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Exact Match Domain Question

by freemen14
28 replies
  • SEO
    • |
I know this issue has been debated and talked about on the WF forever but wondering the difference in terms of SEO difficulty between a .info and a .org/ or .net?

I have found a gem of a keyword with a EMD in a .info, and when I look at the competition, four of the sites are a PR 1, 1 site is a PR 2, and one is a PR 0.

This is a long tail keyword in the wedding niche. Thanks freemen14
#.info domain ranking #domain #domains #emd #exact #match #question
  • Profile picture of the author stackcash
    If you ensure quality content, proper onsite SEO, and proper volume of backlinks, then I don't see why you shouldn't be able to rank that website.

    I, personally, only go for com/net/org domains, but nothing says a .info can't rank.

    Make sure you analyze the top ten results for the keyword with a fine tooth comb before diving in.
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    • Profile picture of the author freemen14
      Originally Posted by stackcash View Post

      If you ensure quality content, proper onsite SEO, and proper volume of backlinks, then I don't see why you shouldn't be able to rank that website.

      I, personally, only go for com/net/org domains, but nothing says a .info can't rank.

      Make sure you analyze the top ten results for the keyword with a fine tooth comb before diving in.

      Thank you. It seems that if you talk to ten different "SEO people" you'll get ten different answers. Yes, I am looking to fill the site with at least 20 pages of high quality content.
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      • Profile picture of the author Dirty SEO
        From an SEO perspective the TLD extension doesn't matter. Your marketing and link building efforts will be what helps you most there. The importance of keywords in domains has been "dialed down" a bit in importance, although it does add something. However, people's perception, trust of your information etc may be affected. .info's especially have a bad rap from their use with spammers.
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        • Profile picture of the author MartinK8
          Everytime I do some keyword research I find a ton of exact match domains available with high search count that are .info, there must be a reason for that. And there is, you wil have to work 10 times as much to get it ranking. Its easier to just research a bit more to find com, net or org. I use info only for squeeze pages.
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          • Profile picture of the author JSProjects
            Originally Posted by MartinK8 View Post

            Everytime I do some keyword research I find a ton of exact match domains available with high search count that are .info, there must be a reason for that. And there is, you wil have to work 10 times as much to get it ranking. Its easier to just research a bit more to find com, net or org. I use info only for squeeze pages.
            Disagree. I've found .info domains just as easy to rank as any other extension.

            That said, I don't even stress over EMD's anymore. It's not worth it since, in my opinion, the EMD benefit is almost zero these days.
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  • Profile picture of the author JammerJones
    Originally Posted by freemen14 View Post

    I know this issue has been debated and talked about on the WF forever but wondering the difference in terms of SEO difficulty between a .info and a .org/ or .net?

    I have found a gem of a keyword with a EMD in a .info, and when I look at the competition, four of the sites are a PR 1, 1 site is a PR 2, and one is a PR 0.

    This is a long tail keyword in the wedding niche. Thanks freemen14
    If it's a gem of a keyword and the .info is the only EMD left then go for it. Worst case scenario if you bust your ass and can't get it to rank, then 301 to a new domain.
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  • Profile picture of the author itsmeantor
    Banned
    I have ranked niche sites with .info domains. People use .com and so on as they are more familiar to people with lots of SEO conspiracy. Make an experiment and see yourself.

    As you have explained, it looks like a good keyword. Also check the backlinks of those pages on the search result. Upload fresh contents. build some high PR links and make sure you have proper META details, image tags, etc. you will be there.

    Originally Posted by freemen14 View Post

    I know this issue has been debated and talked about on the WF forever but wondering the difference in terms of SEO difficulty between a .info and a .org/ or .net?

    I have found a gem of a keyword with a EMD in a .info, and when I look at the competition, four of the sites are a PR 1, 1 site is a PR 2, and one is a PR 0.

    This is a long tail keyword in the wedding niche. Thanks freemen14
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris19h
    .info has a bad name because of all the crap sites a few years ago. A lot of junk sites were put up using .info domains, the reason being that each domain costs a lot less, usually can find .info domains for under $3. A lot cheaper when buying domains in bulk.

    I have been using .com, .org, and .net for a while now. I did a few years ago use a .info, I did not at the time notice any ranking difficulties.
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  • Profile picture of the author Simin
    Yeah... dont consider to buy dot info TLD... it's bad... and take a long time to be indexed by Google...
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    • Profile picture of the author Izesta
      Originally Posted by Simin View Post

      Yeah... dont consider to buy dot info TLD... it's bad... and take a long time to be indexed by Google...

      I just got my info domain indexed in Google in under 5 days. i don't know exactly because I didn't check it before the 5th day.
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  • Profile picture of the author cheapstuff
    Everyone gives mixed opinions because everyone has different experiences in SEO. If you are a quality white hit (maybe a bit gray hatish) then ranking the .info will have no drawbacks but then again an EMD would not matter either.

    That is probably the reason most SEO experts use a .com because its better for return visits, branding and that sense of security people get for some reason from a .com but whatever the case if you are good at SEO then it does not matter either way.
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  • Profile picture of the author TBInternetMarketing
    Originally Posted by freemen14 View Post

    wondering the difference in terms of SEO difficulty between a .info and a .org/ or .net?
    I've never tried to rank a .info before, but I've seen them appear on the first page.

    I'm not saying it can't be done, but personally I would rather add another letter like 'x' to the end of a .com domain.
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  • Profile picture of the author hammertorch
    In my opinion i don't think .info is a bad TLD, i see a lot of .info sites that ranks first page in google. The advantage is that you can register .info domains for quite a cheap price. See my signature below
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  • Profile picture of the author gary282
    I don't really think it makes much difference.
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  • Profile picture of the author tchandler50
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    • Profile picture of the author KyleGolemMedia
      Originally Posted by tchandler50 View Post

      From what I've heard it doesn't effect the SEO calculation much (if at all) but can have a negative impact on a web users likelihood of clicking on your site.
      This is more less what I believe, too. .info just doesn't look like a .com. It's not rocket science...it's user expectations

      Kyle
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  • Profile picture of the author KyleGolemMedia
    .info's work. People just prefer other extensions because they're mildly more powerful and way easier for customers/users to remember.

    Regardless, if you're looking for good EMD's with tons of traffic already coming to the keyword, I have a Fiverr gig that's getting a lot of good feedback. You should check it out! I'm actually using the gig to fund my Summer Concert Challenge. You'd be helping us both

    If your worry is using a .info, let me find you some .com/.net's that have just as much traffic...if not more!

    Kyle
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  • Profile picture of the author Domainate
    Multiple people in thread have said that SEO wouldn't be affected but clickthrough to site would be. But SEOMoz has indicated that both Google and Bing have said that clickthrough of results impacts rankings. So just based on that, there is an SEO knock against .info.

    Matt Cutts might say that they don't treat any gTLDs any differently, but a lack of trust in an extension can affect the clickthrough and likely also the bounce rate or time on site, all of which can affect SEO.

    That said, if you're absolutely gung-ho about targeting a particular term and can't get an exact match for it in com/net/org, then you can go with a .info and probably would get better results at least for that term than with a non-EMD com/net/org, though bear in mind the other effects of using a .info as noted above. You might get the rankings but they may not stay as easily with lack of trust in .info and in general you'll have to work that much harder to get conversions on your site.
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    • Profile picture of the author wolfmmiii
      Originally Posted by Domainate View Post

      Multiple people in thread have said that SEO wouldn't be affected but clickthrough to site would be.
      Most typical surfers have no idea what the TLD is of the domain they are clicking on.

      You need to step out of the mind of an IMer and into that of a normal user. Clickthrough effects wold be negligible at best.

      Like I said somewhere else - my .info is my highest-ranked and second most trafficked site this year so far. Seems to debunk the click-through thought process
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  • Profile picture of the author BlackMetal
    The reason less .infos rank is because less people (with good quality sites) buy them.
    This skews the data to make it look like they are bad for SEO.
    With fewer quality sites with .info's, of course you're goign to see more .coms rank.
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    • Profile picture of the author wolfmmiii
      Originally Posted by BlackMetal View Post

      The reason less .infos rank is because less people (with good quality sites) buy them.
      This skews the data to make it look like they are bad for SEO.
      With fewer quality sites with .info's, of course you're goign to see more .coms rank.
      Finally! Someone who get's it!!!
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      • Profile picture of the author jimnastics
        My couple of EMD.info domains are doing unbelievably well, both ranked super quick, for a KW with 30,000+ monthly searches, and are both approaching top 5... I'm a firm .info believer (if you can't get emd.com/net/org).

        1. There seems to be no issue with SEO / ranking with Google at all, that just seems to be typical IM forum myth.

        2. If you use it for domains in sectors where the visitors aren't going to be very net-savvy / think like an IM'er, then they seriously aren't going to be put off by the .info domain. I reckon 99% don't even see it.

        3. If you're not interested in selling your site on, and just want to cream adsense or whatever, then there's no problem with resale value.

        I'm starting to go off my previous fallback of EMDx.com, and going for .info if it's there and I think it's right in the circumstances.
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  • Profile picture of the author wolfmmiii
    My 2nd highest-traffic site this year is a .info

    There is no difference....
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  • Profile picture of the author mdsurf
    .info is the worst, harder to rank and least amount of seo value if you're using it to build links
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    • Profile picture of the author wolfmmiii
      Originally Posted by mdsurf View Post

      .info is the worst, harder to rank and least amount of seo value if you're using it to build links
      Says who? My experiences are clearly counter to this.
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  • Profile picture of the author TopBackBuilder
    It all depends on how important that site is to you, if it's not that important, then a .info will do just fine. If it's going to be a main stream of income, I'd stick with a .com personally.
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  • Profile picture of the author strategic seo services
    Originally Posted by freemen14 View Post

    I know this issue has been debated and talked about on the WF forever but wondering the difference in terms of SEO difficulty between a .info and a .org/ or .net?

    freemen14
    There is no difference. As long as you have good on page SEO & high quality backlinks, your site will rank well, regardless of the domain extension.
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  • Profile picture of the author J0hnnycl1ckz
    Hmmm I've always been a .com fan but this thread is making me want to do some testing to see for myself. Could save a nice chunk of change taking the .info route.
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