Do Exact Match Domains Matter?

As a business owner, your domain is your digital representation. Your brand and your online reputation are built around your domain. Ensuring you get it right with domain selection for your shop is a massive stride towards online dominance. With the online real estate entirely about keywords and how well you integrate them into your content strategy, coming up with the best keywords and faring competitively against reputable domains and brands will do the trick. Of real concern, though, is the effectiveness of Exact Match Domains(EMDs) for new entrants. Does it matter? How much does it matter?

Exact match domains integrate or match search queries to your domain. In this sense, if you are selling clothes and want to be found for ‘cheap clothes,’ the keyword ‘cheap clothes will appear in your domain or ‘clothes.’ The same applies to shoes and a collection of many other products that your small business has specialized in.

First, exact match domains push you up the rankings and give you access to organic traffic. For instance, if you type a query like ‘affordable shoes’ or ‘fancy clothes’ or ‘quality utensils,’ the sites that appear on the first page of search results are most likely exact match domains pushing for that search query or have a subdomain that matches the search query. It is every business’ dream to appear on the first page of search results. With an exact match domain and an effective content strategy, you can get there with time.

Important to note, though, is that if you have an exact match domain, the content beneath it must be related to the domain. You cannot have ‘affordable clothes’ in your domain yet you are selling cutlery. Search engines pride in ensuring that visitors get exactly what they are looking for. Lying to search engines will only get you a penalty that you may never recover from.

From a branding perspective, EMDs generate instant credibility and differentiation. This will make it easier to build a customer base. Customers who want your product will just type the keyphrase in their browsers and you will be among the first to pop up. This will give you more room to manoeuvre and beat your competitors. Prospect will have no problem finding you because the search query they type in their browser is your domain and the keyword you are ranking for.

Having an EMD and then ranking for the same is an advantage that can never be overturned. Integrating EMDs with the best marketing strategy will mean you become a mainstay at the very top of the food chain. All the organic traffic will begin from your site while your competitors will compete for a few explorers who are in search of options.

When choosing an exact match domain name, please take into account the following;

· Use natural keywords that match your demographic and what your target audience is searching for

· As far as possible, avoid infringing on trademarks, copyright, and intellectual property

· Choose a short, memorable domain that is not too hard to remember

· Choose a domain that is marketable

· Choose a domain that is brandable and one that will represent your business in the online space

Important to note too is that in 2012, Google rolled out a new algorithm meant to penalize low-quality exact match domains. With this roll-out, Exact Match Domains that offered content in contrast to the domain had their rankings decreased, and some even punished for spamming. With an EMD, therefore, you have to consistently produce content that matches the domain and keywords you are pushing for. We offer multiple domain extensions and you can have one in place for your EMD and get online at any time. Have a look here.