There’s a lot of talk about keyword domains these days. Many marketers claim owning keyword domains is the secret to their high rankings. But do they still matter? Or is this another SEO myth?
In a nutshell, the answer is “no.” Keyword domains don’t provide any SEO benefit you can’t get from a regular domain.
Google is regularly changing their algorithm to weed out spammy sites. And better reward sites that create fresh content. Nowadays, many Digital Marketing companies in India focus a lot on content creation.
This article provides some insights into why keyword domains aren’t as beneficial. So, let’s get started with this.
Categories of Domain Name
There are three main categories of domain names:
- Keyword Domain
- Brand Domain
- Word+KeyWord Domain
Keyword Domain:
Keyword domains are domain names that consist that targets a specific keyword. For example, if an SEO agency in India wanted to promote content related to “SEO,” they would go for a domain name like “SEOIndia.com.”
These types of domains used to be very popular back in 2008-2009 when Google was lax with its keywords. Google used to target keywords within the domain name to boost search results. But, this changed in 2012 when Google’s algorithm was redesigned to be more spam-resistant. So, keywords in a domain don’t matter anymore.
Word+KeyWord Domains:
Word+keyword domains consist of a keyword that targets a more specific term. Such as “SEOAgencyIndia.com”. These domains combine keywords and texts to increase ranking for a specific term.
It helps users to understand the specific nature of your business. These websites tell users the specific nature of business. Also, it brands your digital presence well. But, there is a drawback to this type of domain. Your website becomes a specific niche website. You can’t cover broader topics. That’s why it takes more time for users to understand your website.
Brand Domains:
Brand Domains are these websites which don’t need to follow any keyword or keyword combination to rank on search results. Example Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, and Wikipedia.
Brand domains can rank on search results based on their popularity and brand value. They have high domain authority, which boosts their rankings on search results. But, they are also expensive to buy and maintain.
Is Keyword Domain Still Successful?
Well, the answer is no. Google’s John Muller mentioned in a webmaster hangout that keyword domains are not that successful because nowadays, they don’t hold any value in rankings or from a user’s perspective!
Here are the four insights from John Mueller about keyword domains:
1. Keyword Domains Do Not Have An Advantage In Terms Of Time:
Many people believe that keyword domains can rank so fast, and this is not true, according to John Mueller. In his recent webmaster hangout session, John mentions those keywords are not good in terms of ranking on Google. Google follow on-page and off-page signals to rank your website, and keyword domains do not take advantage in this regard.
2. Keyword Domains Do Not Have An Advantage In Terms Of SEO:
Google tracks keywords to rank on search results because keywords are the most commonly used words on the keyboard!
So, now the question is, why does Google ignore keyword domains? As John mentioned, Google ignored keyword domains because these domains are not that important when it comes to SEO.
3. Keyword Domains Do Not Hold Any Value In Terms Of User Experiences:
According to John, the keyword domain does not hold any value for user experiences. You may fail from a user’s perspective when trying to rank a website with a keyword domain!
4. Keyword Domains and Branded Domains Rank as Same:
According to John, keyword domains rank the same as branded domains. It is a sign that keyword domains have no value!
Branded domains are websites that build brand equity by keeping their domain name relevant and suitable! As Google updates their algorithms to rank a website according to relevancy, this can help you rank your website above another site!
Conclusion:
In conclusion, keyword domains do not hold any value, and you should not consider them for any reason. Many digital marketing companies in India know these myths about keyword domains because they look forward to building brand equity with their customers!
These digital marketing companies in India follow such practices because customers follow their suggestions!
On the other hand, Google considers the domain name a lot of times to rank a website above another site!
That is why it is recommended to build branded domain names because it gives you a better ranking on Google!
