Brace yourselves: Is Google really about to F exact match URL's in the A??

[jwm]

It would be really simple to create a few rules that would be 99% accurate in splitting those 2 categories of sites.

I disagree If it was that easy to sort out Google would have done it yonks ago - its not as if the issue of abuse of exact match domains is a new phenomena

 

[DomainManagement]

yep kind of like this thread jmot

i think that you can analyse so much that you can miss the boat

and while prices seem to be getting traction

yes this game is a bit of a educated gamble and this is were we learn the cut and thrust of it all

yes there are many variables , and it can be like frustrating as the game can

change at no notice but the rewards can be very high .

so were there is very high profit , there are risks ,

so you pays ur money and you takes your chance

the only thing constant in life is change , so be ready for it

 

[Frog]

I disagree If it was that easy to sort out Google would have done it yonks ago - its not as if the issue of abuse of exact match domains is a new phenomena

How many exact match abusers would be able to get through the following:

• Either being a proper registered company or charity (and I mean a standalone company, not a footer saying "site operated by Exact Match Spammers Ltd")
• Having a registered and verified address in Google Local
• Having a phone number on the site which matched that ltd company

You could game those... but the killer would be data from searchers. How many people which search for "Oxfam" will click on Oxfam.org.uk in the search results and stay on that site? It'll be a massive percentage.

Then on the flip side, if you search for "blue shoes" and land on an exact match, a high % of those searchers will go back and forward between all the other ranking sites too - so thats a great sign that "blue shoes" wasn't a brand, and should get no benefit.

 

[wb]

One problem of changing the exact match bonus would be for those who have used generic domains in a brandable format, if that makes sense. Using 'Blue Shoes' as an example, it wouldn't surprise me if there was a marketing company or something similar using that as a name...

 

[Frog]

One problem of changing the exact match bonus would be for those who have used generic domains in a brandable format, if that makes sense. Using 'Blue Shoes' as an example, it wouldn't surprise me if there was a marketing company or something similar using that as a name...

In those circumstances nothing would particularly change though. If you choose to use a business name which means something completely different, the risk is people who want you can't find you on Google, or the people who do find you were looking for something you don't sell.

If they had used 2 normal words in a weird order that didn't coincide with anything with search volume, they would still rank with no exact bonus anyway as there is no competition for that phrase. So "Shoes Blue SEO ltd" still ranks for "shoes blue" with no problems.

 

[wb]

That's very true actually, good point. Hadn't given it much thought as the exact match changes will hopefully only have minimal, if any, impact on my websites.

I do own a handful of exact match .org.uk's which haven't yet been developed though. Hopefully they will still get some additional Google love in one form or another.

 

[Blossom]

I think from Googles point of view, by far the best solution is to avoid the above by working out what a brand is and what a searched phrase is, and remove the exact match benefit from the latter. Oxfam.org.uk = exact match benefit. HomeInsurance.org.uk = no benefit at all. It would be really simple to create a few rules that would be 99% accurate in splitting those 2 categories of sites.

I think that's a good way around it. Perhaps they could even have manual help if needed for the other 1% with a 'verify your brand' system almost like Twitter.

Google's had to keep adjusting over the years - reciprocal links, keyword stuffing etc., and each time it's taken them a few years to overcome the problem.

 

[Bailey]

A very interesting discussion guys, I must admit a lot of it is going way over my head. However, from a complete SEO/link novice point of view, I would for my part be looking at any trends in the Global domain market to ascertain any potential impact (real or imagined).

As much as I respect the views put forward here, there is a vast empire of very astute market aware individuals and Corporations on the global stage that are going to be way ahead of any speculative thinking put forward at Acorn.

So what , if any, impact is the potential changes being played out on the Top-end Gtlds. Somewhere like Dnjournals weekly report on Global sales would by now reflect ( and I'm not saying it isn't) any likely impact and certainly would be a better indicator.

I have noticed a fair drop in the number of high end .co.uk reported sales in the last couple of weeks but overall the market for all the other Country Code and top level domains seems to be holding quite well. Of course 'long-tail' descriptives and the 'minor' extensions have never played a great part on the global stage in any major respect anyway.

 

[pugyrob]

To put all this into persepcitve, Google are talking about lowering the weight of exacts not removing it. Exact match domains have always had an edge, that edge has just been much bigger recently than it maybe should have been.

I wouldn't panic too much and think that they will always be good value in certain niches, especially competitive ones. Time spent worrying too much about exacts should be spent on building links as that is something that will not change, the rest is speculation on what may or may not happen.

A robust and vaired link profile will work on any name, Google just want the days gone where people reigster "myspamkeyword.org.uk" and get it top 5 in 3 weeks with a think backlink profile and no real quality to the site.

 

[cc976a]

Good discussion on this one

From a SE point of view I can see it makes sense to drop an exact name match bonus (remember not a penalty) Domainers won't like because will devalue portfolios, but should the purchase of a name mean a jump in the SE's - clearly G thinks not.

Exact names will have a bonus too due to link backs (unless G are planning to change the laws on anchor text too)

Perhaps (and of course not speaking of anyone on here ) perhaps if the price on nice 2-3 word domains (which happen to be keywords) start reducing in price and stupid owners stop asking for 5 figures when should be 3 we could stop the hundreds of thousands - if not millions - of .co.uk names of the shelves and in to the Internet world where they belong.

Maybe then people wouldn't have to rely on .org.uk and other non relevant domains to develop!

(speaking as a developer of course rather than domainer )

 

[Blossom]

As much as I respect the views put forward here, there is a vast empire of very astute market aware individuals and Corporations on the global stage that are going to be way ahead of any speculative thinking put forward at Acorn.

Only the people with the right contacts at Google - and even then, probably not very many. Certainly not a 'vast empire'.

Corporations will be doing very little, if anything. They don't need to. I couldn't even name any corporations who are into domain selling/would be directly affected, but if there are any, I suspect they will be milking what they can and then shifting to another sales focus. It's like one of those whack a mole games; for every concept Google whacks, another appears in its place. They are always playing catch up, and always will be for as long as SEO exists.

There's no point reacting to something that hasn't happened yet. It's like trying to create an action plan for the world ending - you don't know enough about what's going to happen yet to make a sensible judgement. No point in copying the sheep.

 

[Bailey]

Jenni, I have to assume that your focus is really just on the UK market - whereas I have come to Uk domains from 10 years at the .com coal-face. there is more than enough (vast empire) knowledge and awareness outside Google, of exactly what Google is up to, than you are giving credit for imho

 

[Blossom]

Jenni, I have to assume that your focus is really just on the UK market - whereas I have come to Uk domains from 10 years at the .com coal-face. there is more than enough (vast empire) knowledge and awareness outside Google, of exactly what Google is up to, than you are giving credit for imho

More than happy for you to share your knowledge/sources with us Any info is helpful. I have a lot of contacts in both US/UK industries, and they have told me the most important things they know, which is to say not very much.

Of course people have knowledge of things happening at Google; I was talking more specifically about who knows what actionable points Google are taking to reduce the influence of exact match domains.

There is a reason that ehow escaped the Farmer update, and that's because they knew about it 6 months in advance and took specific actions to avoid being penalised by the algorithm update.

 

[mojoco]

While G will likely turn down the power of exact match domains a little, the sky is not falling.

http://eleaston.com/chicken.html