In October 2012 Google finally closed (or so it seemed) one of the most effective loopholes maintained by both business people and, unfortunately, spammers. We are talking about exact match domain update. It was really sad news for the entire EMD tools industry that came to the brokers and retailers. We will briefly explain this phenomenon to you so that you can understand better. In the past (at the dawn of SEO), it was possible to rank in the top 10 Google results with literally no backlinks or ethical SEO practices.

Compared to non-EMD sites, those with EMD will appear in the results for the simple fact that they had the keyword they were ranking for in the website address. You see, at the time, keyword optimization and backlink creation were the most popular SEO practices. Ironically, they were the most spammed. Many black hat experts create irrelevant content to put low quality links, junk comments and just one or two suspicious links on obscure websites.

“…a company may attempt to “trick” the search engine into listing the company’s web site more highly. For example, if the search engine gives greater weight in ranking results to words used in the domain name associated with web sites, a company may attempt to trick the search engine into ranking the company’s listing more highly by including desirable search terms in the domain name associated with the company’s listing.”

“Now if you’re still on the fence, let me give you a little color, we’ve looked at the rankings and the weight we give to keyword domains, and some people have complained that we’re a little are giving too much weight to keywords in domains,” Cutts said. “And so we’re thinking about adjusting that mix a little bit and turning down the knob within the algorithm. have been, so being given two different domains doesn’t necessarily help you as much as having a domain with a bunch of keywords. This.” (Source: SearchEngineWatch)

You see, Google doesn’t have a problem with EMD sites, as long as they provide value to the visitor, but as long as it’s a thin site, full of crap, they’re definitely going to rank it. Don’t want to stop. Google’s primary goal is to rank websites that were built for people, not crawlers. As a result, not all EMDs were targeted by this update, but those that were violating Google’s rules: they were stuffing keywords, or giving false information

. Just so you understand the power of EMDs in the past, let’s take an example. Let’s say you’re trying to rank for the keyword caribbean luxury cruises. The first thing you do is create your website: www.caribbeanluxurycruise.com. This will already ensure that you move up some positions through the SERPs. The next thing you have to do is fill it with keywords like: caribbean luxury cruise, caribbean cruise, luxury cruise etc.

In retrospect, this will ensure that you get a lot of traffic from Google, and a decent position. But don’t think for a second that you cheated the search engines by doing this. Google has known about this problem since 2003. In fact, a patent for EMD algorithms, systems and methods for detecting commercial queries was filed in September 2003. It was finally approved in October 2012.

Matt Cutts also mentioned that the EMD game will change soon. But before you curse again, keep in mind that Google was completely transparent about its decision. They gave you a heads up in March 2011, and it’s not like they penalized every EMD site. The only people affected are those who spread with the help of black hat SEO techniques.

Was the EMD update really a shock?

The only shocking part of the EMD update was that some webmasters were shocked by Google’s decision. After the 29th EMD update, many webmasters resorted to curses and insults directed at Google, and we really can’t understand why. He was actually angry because his black hat technique was rendered obsolete. In a way it’s funny, but what can you expect? It is also impossible to imagine that the site can be expanded with EMD alone.

The only way to make your website more visible on SERPs is to follow Google’s rules (mobile optimization, onsite optimization, quality backlinks, insightful content, social signals, etc.). Key points of the EMD update are:

“Please note that by our definition, all actions (either relevancy, or importance, or both) to increase rankings, without improving the actual value of a page, are considered spamming.” (Classification of Web Spam by Zoltán Gyöngyi and Hector Garcia-Molina)

If you want to have a fighting chance, you should definitely review Google’s quality guidelines. In other words, you must ensure that you are not violating any rules. Not that you should be surprised by all the algorithmic changes. They are not a surprise. Google has already stated that it wants high-quality websites, so instead of worrying about the next catastrophic update, why not go brick-by-brick already?

3 The overall strength of the domain is still important.

When the EMD update initially rolled up, it did not damage all exact match domains. Indeed, those that were morally constructed, and contained useful information, were rewarded. The slappers were the only ones created using questionable methods (the most commonly maintained keyword stuffing). Domain age and overall domain strength are important parameters, and together with other 200 parameters they will determine your position in SERPs.

4 Quality of backlinks > Quantity of backlinks

If you have an EMD website you can still promote it with anchors that reflect your website name. There is actually no problem with this practice, as long as the keywords are varied (ie you don’t just spam the same anchor all over the world). Additionally, instead of posting articles to article directories, or slapping obscure websites that have nothing to do with your niche, consider creating amazingly awesome guest posts for incredibly awesome websites. Why not pay attention? A good backlink is ten times more valuable than 30 backlinks on dubious websites.

Types of EMDs and How to Choose Them
According to many SEO experts, it’s still possible to put EMDs to good use, as long as you follow Google’s rules. But before we go into more details, it’s worth pointing out the types of exact match domains available. They can be sorted by TLD extension (.com, .net, .org etc.), dashed or non-dashed, number of keywords and “stop words”.

Whatever you do, don’t opt for double-dashed EMDs (I’m also against single-dashed ones but you can go ahead if you really want one). It has been proven that most double-dashed domains are spam, so stay away from them. The same principle applies to hyphens. The next thing you need to worry about is keywords. How many of these would you like in your site name? You should first consider the effectiveness of long-tail keywords for the business, and also think about the possibility that a shorter name is already taken. Three keywords in a website name may sound like a lot, but it can work. However, don’t go for more than three words, and definitely don’t insert words like “in”, “for” etc.

A good domain name might be www.seobeginnerguide.com, as opposed to www.theseoforbeginnersguide.com. The first address is easy to remember and type. Last but not least, what extension would you like to get? you.

“.net/.org” keyword domains have proven to be very effective as a website bootstrapping tool. I think this is the right strategy. Instead of flickr.com, start with onlinephotos.net or onlinephotogallery.org. I understand the value of a brand, but I think there is also value in embracing “bootstrapper traffic”. Some highly relevant long-tail traffic to your desired set of keyword phrases is definitely of great value to a startup. .net/.org domains typically cost about 10% of the cost of a .com domain. This can be of great importance in competitive verticals where most domains have been registered for many years. (Source: Moz.com)

EMDs are still profitable, especially if you respect the following rules:

Don’t be a cheapskate! Invest in the best domain name for your site. Considering the possibility that you will actually grow your site in the future, wouldn’t you want it to have the best name ever? You can check the online market for domain names that are already old and reliable.
Avoid dashes in the domain name, and stay away from second-level TLDs that no one has heard of.
GEO-Local EMDs are great to own → low barriers to entry.
Focus on “de-optimization”.
3-4 words maximum for .com EMDs and 2-3 words for .net/.org
Advantages of EMD

Great for startups to gather some relevant long tail traffic.
Getting targeted anchor text is easy.
Getting social mentions with keywords is easy.
Can dominate a single niche (IE: “category killer”)
Good for targeting variations in long-tail keyword phrase sets.
Brand mentions and keyword mentions become the same.
They can be very effective for questions of general commercial intent.
They can be very effective in local search.
A great way to build startup “bootstrapper” traction
Targeting a single niche can be an effective strategy with a well-constructed microsite.
Some businesses have very limited sets of keywords – this is a reasonable approach in these areas.
Disadvantages of EMD

Limits future brand expansion.
May create “brand confusion”.
You don’t get the same “credit” for brand mentions.
Your brand can come across as “ordinary”.
Claiming social media profiles can be tricky.
Connecting mentions with your brand can be more difficult.
Hatred on the quality of your site if you outperform competitors
More opportunity for “over-optimization” (seriously, does anyone else hate that phrase as much as I do?).
Their number is limited.
They can be very expensive.
The effectiveness of benefits is being gradually neutralized.

EMDs can cost a few thousand dollars, or a few billion dollars. It depends on how much the buyer is willing to pay for it. Most exact match domain names can cost as much as $99,999. And if you think about the type-in traffic, limited supply and brand recognition and authority of EMDs, it’s pretty easy to understand why some business owners are willing to pay so much for them.

Let’s say two websites both have great content, beautiful design, strong marketing and social media strategies, regular publishing schedules, strict editorial standards and similar budgets. Presumably she will win on a non-keyword domain name. The desired keyword or phrase.

Future value of EMDs

Even if Google has released its update for EMDs, that doesn’t mean you can’t find value in exact match domains. At the moment they are very reliable because they are easy to find, and they convey a sense of trust and a powerful brand. The more websites that pop up, the harder it is for business owners to find a suitable name for their website, so EMDs sell for more money. Having a brand name like Amazon.com can help you a lot in the future!