How Critical is the Domain Name to SEO?

How Critical is the Domain Name to SEO?

How Critical is the Domain Name to SEO?

Anyone that knows me knows that one of my favourite tricks is after doing extensive keyword research, I'll buy a domain name that matches the primary keyword as closely as possible. The reason for this is that Google traditionally looks at the domain name as a major factor in ranking your site. Just take a look at the search engine results page if you doubt the logic in this approach.Traditionally, I will register a keyword-rich domain name, build a site using Wordpress, get a few links to it and within a couple of weeks I'd normally expect the site to appear on the first page. That is assuming that I haven't picked an incredibly competitive market, of course.That, right there is a golden tip. Feel free to use it as you see fit. However, are things changing? I'm noticing that these niche sites are not ranking as quickly as they once did and I thought I'd do a little investigating.Here are some points that I discovered. First, sure enough while a keyword-rich domain name is a major factor it isn't as effective as it was a year ago. Now, I'm seeing that domains that are not new (aged domains) are being given priority. That is not to say that new domains can't rank well, regardless what so-called SEO experts try to tell you about the infamous Google sandbox. They still can but only in less competitive niches.Since domain age plays a factor, if you're trying to compete in a more competitive niche I'd suggest finding an aged domain - ideally one that is at least 5 years old. It doesn't necessarily need to be related to your niche but if it still has some page rank it will rank even faster.Of course, it goes without saying that the other major factor that Google still considers (and always will) is the number of back-links that your site has to it. Google looks at each link to your site as a vote of confidence. The more votes that you get the more credibility your site will have. However, Google does not look at all links in the same light. The more authority that a site has (usually determined by Google's Page rank of that page) the more that link is worth to you.Basically, there are two approaches. The first is to go for quantity of links. Get as many links from as many different places as possible. The other approach is to go for high quality links. For example, it is not unheard of for a site to go from a page rank of 4 to a page rank of 6 just by getting one site with a page rank of 8 to link to it.This is not always easy to do but it is definitely worth making the effort.To summarize using keyword-rich domain names still works but it isn't quite as effective as it once was - especially in more competitive markets. However, getting both quality and quantity of back-links to your site will always benefit your rankings.

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