What is your take on Exact-Match Domains?

Vulk

13 years ago

Better to be safe than sorry. My philosophy on EMD are that if their available and the niche is hot, snatch it up.

Thanks
1 reply

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4630600].message }}

JohnMcCabe 13 years ago

Originally Posted by Vulk

Better to be safe than sorry. My philosophy on EMD are that if their available and the niche is hot, snatch it up.

I'm sure GoDaddy, NameCheap and all the rest of the registrars would love to see everybody take this approach...
- Thanks
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4643510].message }}

Cool Hand Luke

13 years ago

They absolutely matter, and it makes a BIG difference. Maybe less so than before, but they still carry a significant advantage.

But I like to support the "exact match doesn't matter at all" movement, simply because it'll make it much more easy for me to get exact match domains and outrank my competitors.

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4630614].message }}

Andyhenry

13 years ago

I don't bother with them. I always get the number 1 spot and I never use them...

Thanks
1 reply

Signature

nothing to see here.

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4630629].message }}

BarryOnline 13 years ago

Originally Posted by Andyhenry

I don't bother with them. I always get the number 1 spot and I never use them...

I agree with this, the EMD was like the Google loophole to higher rankings, not any more though.

People need to stop obsessing over EMD, they are not what the used to be. Google have teams of engineers actively working on stopping people manipulating their search results. EMDs were one such tool people used to spam the hell out of the search results & Google has now dramatically lowered the power that EMD's used to have.

A short, brandable domain a keyword or two in it is all you need. Focus your efforts on good on page SEO & QUALITY back linking. You will out rank EMD’s all day long.
- Thanks
Signature

We are the universe contemplating itself - Carl Sagan
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4630871].message }}

Kurt

13 years ago

Just remember that the exact match is for one keyword phrase/one page only. If you plan on adding more than one page to the site, then all the other pages won't be exact match, unless they also focus on just a single keyword.

Thanks

Signature

Discover the fastest and easiest ways to create your own valuable products.
Tons of FREE Public Domain content you can use to make your own content, PLR, digital and POD products.

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4630680].message }}

Trent Brownrigg

13 years ago

If the EMD is available then you might as well get it. If not, you can still get to #1 without it. From what I have seen they do help but you certainly don't need them.

Thanks

Signature

You can find internet marketing strategies, SEO consulting, and tons of business advice at BAM!

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4630716].message }}

fitz10

13 years ago

It definitely depends on the term but for relatively low competition terms it's obvious the EMDs do rank better. I've seen EMDs with no backlinks and practically no content (ie- maybe just one article on a blog) rank on the first page.

Months ago Matt Cutts did claim that Google would be "adjusting the dial" so to speak on EMDs but I haven't seen any evidence of that happening yet.

Thanks
2 replies

Signature

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4630730].message }}

thecableguy 13 years ago

It's not the magic it used to be several years ago or the SERPs would be littered with the EMD and hyphenated versions. Like mentioned the longer tail EMDs really kind of limit you as you try to grow the site out as it's really hard to stay within the "theme". Given a choice I'd like to have the keyword in the domain name provided it's not to longtail. JMO
- Thanks
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4630752].message }}
JohnMcCabe 13 years ago

While I think EMD can give you a boost with relevance for that single keyword, I don't think it's the deciding factor. Look at sites like eHow. Unless someone searches on the keyword 'how', there is no EMD there, yet they show up for all kinds of wierd phrases.

I've seen some speculation that in niches that lend themselves to spammy, thin pages, EMDs can actually be counterproductive, especially if you get a human review.
- Thanks
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4630772].message }}

Hostpany

13 years ago

It doesn't really make any difference.

Thanks
1 reply

Signature

Video Game Reviews

Buy Cheap web hosting at Hostpany

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4641044].message }}

MattVit 13 years ago

I've had varied results with them. Even with low-to-no competition, it's a 50/50 chance they'll be first place.
- Thanks
Signature
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4641070].message }}

Seofarmer

13 years ago

I have great results using EMD on landing pages and one-page sites. (targeting limited amount of keywords)

As mentioned by other users above, i dont think it helps much if you are trying to build a site targeting numerous of keywords. It kindda leave no room for expansion.

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4641152].message }}

owenlee

13 years ago

i have a fairly good result with EMD...but most of them are in the low competition...

Thanks

Signature

Case study: How I help my client get more traffic by building links.

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4641319].message }}

Kurt Chrisler

13 years ago

In my experience they do help quite a bit especially if you are targeting a low competition keyword. If you play on building a bigger site then just having your main keyword in your domain is enough.

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4643620].message }}

36burrows

13 years ago

It does make a difference.

Sorry to anyone who says otherwise.

Can you rank a site to #1 without one? Of course.

Is it easier with an EMD? In my experience, absolutely.

Thanks

Signature

PPC Management Services

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4643659].message }}

GeorgR.

13 years ago

My take on this is that Google should get rid of it and ONLY focus on content.

Thanks

Signature

*** Affiliate Site Quick --> The Fastest & Easiest Way to Make Affiliate Sites!<--
-> VISIT www.1UP-SEO.com *** <- Internet Marketing, SEO Tips, Reviews & More!! ***
*** HIGH QUALITY CONTENT CREATION +++ Manual Article Spinning (Thread Here) ***
Content Creation, Blogging, Articles, Converting Sales Copy, Reviews, Ebooks, Rewrites

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4644015].message }}

Rough Outline

13 years ago

They are certainly an advantage but they aren't going to make you rank for a term on their own.

[ 1 ] Thanks

Signature

Get Kinetic Text / Animated Explainer Videos For Your Site Now

Click Here to See Video Samples

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4644077].message }}

JSProjects

13 years ago

Wow, I'm surprised how many people are downplaying EMD's. Are they as powerful as they used to be? No. But they're still very effective. Yes, you can outrank an EMD pretty easily with GOOD content and backlinks. But having an EMD + good content and backlinks will give you a bigger boost.

Google is slapping the EMD's with awful content and no / low quality backlinks. Which is probably why a lot of people don't think they're effective. Gone are the days of registering an EMD, throwing up junk content, and ranking #1. They take a little work, but they absolutely give you a boost. But instead of immediately hitting page 1, it's page 4, 5, etc. With a little bit of work they will still rank higher than a non-EMD with the exact same content & backlinks.

[ 1 ] Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4644158].message }}

MatthewGreen

13 years ago

I would go for emd if available. It makes your website 100% relevant to the main keyword you are trying to rank. In my opinion it is easier to rank with emd rather than a brand named website.

[ 1 ] Thanks

Signature