have developed formulae to justify the value of a domain name to a business based on search, CPC, CTR, etc. Are there new items we should know about in this area.

While the topics obviously have implications for SEO, my hope is that the thread will mainly deal with ithe topics from the viewpoint of domain investment, and not primarily around issues of how those of us who also develop sites can optimize them for search.

I look forward to learning from you!

Bob

 

[Bob Hawkes]

The CEO of Names.of.London some time ago published a blog post on the topic 'How Keyword Domain Names Can Boost Your Search Ranking." Essentially the article tries to reconcile the statement by Google that TLD does not matter (see above for link) with apparent rapidly strong search placement by close match domain names in certain cases.

I will try to outline the key ideas from the post.

• He starts with a discussion of the structure of a domain link. Normally the anchor text which you see and the html of the hyperlink are different. He argues that when they are exactly the same (except for the https and puncturation there is a boost to search. That is if the website is https://coffee.club and the anchor text you see is coffee.club, then there is an advantage. I am not in a position to evaluate if this is correct.
• The second point made is that in some social media, such as Twitter, simply writing a domain name with the dot makes it a live hyperlink. That is if I type Apple.com or coffee.club that is a live link. While this works exactly the same for legacy, country code or new extensions, it is more naturally a part of a written phrase when it is a match with everyday language. Like we might write coffee club but would not write normally CoffeeClub.com in a sentence (unless talking domain names). How important is the natural speech angle? The argument is if it is so easy to make an exact match link as part of social media, there will be more clicks, which promotes higher search and a positive feedback loop happens.
• A third point is that research apparently shows that attractive links are clicked more often. That is if I see CoffeeC21.biz and Coffee.club I am more likely to click on the latter. There of course are also trust issues which come into this, and which favour the well known extensions like some country code, .org and .com.
• Finally they mention that accidental links and clicks may help. As we all know a member of the US administration by mistake made a live Twitter link showing how easy it is to do with just adding the period (like hop.in would be a live hyperlink with the .in TLD). So let's say a word appears very often in text, and I have a domain that is a common two word phrase, just one inadvertent period makes it Twitter clickable.

I hope that I have accurately represented the key points made in the article.

Here is the link to the full article:
https://names.of.london/press/our-keyword-domain-names-can-boost-your-search-ranking/

So what do people think?

Bob

 

[namemarket]

It is only (arguably - remember that best is a noun, adjective, verb or adverb according to dictionary) backwards if you view it as a two part phrase.

...The obvious question is whether there is an ending other than best that is even higher in search results. I tried a few; <small loans great> <small loans top> <small loans good> <small loans deals> without finding one that is higher in search results.

I think this has implications for what word combinations you use in multi-word domain names. It may, or may not, have relevance re the extension that you use (see the question re whether TLD matters).

Thanks to @namemarket for bringing up the topic in another thread.

Bob

That's exactly my experience Bob, for example, someone here is a big fan of .top but most of the research I did showed it and many other newer tld's far behind .best in the vast majority of G search results.

After thinking more about this it's very well possible (as you mentioned) that ;best; being a noun, adjective, verb or adverb may be an important factor, with the stunning success of .best in search.

A powerful example of this issue is how much greater <small loans best> is in search vs <best small loans> (not using any quotes), even thought the losing search string is of course the correct way to say it.

 

[Bob Hawkes]

Thanks for the really illuminating answer, @enlytend!. I agree that right now they could not give too much preference since in most areas not enough sites up as you say. I am somewhat surprised that other extensions have not yet entered the secure space. Of course a https while offering security about transmission of information, to some degree, does not guarantee the site is valid. i seem to recall seeing that well over half of the phishing sites are now using security certificates.

Do you, or anyone else, know if they take into account the reliability of the TLD as a whole in their priority?That is if an extension has a poor rating on Spamhaus, do they consider that at all? I thought I saw somewhere that they did something about the 'free' country code extensions that had poor abuse ratings as a whole, but I can't seem to find a reference to that.

Thanks again for your insights!

Bob

 

[Bob Hawkes]

Most of us talk about search as if it was only Google. Of course there is Bing and also other options. Do we see Google becoming even more dominant, or will new players take a bit of the market

Most who voted in the poll so far see Google dominance continuing.
Can someone tell me is Google as dominant in other regions, like Asia, as it is in North America?
Also, does someone have a reliable source for information on how the percentage of search that is Google, vs Bing, etc. has varied in recent years? Thanks.
Bob