Does the Domain Name Affect SEO of the site -The website domain is the main element of the Internet identity. This web address fragment directs users to your page. Nowadays, every company that wants to operate on the Internet must register an Internet domain.
The domain is the name of the page that you must enter in your browser to view the site. An Internet domain consists of two parts: a base name and an extension (for example, the base name is techjustify and the extension is .com).
Table of Contents
Domain is busy – what to do?
It often happens that the address we like is already taken. Many Internet users are wondering what to do in this situation. There are several options:
- Choose another domain name that is free in the registration pool.
- Choose the same domain name but with a different free extension.
- Buy a domain in the secondary market, that is, from a live site.
Which option to choose? Is it worth investing and buying an interesting address on the secondary market? Does a good domain affect SEO and site positioning in Google? Where is the best place to buy internet domains?
Top-level domain and second-level domain
First, we will explain a few technical aspects related to Internet domains.
Domain name endings are divided into top-level and second-level domains. Top-level domains (TLDs) are, for example, internal (.ru,.us, .uk .de, .fr) or functional domains (.com, .org, .edu). The second-level domain is the addresses listed below in the TLD structure (.com, .org) and so on.
Second-level domain names can be compared to subdomains in a certain way because they are based on a different extension.
What are subdomains?
Subdomains can be classified as third level domains. The subdomain name is added before the main domain and separated by a dot from the domain name (for example, positioning. contentninja).
The number of subdomains that we can create within one domain is not limited. It is possible to create subdomains, as well as manage the DNS zone for each subdomain and, for example, redirect each subdomain to a different server.
Difference between top level domain and second level domain
The only difference is the visibility of the extension by Internet users. Second-level domains were also once popular. So, ten years ago there really were a lot of .com.au domains, and many companies chose this option.
Over time, this extension fell out of use on such a scale. Why? Let’s consider a simple example. Let’s say our main domain is contentninja.com.au, but many internet users confuse our domain name with contentninja.au or contentninja.com. Unwanted competition.
Where to register a domain?
It is advisable to contact a reputable company that offers reasonable prices. It makes no sense to overpay for a domain – this name will be the same regardless of where we buy it. Registration and renewal fees are set by the applicable domain registry operator, or registrar.
It is important to understand that domain registration and renewal always costs money. Be wary of promotions from registrars that offer domain registration for a nominal amount or completely free.
Renewing a domain with such registrars can be much more expensive. Registrars lure customers with low prices or other similar marketing ploys and finally squeeze a lot more money out of them. Often, these companies also have problems with the ability to transfer a domain to another registrar.
We always recommend reading online reviews about a particular company and, most importantly, about the terms of service of this registrar. It is best to register domains with reliable operators with an impeccable long-term reputation.
When registering a domain, you should pay attention to the possibility of transferring the domain through the Authinfo code. Here it is worth smoothly moving on to the question: what is Authinfo?
The authinfo code (Authcode, EPP) is a string that allows you to transfer a domain within the same operator or even transfer the domain service to another registrar.
Any honest registrar should provide free access to the Authinfo code for clients without any additional fees or additional documents.
Does a domain Name Affect SEO?
Industry opinion is divided, but our experience is that a domain name does not currently impact SEO. This trend has been observed in the past.
To a large extent, this was influenced by the update of the Google EMD algorithm – Exact Match Domain, which was introduced in 2012. Later, with subsequent updates to the Google algorithm, the keyword in the domain name completely ceased to be relevant in terms of SEO site promotion.
If anyone thinks otherwise, this information is outdated. Once upon a time, a keyword in a domain name had an impact on SEO and positioning. Many companies have actually bought keyword domain names for a lot of money.
Today, these names are not relevant, but still easy to remember for the user.
Secondly, hardly any site is positioned for one keyword.
Of course, there are exceptions, such as “Plumber usa”, but more often than not, we want and even need to reach our potential customers with a set of keywords.
To sum up: a keyword in a domain name does not affect SEO, although if a plumber works in California and his site is called Worksplumbing.com/ , this is probably more convenient and harmonious than some kind of pacificplumbingsocal.com.
Domain and SEO website promotion
Yes, the domain itself has an effect on SEO (except that the domain name has no effect). Among other things, the age of the domain (a controversial issue), the link profile and links to the domain (an undeniable issue), and the previous history of the domain are important.
There are situations in which even good Internet domains are not renewed by subscribers. Then your company can intercept them and get a domain with a positive history.
Buying a domain with a good link profile or history is good luck for your business.
SEO Best Practices for Domains
If you plan to do internet marketing in the future, it is worth making the right decision about which internet domain to choose from the very beginning. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the best practices for domains in terms of SEO and site positioning.
Use keywords wisely
If you have the opportunity to enter a keyword in the domain name that will help your users understand what and where the company does, use it. Double luck if the name is catchy and unique.
We immediately know what to expect when entering such a site, the domain is additionally branded (that is, it has a name that can be used as a brand), unlike,
Dictionaries don’t create brands – we don’t wear “shoes” or “t-shirts.”
Similarly, we do not use jars called “Bank”.
Don’t overdo keywords in your domain name
It is advisable to avoid domains with a large number of keywords. For example, if we provide website development services in the Krasnodar Territory, you should not choose the domain. Such jumbles of words do not matter in terms of ranking, but, as a rule, are negatively perceived by users.
In addition, the domain name must be part of the brand. Imagine a short dialogue when you need to say the three-story name of your site to a potential client.
Choose a domain that you can use as a brand.
From the user’s point of view, there are only three requirements for a name:
- easy to remember;
- easy to enter into the browser;
- easy to pronounce.
Do not worry about the impact on SEO – it simply does not exist.
Avoid English names that are pronounced differently than they are spelled and vice versa. Thus, you pull unnecessary traffic and confuse some potential customers. Any barrier to acquiring a potential customer is undesirable.
Also, stay away from domain names that contain numbers or custom characters. Also limit domains to 15 characters.
Finally, it is worth mentioning the endings, that is, domain extensions. Choose the most popular ones that users recognize. For example, .com.
Avoid dashes in website domain names
If the domain name is two-part and taken, you could theoretically separate those words with a dash – often in such cases, domains with dashes can be registered.
However, it does not make sense to use such a procedure if the domain name without the dash is not taken. Most of the traffic from your domain will go to the non-dash domain, so you’ll lose out on potential customers that a competitor could get.
Avoid low quality TLDs
Often, seeing that a domain name in a given region is taken, users will choose a less popular top-level domain, such as .biz, .co, .info, and so on.
How many popular sites do you know based on .info or .biz? Think twice: it’s not for nothing that the domain name in this extension is free – it’s just that the ending is less popular among users, and its value for business is less.
The domain must have a positive history
If you are going to buy a domain on the secondary market, you should check its history and link profile. The history and age of the domain itself does not matter in terms of SEO, but the link profile definitely plays a role in website promotion.
You can buy a domain that was once linked to many valuable sites, and these links will certainly help you in the development of a new project. The link profile can be checked, for example, using the Ahrefs or Semstorm tool.
How does a domain change affect SEO?
If you already have an active site, you can change the domain and transfer the strength of the old domain to the new one. A properly set 301 redirect will help you navigate to a new page without any problems, even if you enter the address of the old page.
In addition, this type of redirect transfers link strength from the old domain to the new domain, thereby maintaining positions in the Google search engine.
Of course, there may be slight fluctuations in traffic when moving.
I’m planning to buy a domain for business – what to look for?
When choosing a domain, it is better to consider all of the above practices.
Also, if you are not interested in a specific name, it is worth looking in the secondary market for an interesting domain. Ideally, if he had a history and a link profile.
All newly registered Internet domains go under the Google filter (the so-called Google Sandbox). They are sort of in quarantine, which usually lasts 8 to 12 months and greatly lowers the site in organic search results.
If you intend to immediately start promoting the site, it is worth buying a domain with a history.
Why is a good domain important for business ?
The benefits of a good Internet domain name are numerous, including the fact that reliable domains with a history inspire more trust.
Agree, you would trust a site that was engaged in credit intermediation within the Vpnmentor.com domain, and not the suspicious right?
In addition, a flashy domain name gets more attention on the search results pages, paying dividends not so much in terms of SEO, but in terms of SEM in general.
Read Also: 40 SEO Mistakes that are easy to avoid in 2022
7 Best Free SEO Plugins WordPress 2022
A domain name is important for business and in terms of image. If the name is “amorphous”, not related to the field of activity and does not represent the brand, get ready for a predictable decrease in trust and, as an inevitable consequence, the potential of the website.
How to estimate the cost of a domain?
It’s popular in the Internet domain industry to say that a domain is worth as much as a potential client can pay for it. Simple investments in domain names are presented as investments in virtual real estate.
So, how do you estimate how much a domain can actually cost? It is not simple.
Many factors influence the price of Internet domains, including:
- Domain Age: If a domain has been registered for a long time, for example, this may indicate, although not necessarily, that it is expensive.
- Link profile: If a domain has links from authoritative sites (especially subject sites), this can significantly increase its price.
- Site traffic: Some domains generate inbound traffic, meaning users type a name into a browser with their finger, looking for a page with a given theme.
- Domain length: in principle, the shorter the better – for example, two-letter .us domains are much more expensive than complex and confusing names.
- Domain ending: The more popular the ending, the more valuable the domain.
- Universality
Conclusion
Choosing the right domain for your business can make the process of website promotion much easier in the future. Despite its huge importance in terms of user experience, a domain name does not currently affect SEO – unlike a link profile and history.
Remember that if you are planning to conquer foreign markets, you should choose a foreign domain .com or .eu, and if you are doing business in our country choose the most popular options