This Google algorithm change is BAD news for us domainers

[Pound]

Have spent today emailing potential end users - have had three replies already saying that normally they would be interested, but due to the recent algorithm update they have no interest/need...

 

[InvisionTech]

Another useless update from Google.

 

[alien51]

So this means the amount of effort an End-User will spend trying to rank a brandable domain, say frazzle.co is now just about the same as an EMD.

 

[Weber]

Have spent today emailing potential end users - have had three replies already saying that normally they would be interested, but due to the recent algorithm update they have no interest/need...

Three different people told you that?

 

[sophiax]

I was just worried about Google algorithm on some points that if some negative SEO done by some of my competitors can hurt my site. This news can prove very bad in future

 

[carob]

Google is not going to devalue a quality site based on using an EMD.

Actually they have done exactly that to me - long established sites with plenty of original relevant content, not domainer sites.

For the EMD query they have totally disappeared from search results. For other queries their position in results is unchanged.

Maybe they'll tweak the filter - supposedly if it is a filter it gets a monthly tweak -so that EMD domains have no advantage, but at the moment they are delivering a heavy EMD penalty to some sites.

---------- Post added at 09:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:23 AM ----------

It is in Google's best interest to provide high quality results.

If you are an end user who sells flowers in Chicago, and your domain is ChicagoFlowers.com, that simply explains your business.

Google is looking to remove garbage sites based on EMD.

IMO Google wants to provide high quality results for major businesses, not small players. It seems to me every change just pushes Amazon and other big American business players up in the search results. Yes big players tend not to use EMD.

 

[alien51]

Actually they have done exactly that to me - long established sites with plenty of original relevant content, not domainer sites.

For the EMD query they have totally disappeared from search results. For other queries their position in results is unchanged.

So when you say your long established sites were pushed down the order, what is the quality of your competitors sites that replaced you at the top?

If they are high quality as well, then perhaps your current position is your real quality level were it not for the EMD on your domain?

IMO Google wants to provide high quality results for major businesses, not small players. It seems to me every change just pushes Amazon and other big American business players up in the search results. Yes big players tend not to use EMD.

This would never have happened if most EMDs did not fall on domainers' hands. Domainers gave EMDs a bad reputation, which triggered Matt Cutts to tweak his algo. It's just like when scammers invaded the .BIZ tld, everyone else have shun them altogether as spammy.

 

[infmoney]

The only time I've had a reply similar to Pounds is when emailing seo companies. Most endusers don't have a clue.

:talk:

lol

that response sounds more like it would come from another domainer.

domainers are the one group who will panic, and become confused, whenever they think the sky is falling or something is raining on their parade.

as such is the case with every report of Big G changing some shiz-zit around.



a true end-user who really has plans for development, would not use such a lame excuse.

unless, they were playing jedi mind tricks on you



imo...

 

[alien51]

ChicagoFlowers.com is a very good name.
EMD like ChicagoFlowerShopInMagnificentMile.com would become less valuable.

That's a no-contest comparison.

But for the sake of this new Google algorithm, it seems it is now possible that if you type "chicago flowers" on Google, the top website will be something like "Sofias dot com" (hypothetically if this domain was selling flowers... but currently it is owned by a domainer as well). Your ChicagoFlowers.com "could" get pushed down to second page if the other brandables contain quality content as well.

In short, your EMD advantage is now lost.

End users are getting smarter.

They are now more comfortable settling on the other extensions, or attaching some nifty word infront of the domain like "the" or "my". That's because they realized domainers are now unable to rank their stuffs high on search engines. And if domainers can't sell their stuff, their own "less than perfect" domains are safe on top of search.

Happened to me a few times. Say for example, i own "phantom dot com" (just an example). Buyer didn't like my asking price. So he got "thephantom dot com" for just reg fee. Now he ranks on top of search, because he is more focused developing content for this single domain, while i'm too busy with my 400+ domains.

 

[stuart_domains]

Google EMD update effect domain value?

personally i think this update has made many domain names value drop to zero.

anything like (example purposes only)

chainsaws.com
woodsheds.com
fishtanks.com
usbleads.com
blankdiscs.com

if your site is about the domain name then i think this google update has rendered the domain name redundant.

Discuss.

 

[GeoFan]

The key words are Low Quality EMD update... Google it.

Sites that meet or exceed minimum quality are doing fine.

Got any real examples?

---------- Post added at 01:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:22 PM ----------

Discussed here:

http://www.namepros.com/domain-name-discussion/772631-emd-exact-match-domain-update-2-a.html

 

[GeoFan]

Being at this moment some kind of pessimist-skeptic, I am wondering . . . What if Goog sees the domain name market as a competitor for ad revenue? If the PERCEIVED value of keywords in the domain name market goes down, there could be more money to be spent on PPC?

EMD were often pitched to end users as being a sure-fire way to reduce spending on PPC.

May not be a smart way to pitch them anymore?

For low-competition, micro niche, local business branding, EMD value will still be there. :imho: I see many GEO+profession EMDs with minimum quality sites still ranking #1 — as long as the niche has not too much competition.

 

[advaita]

Google probably trying to get people to spend money on Adwords.
And when I use Google now looking for stuff what I get is 3 pages of Amazon urls before any other site !

 

[kerwin]

This is the beginning of the end for small-timers/long-tailers (people who sell names consisting of 3 words or more). As awareness of this update grows, nobody is going to want your domain unless it can be their main address or at least one that they can use for non search engine related advertising. Google has now put to death even the most sophisticated form of doorway page.

 

[Pound]

This is one of the replies that prompted creating this thread:

Thanks for thinking of me, but I'm having a huge problem right now due to the Google Exact Match Domain modification of their search algo.

I hope your site isn't being killed as mine is, but since you have an exact match domain, I fear you're losing traffic as I am. (100,000 page views a month before, lucky to get 40-50,000 now. Nothing has changed, just Google's algo.)

So, while I would love to add XXX.com to my stable of domains, I'm can't even think of it right now.

Cheers and good luck,

XXX

 

[ezcoms]

The bottom line is: Google isn't everything. I'm glad I learned that early in the game. Keep domaining and continue on. They'll need more of our money soon and they'll change their "make up our own rules on a whim when need-be" attitude.

 

[stuart_domains]

use bing

 

[tpruby]

Google doesn't want crappy sites to rank at the top, this makes sense to me, maybe this will push domainers to develop better sites... Most domainer sites really suck, I wouldn't rank them highly either..

Can't argue with that.

Why would anyone, anywhere want a useless parked page with filler content to appear as a search result?

---------- Post added at 12:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:35 PM ----------

Happened to me a few times. Say for example, i own "phantom dot com" (just an example). Buyer didn't like my asking price. So he got "thephantom dot com" for just reg fee. Now he ranks on top of search, because he is more focused developing content for this single domain, while i'm too busy with my 400+ domains.

This example here...I saw it coming years ago.

No I'm not a visionary, just had my eyes opened to declining value of exact names for search results to appear at the top for small business.

---------- Post added at 12:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:38 PM ----------

use bing

Nice try Microsoft.

---------- Post added at 12:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:39 PM ----------

The bottom line is: Google isn't everything. I'm glad I learned that early in the game. Keep domaining and continue on. They'll need more of our money soon and they'll change their "make up our own rules on a whim when need-be" attitude.

Google needs money from parked pages that offer zero value to end consumers?

If Google wants to erode their brand, then perhaps your right.

I however believe Google's aim to perfect search for end consumers.

This does not involve allowing parked pages with generic content to filter to the top.

 

[LetsYo]

Content matters, Quality content and Quality backlinking gives top result in google whatever may be the algorithm.

 

[CodingTheDomain]

EMDS with quality backlinks, solid content and social media activity still rank well.