Question: How important is it to have keywords in my domain name?
Answer: Having keywords in the domain IS very helpful, as we will see when we look at website structure. For very competitive searches (e.g. reverse mortgage calculator, online coupons, etc.), you’ll often see MANY websites for which the domain contains the keywords.
That said, a domain containing keywords isn’t the only factor for SEO purposes. Other factors (on page SEO, content, website organization) and off page factors (links, social mentions, freshness), matter a great deal, too.
Finally, in 2012, Google rolled out what was called the ‘EMD’ update (Exact Match Domain). What EMD did was penalized ‘thin’ exact match domains – websites for which the keyword query matched the search, but the website itself did not have a lot of content, did not have many backlinks, did not have good social signals, etc. So in sum the domain itself is just one factor among many for good SEO.
Got a question? Click this link to email Jason or call 888-993-1122. Dr. Jason McDonald is founder and Senior SEO / Social Media Director of the JM Internet Group. He teaches the SEO training classes for the group, and therefore provides most of the SEO tips for this blog. His goal with this blog is to provide an easy 'one-stop shop' for the busy marketer looking for tips, tricks, and secrets on how to get to the top of Google and Bing for free using proven SEO tactics. When not dreaming up SEO tips, Dr. McDonald lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, two dogs, a cat, four iguanas and twelve children (just kidding). Really you read down to the bio on this guy? Enjoy the blog.
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