Exact Match Domain: Navigating Google’s Policies And SEO Implications

What if you searched for information using a specific keyword and you got a domain name that precisely matches the keyword you searched? That’s known as an exact match domain. This was one of the powerful and top keyword tools used for SEOs and heavily emphasized by search engines for website ranking and everything was going well until it all changed with an update introduced in September 2012. 

In this article, we’ll focus on what is exact match domain and dive into the specifics of Google’s Exact Match Domain Update so that SEO professionals and website owners can get a better understanding of the concepts in detail.

Uncovering The Pre-Google Update Era

If you are still unclear about it, let’s start with some exact match domain examples. If you have a website that sells power tools online and want to rank for the keyword “online power tools,” the EMD would be “onlinepowertools.com.” So that when a user types that particular keyword, your website pops up first. This example should answer your question “What is exact match domain”. You can check the image below to understand better.

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In the early days of SEO, exact match domain or EMD were one of the cornerstones of SEO. Back then the keywords in the domain names were used as a ranking factor by search engine algorithms. Since then search engines such as Google have heavily invested in such keywords that had higher chances of getting exact domain names. 

Due to this EMDs were one of the highly sought-after tools on the web as various firms started to buy domain names that matched the most popular keywords and user search queries, thinking this would improve their SEO & website rankings.

Why Exact Match Domains Are Important For SEO

Before the introduction of the exact match domain algorithm, EMDs were an important influencing factor for SEO activities. Since these domain names exactly matched popular search keywords, search engines often ranked them higher and thus resulted in higher organic traffic and visibility. 

Also, as the exact match domain names matched well with popular keywords, most people associated them with specific brands, services, or products. Due to the higher SEO ranking these domains got as a result of exact matching, they were often in high demand and pricing on the web.

The After-Google Update Era

As explained in the intro section, everything was going well when the exact match domain was a highly sought-after tool. But it all changed in September 2012 when Google rolled out a significant update that drastically altered the entire search engine landscape and that was the exact match domain algorithm or the Exact Match Domain (EMD) Update. Once the update was live, it gradually decreased the ranking advantages EMDs had on SERPs. 

According to Google, the purpose of this update was to improve the quality of search and user experience. Just because a website domain name exactly matches a popular keyword, it doesn’t imply that the website is the most valuable result to the user query. Through this algorithm, the search engine giant aims to prioritize and rank websites that offer value and quality content to users regardless of their domain names.

Analysing The Impact of Exact Match Domain Algorithm

There is no doubt that the EMD algorithm creates a major impact on website and SEO strategies. But how has it affected websites and SEO strategies ever since its introduction? Let’s find out

Before the update, websites with exact-match domains were often ranked high in search engines. It didn’t matter if the website contents offered any relevance or value to the user. However, the update significantly reduced the rankings and visibility these websites gained through EMD. Google’s algorithms now analyse various SEO factors such as relevance and quality of the website content to determine ranking. 

So, if your business website doesn’t have quality content and has previously relied heavily on EMD for ranking, it will take a massive hit unless you switch to more robust SEO strategies. 

Speaking of SEO strategies, the algorithm update has resulted in shifting away from relying solely on the exact match domain and emphasizing more on creating high-quality, relevant content. Not only does this improve user experience, but it also helps build a natural backlink profile. Rather than just focusing on one tool to determine ranking, the EMD update has essentially reinforced the idea of implementing a complete SEO approach coupled with best practices for long-term success.

Do Exact Match Domains Still Work

If it was before 2012, we could say this without a second thought but things have changed since the EMD update. Since it has become live, EMDs have been used less by SEO professionals and digital marketers. However, depending on the specific target audience or domain, an exact match domain still could work. Even if it is used, they are mainly in the black hat SEO community. The same applies to partial match domains too.

Even though that’s the case, we cannot entirely rule out the possibility of EMDs or partial match domains. They do have certain benefits in link-building activities. If the domain name has the topic that the website is about, potential customers might know what it is and benefit from it. More importantly, using EMDs along with evolving SEO strategies and practices can help improve website rankings.

Winding up

If someone ever asks you what is exact match domain, you can tell them that it was a highly popular tool that was heavily emphasized by search engines for website rankings. But the EMD update has changed all that and prioritised other important factors such as high-quality content, user experience, overall site quality, etc for long-term SEO success. 

If your website is struggling to achieve higher website rankings due to the after-effects of the EMD algorithm update, then hiring the best SEO agency in Dubai is the key to success. If you still doubt that do exact match domains still work, it does, however, combining the exact match domain with your other broad digital marketing efforts helps generate the results you wished for.