Keywords in domain name will not help a website rank better

[Artashes]

The first time I heard about it was a number of years ago. Since the question is likely among the most common ones, this week, Google's John Mueller re-confirmed once again that a keyword in a domain name will not help a website rank better for that keyword.

In fact, he went further to say that using a specific keyword in a domain may put your business at a disadvantage:

“From a practical point of view, it’s worth also keeping in mind that businesses evolve over time, and moving domains is hard.

So it often makes sense to pick a domain name that you can use for the long run and not necessarily one that just matches what you’re offering today."

You can read John's expanded thoughts and insights here:
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/keywords-in-domain-name/380912/

 

[SenseiSteve]

Just read his insights. Thanks for sharing. I've heard the same through the years, as this is a myth that refuses to die.

 

[bigredseo]

Google also says EMD (Exact Match Domains) have no impact.

While I agreed that choosing a domain can have long term impact if you then try to shift focus, and you can use SEO and marketing to rank any domain for any phrase, I still recommend a user have their keyword in their domain (when it makes sense).

Whether admitted or not, the keyword in the domain does still have a ranking weight.

LocalPlumbingCompany,com may not get the rankings due to EMD, but RobertsPlumbing,com will rank for plumbing without doing much SEO.

We moved XXXXXpest,com to XXXXXpestcontrol,com and within 3 weeks saw it outranking other local pest control companies (including our original domain). That's with no new design or new content, just domain change.

Now if they were XXXlocksmithandpestcontrol that might be an issue when they decide to sell off the locksmith division, but generally keywords in domains still have a ranking impact.

John is very specific with his words using "shouldn't" rather than "doesn't" and being selective with "I don't think" and "I think".

I wish keywords didn't affect domains, we would cut spammers instantly in various industries, but they do still have an impact.

 

[iwinx]

Google also says EMD (Exact Match Domains) have no impact.

While I agreed that choosing a domain can have long term impact if you then try to shift focus, and you can use SEO and marketing to rank any domain for any phrase, I still recommend a user have their keyword in their domain (when it makes sense).

Whether admitted or not, the keyword in the domain does still have a ranking weight.

LocalPlumbingCompany,com may not get the rankings due to EMD, but RobertsPlumbing,com will rank for plumbing without doing much SEO.

We moved XXXXXpest,com to XXXXXpestcontrol,com and within 3 weeks saw it outranking other local pest control companies (including our original domain). That's with no new design or new content, just domain change.

Now if they were XXXlocksmithandpestcontrol that might be an issue when they decide to sell off the locksmith division, but generally keywords in domains still have a ranking impact.

John is very specific with his words using "shouldn't" rather than "doesn't" and being selective with "I don't think" and "I think".

I wish keywords didn't affect domains, we would cut spammers instantly in various industries, but they do still have an impact.

Very informative, thanks for sharing :thumbup:

 

[davidweb09]

Keyword in domain, URL are treated as SEO optimized. It help in better search engine rankings.