Should You Choose an Exact Match Domain for Your Site?

Exact match domains used to be a favorite among marketers looking to rank a site quickly. If you wanted to rank for “lose weight,” it only made sense to register the domain loseweight.com. However, Google has begun cracking down on exact match domains and has begun devaluing these sites in search results. In fact, some exact match domain sites saw their rank drop hundreds of places in search results.

However, marketers have not given up on exact match domains entirely. There are still some ways to use exact match domains to your advantage. Here are a few “do’s” and “don’ts” to help you if you are thinking of using an exact match domain:

Do

Choose a domain that matches your brand name. An exact match domain name may be just fine if it just so happens to be the same as your brand name. For example, if your business name is “Durham Pizza” then the URL durhampizza.com makes perfect sense, as does targeting the keyword “Durham pizza.”

Use geo-targeting. Google favors local matches for search results, so an exact match domain that uses geo targeting may have a competitive advantage. Therefore, liabilitcarinsurance.com may not rank well, but ncliabilitycarinsurance.com might.

Provide high-quality content. One reason that Google started to devalue exact match domains is that they usually belonged to websites that contained low-quality and spammy content. If you are providing a quality user experience, including exceptional and useful content, then you can overcome any stigma that an exact match domain may carry.

Maintain a healthy link profile. In addition to your content, Google looks at your link profile to indicate the quality of your site. Organic backlinks from high-quality sites in your niche will signal that your site has authority and provides a good experience for the user. Work on building quality links to your site and regularly check your link profile to ensure that there are no spammy links pointing back to your site.

Don’t

Include more than one dash in the domain. A popular tactic that site owners used to use if the domain they wanted was taken was to include dashes. Therefore, if they couldn’t get losefatnow.com, they would register lose-fat-now.com. However, data has shown that websites that use more than one dash in the URL typically contain low-quality and spammy content. It is best to avoid including a dash in a keyword domain if possible, and if not, then be sure not to use more than one. Otherwise, you will be sending up a big red flag to Google to devalue your site.

Register anything other than .com. Another popular strategy for web owners who couldn’t get the URL they wanted was to register another extension besides .com, such as .org, .net, .biz, .info and so on. However, most of these URLs are devalued. URLs that have a .com extension are always weighted higher. If you do use an exact match domain, always register a .com extension.

Exact match domains are not dead, but they should be used cautiously and properly. If you decide to use one for your business, keep these tips in mind to make sure you stay on Google’s good side and make the URL work in your favor.

Do you have an exact match domain? How has it helped or hurt your rankings? Share your experiences and your advice in the comments!

Tara Spenser is currently the resident writer for workingcapital.org, where she researches the most affordable business cash advances available. In her spare time, she enjoys blogging, swimming and being a mom.