No SEO Advantages for Keyword-Based Domains

No SEO Advantages for Keyword-Based Domains

Google’s John Mueller has answered a long-time question about whether there is an SEO advantage for websites that use keywords in their domain name. According to Mueller, he confirmed no SEO bonus for websites that add keywords in their domain. He also listed a couple of reasons why businesses should not add them.

Keywords in Domain URL

John Mueller explained that Google’s algorithm is built on knowing the difference between a bare URL and anchor text. This is why Google will never use the keywords in a bare URL.

While it has been a long talk in the SEO industry, adding keywords in the domain will help Google understand your website. However, the release of Mueller’s statement discredits that idea.

Before, Google used to rank exact match domains. But this has long been dampened many years ago and has reduced its impact. Thus, having a keyword-based domains will have no SEO advantages over your competitors.

Google’s Tips in Picking Domain Names

Google’s John Mueller suggested that the best way to pick up a domain is to choose something that goes for a long term.

One of the examples given by Mueller is Amazon. The company started as an online bookseller but later transitioned to selling nearly everything. This is because their domain name was not related to books.

Several start-up SEO agencies made this mistake. Most SEO agencies first started as web design companies and created their domain with their targeted keyword. However, most of them soon transitioned towards SEO, which led them to change their domain names.

This is why John Mueller suggested businesses pick a domain name to survive a change in their business model and trends.

Here are the tips are given by John Mueller when picking a domain name:

  • Google offers no rank bonus for adding keywords in domains.
  • Using keyword-based domains can only limit your business growth.
  • Changing your business domain can be a huge hassle.
  • Use a domain name that has the potential to grow.

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Source:

Search Engine Journal