Avoiding the exact match domain update rolled out by Google is as simple as 1+1. There are 3 important factors that website owners need to take into account when running a website with any domain. They are:
- Great content
- Great site structure
- Great links
Minor weather report: small upcoming Google algo change will reduce low-quality “exact-match” domains in search results.
— Matt Cutts (@mattcutts) September 28, 2012
New exact-match domain (EMD) algo affects 0.6% of English-US queries to a noticeable degree. Unrelated to Panda/Penguin.
— Matt Cutts (@mattcutts) September 28, 2012
Only a small percentage of only US queries have been affected, we will see a much larger impact when rolled out worldwide. There has been a lot of debate recently about the effectiveness of an exact match domain and if they are still a ranking factor. Everyone has seen at one time or another, an EMD ranking 1st for a competitive term and the website is of very low quality. Dr. Pete Meyers wrote a great piece on SEOmoz about the initial data set gathered from this update in regards to drops from #1 on Google for EMDs. A great resource produced in this blog, the EMD Influence graph (which can be seen below):
source: SEOmoz
From this article a clear drop has been seen in some EMD’s in Google. The examples given by Dr. Pete; www.bmicalculatormale.com, www.teethwhitening.com, www.purses.org, playscrabble.net and www.charterschoosl.org all appear to the naked eye – out of date. Due to this, all of them will lack 1, 2 or 3 elements of the 3 G’s mentioned at the beginning of the blog and because of that it is only fair that they are pushed off the #1 spot on Google for their competitive terms.
- Great content
The websites seen to have been affected by the EMD algorithm update lack great content. It is very easy to create great content if you are personally invested or interested in the space, that your website covers. Make an extra effort in the content that is being published on your website and ensure it lives up to the image which you wish to portray with your website. If someone is publishing the website on your behalf or you have an editorial team, make sure you take time out to read the content which is being published.
- Great site structure
Site structure is an important aspect to consider when building your website. The level of user experience will significantly increase and decrease because of site structure. If the site structure is weak and has flaws, these need to be addressed. A direct result of poor site structure will be a high bounce rate as users will become increasingly frustrated at not being able to find what they have to your website for. A significant factor in rating a site is site structure, if it is seen as unfit to deliver the users needs for what they have landed on your site for – it will be marked down in Googles estimations.
- Great links
Links are an imperative part of a websites performance in organic search, so to have great links is an obvious thing to say. It’s the relevancy of those links to the content they are placed in, and pointed at is what is becoming more important. Is there a need for a certain boost in a category of links to the site, for example blog links, ecommerce links, generic website links etc. Or is there a need for a higher metric of link to be acquired, for example is there a need for more PR3 links to balance out your link profile. There are many metrics, that you will know (through using link software such as Majestic SEO, Cognitive SEO, Ahrefs etc) which a website can improve on as a link profile is never 100% perfect. Therefore, it is about identifying your weaknesses and making them your strengths.
The 3 G’s apply to all websites, not just those affected by the EMD update. They are the unwritten laws of being a website owner in the online space, follow them all and you won’t be affected by any of Googles algorithm updates – you will be rewarded. Instead of chasing EMD’s in the hope that you will be ranking #1 in a few weeks, think about the long term and build a brand – instead of a ‘quick win’. Google Panda 20 was also released along side the EMD algorithm update affectomg 2.4% of English search queries and is still being rolled out. So if you are seeing ranking changes and coincidently own a EMD, make sure you know which penalty is affecting your site.
Be a proactive website owner and push your website to the next level through great content, links and site structure. This way you are much more likely to stay clear of Googles penalties and be rewarded!
About James Perrott
SEO bod at Zazzle Media who is a disappointed Liverpool FC fan and enjoys getting frustrated playing golf at the weekends.