There was a time not so long ago in the Google world before the infamous Panda/Penguin updates that domain names which happened to match exactly a specific keyword they targeted did pretty well in search rankings. Many SEO experts would specifically advise clients to find domain names to buy which would if at all possible match exactly their top keyword, that though was until Panda and then Penguin was released and things changed very suddenly…

After these updates many sites which had previously ranked high on search found themselves languishing on page numbers with double digits and subsequently they saw the organic traffic they had come to rely so heavily on completely dry up. Many of these sites happened to be EMDs and therefore people were quick to rush to the conclusion that as part of the Panda/Penguin algorithm updates Google had targeted exact match domains and were now being penalized rather than rewarded.

Upon further analysis though it became more obvious  this isn’t necessarily the case. Matt Cutts and the Google Team whilst never truly revealing the exact target areas of these algorithms have been very vocal about explaining the strategic direction with both Panda and Penguin was to reduce spam and poor content and it just transpires that a lot of the spammy websites that were penalized because of this happened to have Exact Match Domains. At the time though you have to remember this was a well used SEO tactic to increase traffic for a specific keyword and had been extremely successful.

So yes we did see a decline in search success after the updates but what about now? If content is really king and you own a legitimate EMD are you being treated fairly by Google? Matt Cutts would answer yes but there are still whispers out there that you will receive a lower score as put simply Google is still suspicious of these sites.

As an owner of an Exact Match Domain I find myself on a swinging pendulum on my thoughts with this subject. Yes I will be the first to admit I purchased http://www.expired-domains.co a couple of years ago having run my business from a different domain name which had better brand presence but little key word relevancy without much success with Google.

Ok so now I am doing better on my search results but I do still question is this because of or in spite of my domain name.. These days I try to be a good Google Soldier and follow the rules maybe I am just being rewarded because of this and maybe I could do even better if I didn’t use an EMD…?

With the launch of the new GTLDs where much of the focus has been on exact match domains for example – photography.club, gardening.expert etc. It is is obvious that a significant proportion of these domains will target high traffic keywords but how will they rank? It is my feeling that Google may have to revise their thinking if there is a level of penalty going on to incorporate these sites into the search results – but I guess time will tell..

Google aside looking at the trends in the Marketing Industry it really is becoming more and more popular to have a business name that may not explain your targeted business stream, branding and advertising is key to success both off and online with a name that is not transparent and with my own Marketing hat on I am torn as be warned it really is hard to build a brand around a keyword……

Clare Coggins

clare@expired-domains.co