Google’s Exact Match Domain Update

An Exact Match Domain (EMD) is exactly what it sounds like. It’s simply a domain name that is identical—or nearly identical—to a search phrase entered into Google. While EMDs aren’t inherently bad for SEO, in the past, site builders used them to rank high with Google without putting in any effort into content creation or site development. That is, until the Exact Match Domain update rolled out and held all sites accountable for what they were producing, including those with an EMD.

Launch Date: September 27, 2012

What Google’s Exact Match Domain Update Impacted

While EMDs were once the kings of the SERPs, this update has weeded out sites Google deems low-quality. There’s nothing unique about downranked EMDs; they simply aren’t following Google’s webmaster guidelines. Below are a few reasons why your site with an EMD might have a lower ranking than before:

Poor SEO

What’s your SEO strategy look like? Do you have one? Sites are constantly evolving to better match their target audiences. If you’ve got bad or no SEO, you’ll lose your ranking rather quickly.

Bad Content

EMDs have notoriously had poor content quality. Because Google wants the very best for its users, your content must prove that you’re legitimate and authoritative in your field.

Keyword Stuffing

Google hates keyword stuffing in general. But EMDs have a bad reputation for keyword stuffing. One might argue that the domain name itself is an attempt at keyword stuffing. Know that Google values strategically placed keywords over a bunch of keywords crammed onto a page.

How The EMD Update Works

For a long time, EMDs ranked well in Google’s SERPs simply because their domain matched user queries. Regardless of site or content quality, EMDs benefited from an automatic rankings boost.

But the Exact Match Domain update has put an end to that. What was once a cheap and easy loophole to get more organic traffic is now nothing more than a simple domain name that describes what you offer. The Exact Match Domain update ends the free ride EMDs enjoyed. Now, more than just the domain name is taken into account when Google ranks sites on its SERPs. Google’s crawlers now evaluate a site against their Quality Guidelines regardless of its domain name, and if it matches query phrases entered by Google’s users.

How to Adjust Your SEO Strategy

Having an EMD won’t automatically lower your ranking. If your site has strong content and good SEO, you’re safe. The key to ranking well with an EMD is the same as for any site: practice great SEO.

Improve Your Content

One of the most notorious mistakes of EMDs of the past is creating a site with bad content. The idea was that builders didn’t need to put much effort into their content creation because the site would rank high regardless, thanks to the domain name. Now, that’s no longer true. You’ve got to create great content that satisfies your users and that Google will recognize and reward with higher rankings.

Build Links

An incredibly effective way to showcase your site’s authority is to build both internal and external links. But these links need to be relevant and, if external, from respected, legitimate sites.

Review Google’s Quality Guidelines

Google doesn’t provide a step-by-step ranking list, but its extensive guidelines highlight what you should and shouldn’t include to satisfy its crawlers.

Take time to review what Google’s webmasters are looking for. This will save you a ton of time and heartache if you can build your site with these factors in mind. If your site is already built with an EMD and you’re simply trying to restructure to regain your ranking, don’t fret. Google’s goal is to provide an exceptional user experience. There are many ways you can make this happen, even if you haven’t done this in the past. Regaining momentum after a downrank might seem insurmountable, but Google gives you everything you need to know to do it.

Conclusion

If you’ve got an EMD, there’s no need for you to go through the hassle of rebranding or changing your domain name. It’s not the EMD itself that is causing your rankings to drop, and it never will. The bottom line is that Google wants to see excellence from all the sites it indexes. The ones that are the best rank high, and those that don’t, well, you know the rest. Simply practice great SEO—or hire the pros to do it for you—and you’ll see great rankings regardless of whether or not you’ve got an Exact Match Domain.