Domain Names And SEO: What Should Bloggers Know (2023)

Are you planning to start a new blog?

Or are you considering a re-brand for your current site?

Whether you are looking to invest in a new domain or thinking how domain metrics should impact your marketing decisions, here’s a quick overview of what bloggers should know about domain names and SEO.

Does your domain name impact your organic search visibility?

The short answer is: Yes.

The long answer is: It is no longer the powerful search algorithm signal it used to be about ten years ago but there are still direct and indirect factors your domain name can contribute to your organic search visibility.

Let’s review all those direct and indirect factors:

Keywords in the domain name

Keywords used to be a major ranking factor: It used to take a few weeks for a domain to rank for its exact-match keywords. It is no longer that direct or easy, even though SEO-aware webmasters have a hard time leaving that tactic behind.

Based on my own observations, keywords in a domain name matter no more than keywords in a URL. To put it in a different way, you can invest in a keyword-focused domain name but have the same result by simply creating a new page that would have those keywords in its URL.

Keywords in a domain name may still be useful:

(Video) Should Your Domain Name Contain Keywords to Boost SEO Rankings?

  • For creating instant topical associations with your brand
  • For getting some extra clicks from people who will see that keyword within Google SERPs (more on this below)

How does it apply to your SEO strategy?

Now that keywords in a domain name don’t matter that much anymore, you don’t need your exact-match keyword in your domain to create niche associations. You can go with synonyms or related concepts. For example, if “fashion” is your main keyword, you can do well with “style” or even “fancy”.

To help you brainstorm all those words that you can use to find a cool and relevant domain, try Text Optimizer, a semantic research tool allowing you to find underlying and related concepts:

Domain name clickability

Clickability is a temporal factor, i.e. if your search listing gets actively clicked, it will climb up to a higher position, but only for a few days. This has been tested and proven lots of time. We know that it works and we know that inflating click-through is pretty useless as you will lose those higher rankings as soon as those clicks slow down.

What is much more important is:

  • Consistent click-through rate which is a bit higher than that of your organic neighbors
  • Meaningful on-page engagement after a click from organic search

While your domain cannot help you with the second signal, it can very well impact your organic click-through as your domain name (as we as your logo) is part of organic search engine result page:

Domain Names And SEO: What Should Bloggers Know (2)

That being said, your domain name should create positive topical associations and be catchy enough to get some clicks. If you invest time and effort in your branding, with time your domain will also be more recognized and bring in even more clicks. For example, I always scroll through results until I see a blog name I know. I am sure many people do the same.

So choosing a domain name that is easy to remember and quick to recognize is always a good idea.

(Video) Choosing a Domain Name: Do This FIRST!

From there, all that matters is on-page engagement that has nothing to do with your domain name. We know Google is paying attention to on-page engagement because if you go back to search results too fast, Google knows you didn’t find what you were looking for and it will try to help you out:

Domain Names And SEO: What Should Bloggers Know (3)

How does it apply to your SEO strategy?

Improving your on-page engagement is much more important than getting more clicks.

Make sure to make the most of each click: Come up with additional on-page engagement methods to get those people to interact with your site. These may include anything from installing exit popups and web push notifications to using live chats. Both of these methods use personalization to hold your page visitors and encourage them to continue their journey through your site.

If you sell services, you can invite people to schedule a call with you right away with Appointfix or let them record a voice message using SpeakPipe. Diversifying your CTAs is a good way to improve your conversions:

Domain Names And SEO: What Should Bloggers Know (4)

Here’s also a good guide on optimizing your page for and conversions.

Using tools like Finteza you can identify how each page is doing a better job engaging your site users:

Domain Names And SEO: What Should Bloggers Know (5)
(Video) Multiple Domain Names - SEO Benefit? BEFORE you buy 10 Domains, WATCH this!

Top-level domains

Top-level domain is the last segment of a domain name, it is basically what you see after the dot. Top-level domains have been a source of constant SEO theories and assumptions (and frankly, myths). These include:

  • Google favors .com domains
  • Google assigns more power to backlinks pointing to your site based on which top-level domains they are coming from

It is time that we leave both of these theories behind.

How does it apply to your SEO strategy?

The only times a top-level domain matters are:

  • When you have a local domain name (Google would serve local domains mostly in the location it refers to. For example, if you search in the UK, Google will likely give preference to co.uk domains)
  • When a .gov site is linking it. This might be a correlation matter rather than causation: .gov sites just have more backlinks and trust, but I know for a fact that if you get a link from a .gov page, your rankings grow.

In all other cases, a top-level domain doesn’t matter. On the contrary, it may be time that we look at alternative top-level domains because you will be able to snatch a cool brand name that is still available. Namify is a cool tool to use for that:

Domain Names And SEO: What Should Bloggers Know (6)

Namify uses artificial intelligence to generate brand names that contain your keyword and creates cool niche associations.

Domain age

Finally, domain age is another factor that is often discussed by website owners. If you are considering to invest in a domain name that was previously used, here’s what you should know:

  • Domain age doesn’t matter as much as its history: Stay away from domains that may have some negative history (questionable links pointing to that domain and consequent penalties that may carry over to your site)
  • Domain age is not as important as the site age, i.e. when Google first discovered that site. This is what Google is showing in search results now:
Domain Names And SEO: What Should Bloggers Know (7)
(Video) SEO for Beginners: Rank #1 In Google (FAST)

If you read Google’s Quality Guidelines, you will notice that a “domain name” is almost never mentioned. Google talks about the site age and authority but never a domain name.

With that said, if you are buying a domain name based on its age, it is not a very smart investment.

How does it apply to your SEO strategy?

If you consider buying an existing domain, check Ahrefs for any traffic or rankings dips or declines which could signal a potential penalty which may be difficult to shake off.

Domain Names And SEO: What Should Bloggers Know (8)

Domain authority

Put simply, domain authority doesn’t exist.

SEO tools may use it to grade websites but Google isn’t using it for anything which Googlers confirmed time and again.

Google is using backlinks to assign authority to a web page (which is one of many ranking factors).

The home page of the site usually has the highest authority because ALL pages of the site are linking to it.

How does it apply to your SEO strategy?

When you are building links or analyzing your current backlinks, top-level domains shouldn’t actually be part of your strategy. They hardly matter at all. What you really need to focus on is whether those backlinks send traffic as well as whether they are indexed and/or cached by Google. Link Checker is a cool tool that can help you with both:

(Video) Does Your Domain Name Matter for SEO?

Domain Names And SEO: What Should Bloggers Know (9)

TLDR: Domain names and SEO

  • Keywords in a domain name don’t matter as much as they used to but they are helpful in creating topical associations.
  • Keywords in a domain name may improve your organic click-through but on-page factors are much more important, so better focus on those.
  • Don’t stress over finding a .com domain. Any other top-level domain (except for local ones) will do as well, SEO-wise.
  • Don’t invest in a domain for its “age”. Domain age is no metric but an old domain could potentially do harm as it may carry over past penalties.
  • Domain authority doesn’t exist! Just leave this metric behind. If you need to a metric to evaluate site’s quality, use its traffic, as per Ahrefs, Alexa or SimilarWeb.

And that wraps up our guide to domain names and SEO. Need help choosing the right domain name? Or starting your blog? Check out these guides:

  • How To Choose A Domain Name: The Complete Guide
  • How To Register A Domain And Update DNS Records
  • How To Sell A Domain Name: The Beginner’s Guide
  • Domain Name Ideas: 21 Ways To Come Up With A Website Name Fast
  • The Latest SEO Statistics To Inform Your Strategy

FAQs

Which domain is best for Blogger? ›

As stated above, .com is the top domain extension for you to consider. For a blog, you might want to get creative with some of the newer, creative options, but your content will be easiest to find if you stick with a classic, common domain extension. Go for .com if you can, then move onto other popular options like .

What domains are best for SEO? ›

net and . org, .com has become the default domain extension, and therefore the most memorable. This, in essence, is why .com is the best domain extension for SEO. As .com domains are the most powerful, they have become more popular.

Does my domain name matter for SEO? ›

Domain names do impact your SEO, but they aren't necessarily a make-or-break portion of your strategy. In fact, a changing domain name could confuse search engines and other bots trying to crawl through your web pages—making a short-lived but still negative impact on your SEO.

What is the most important thing to know about SEO? ›

The #1 Google Ranking Factor

At WebTek, we say the most important parts of SEO and the most important Google ranking factors are the webpage titles and heading tags. Titles represent the prime real estate of any website – they are your best chance to tell Google exactly what your website or webpage is all about.

Who is the number 1 Blogger? ›

Note: The primary source of their income and earnings is affiliate marketing. Amit Agrawal quit his job to become India's first professional blogger.
...
Top 10 Bloggers in India and Their Earn from Blogging.
BloggerBlogEarnings/Month
Amit Agrawallabnol.org$60,000
Harsh Agrawalshoutmeloud.com$52,434
8 more rows
1 Aug 2022

Can I monetize Blogger without domain? ›

Yes, you have to have a custom domain. is it not possible to monetize with free site? No, it is not possible. Blogger initiated third party advertising is not allowed at WordPress.COM.

What are the 3 C's of SEO? ›

Simply put, the fundamentals of SEO can be boiled down to The 3 Cs: content, code and credibility.

What are 3 main areas of SEO? ›

The three kinds of SEO are: On-page SEO – Anything on your web pages – Blogs, product copy, web copy. Off-page SEO – Anything which happens away from your website that helps with your SEO Strategy- Backlinks. Technical SEO – Anything technical undertaken to improve Search Rankings – site indexing to help bot crawling.

What is the golden rule of SEO? ›

The 'Golden Rule” of SEO is: Understand your customers' needs and create an SEO experience that satisfies those needs - from the search result listing, to the first impression the visitor gets when landing on the page, to the ability for the visitor to quickly and easily find the content she is looking for.

What should be avoided in SEO? ›

Common SEO Mistakes
  • Slow Site Speed. ...
  • Bad Reviews on Google. ...
  • Faulty Google My Business Verification Code. ...
  • Lack of Location-Specific Pages. ...
  • Duplicate Content. ...
  • Broken Images and Missing Alternative Texts. ...
  • Outdated Content and Information on Site. ...
  • Not Optimizing Your Website for Mobile.
30 Nov 2021

Is SEO good for beginners? ›

SEO is not easy. But it's no rocket science either. There are things you can implement right away and there are concepts that will take much more time and effort. So yes, you can do SEO on your own.

What are the 5 SEO elements? ›

Five Essential Parts of SEO
  • 1.1 The Google Effect.
  • 1.2 Technical.
  • 1.3 Content/Creative.
  • 1.4 Tactical.
  • 1.5 Social.
  • 1.6 Reporting.
24 Dec 2014

Do most bloggers fail? ›

Notwithstanding, blogging is like any small business, and the failure rate is believed to be just as high. If we are to go by Bloomberg statistics where small business success is concerned, 80% of new blogs are likely to fail within 18 months of launch.

How do bloggers get 6 figures? ›

How to go about starting your own 6-figure blog
  1. Step 1: Get an idea. The best ideas combine something you're passionate about with something people need.
  2. Step 2: Set up your (online) shop. Some people might tell you to continue reading about starting an online business at this point. ...
  3. Step 3: Create, Promote, Revise.
1 Jun 2022

Which kind of blogs make money? ›

One of the best types of blogs that make money is a marketing blog. A marketing blog helps readers learn and monetize online marketing skills to start a business. A lot of marketing blogs cover blogging, email marketing, eCommerce marketing, and SEO.

What are the don'ts of blogging? ›

The Don'ts of Blogging
  • Don't: Ramble with run-on sentences that just keep on dragging or lengthy texts.
  • Don't: Try to cover too many topics at once. ...
  • Don't: Use profanity or unprofessional language.
  • Don't: Use other people's stuff without permission and credit.

How do beginner blogs make money? ›

11 Ways to make money blogging
  1. Choose a profitable niche.
  2. Build an email list.
  3. Write sponsored product reviews.
  4. Sell advertising placements.
  5. Join an affiliate marketing program.
  6. Offer services.
  7. Sell digital products.
  8. Sell physical products.
28 Feb 2022

How can I monetize my blog immediately? ›

How to Monetize a Blog in 2022 – 15 Proven & Profitable Ways
  1. Start Affiliate Marketing.
  2. Advertise on Your Blog with Google Adsense.
  3. Sell Ad Space Directly.
  4. Accept Sponsored Blog Posts.
  5. Get Paid for Writing Reviews.
  6. Turn Your Blog Into a Membership Site.
  7. Create a Private Forum.
  8. Write an Ebook.
3 Jan 2022

What is SEO formula? ›

Companies can calculate SEO's return on investment by looking at search engine rankings, organic website traffic, and goal completions, and then using the ROI SEO formula: (Gain from Investment – Cost of Investment) / Cost of Investment.

What are the 12 things to know about SEO? ›

SEO Tips
  • Make the website about one thing. ...
  • Mention keywords where they matter most. ...
  • Link to internal pages on your site. ...
  • Use a permalink structure that includes keywords. ...
  • Remove anything that slows down your website. ...
  • Use keywords in your images. ...
  • Link to other websites with relevant content.

What is the most difficult part of SEO? ›

The Four Hardest Parts Of SEO
  • Finding Trusted Information. ...
  • Taking a Comprehensive Approach. ...
  • Convincing Others that SEO Matters. ...
  • Paving the SEO Road. ...
  • The Importance of a Great SEO Strategy.
10 Dec 2014

What is SEO checklist? ›

On-page SEO checklist. On-page SEO is the process of optimizing the actual content on your page. It includes optimizations made to visible content and content in the source code. Let's look at how to do it.

What are the 7 C's of digital marketing? ›

And a great approach to take is to implement the 7 Cs- customer, content, context, community, convenience, cohesion, conversion. Customers play a key role in the success of your company, and making them the center of your marketing efforts is the number one requisite for the 7 Cs model marketing to work.

How do you write SEO in 4 easy steps? ›

Writing SEO Articles with Semrush: The 4-Step Guide
  1. Gather research in Topic Research and the Keyword Magic Tool. ...
  2. Analyze keywords by Keyword Difficulty. ...
  3. Generate an SEO Content Template and outline your content. ...
  4. Grade yourself as you write with the SEO Writing Assistant.

What are SEO skills? ›

The job of a Search Engine Optimization specialist with SEO skills is to analyze and review websites and optimize in a way that they will be picked up by search engines. The SEO specialist aims to ensure increased traffic to a website by developing content with appropriate keywords and phrases.

Who is king of SEO? ›

But in the end, the golden rule of SEO is that Content is the King. It is not because of a search engine, but it is for your site visitors. A page that is read by people is better than a page that is read by bots.

How do you become #1 in SEO? ›

Typically you get to number 1 by having a good online reputation. Well-known brands have good reputations. These brands rank at the top of Google, too. Reputation is increased by the number of quality web pages that link to any page on your site.

What can hurt SEO? ›

14 Things That Can Hurt Your Site's SEO Rankings [Infographic]
  • Low quality links.
  • Duplicate content.
  • Internal link changes.
  • Copyright violation.
  • Recent Google update.
  • A rise in competition.
26 Sept 2022

Can I learn SEO in 2 months? ›

Average Time it Takes to Learn SEO

Experts say it usually takes one to three months to learn the foundations of SEO and a year or more to master the practice fully. The length of time it takes to learn the basics of SEO depends upon several factors.

Can I learn SEO in a week? ›

☝️ To learn the basics of SEO, you need to spend 4-6 weeks studying SEO every day for at least a couple of hours. Once you master the basics, you can decide whether this is the career path you want to follow.

Can I do SEO by my self? ›

You can absolutely do SEO yourself or DIY SEO (Do It Yourself SEO). With some research and lots of practice, anyone can learn how to do SEO for their business. A quick way to get started with SEO is to enter your URL here and then focus your SEO efforts on the recommended action items.

What are the two techniques of SEO? ›

SEO techniques are classified into two broad categories: White Hat SEO - Techniques that search engines recommend as part of a good design. Black Hat SEO - Techniques that search engines do not approve and attempt to minimize the effect of. These techniques are also known as spamdexing.

What makes a strong SEO? ›

Quality, authoritative content is the number one driver of your search engine rankings and there is no substitute for great content—this is especially true when doing SEO marketing. Quality content created specifically for your intended user increases site traffic, which improves your site's authority and relevance.

What are the two main points of SEO? ›

SEO is divided in two parts: On-page SEO and off-page SEO. On-page SEO refers to all techniques that can be implemented on your website to improve your ranking in SERP (search engine results pages), whereas off-page SEO refers to everything that can be done outside of your website to improve its visibility on the web.

How can I improve my SEO skills? ›

  1. Learn How Search Engines Work. ...
  2. Develop the Core Skills. ...
  3. Understand How to Run and Present an Effective Competitor Analysis. ...
  4. Regularly Use and Refine Your SEO Knowledge. ...
  5. Pick an Area to Hone Your Expertise. ...
  6. Understand and Perfect How to Track SEO Performance. ...
  7. Build a Strong SEO Network.
23 Dec 2020

What are SEO keywords examples? ›

For example, let's say you wanted to create a page about “keto lunch”. Well, if your site is new, the keyword “keto lunch” is probably too competitive. But when you type keto lunch into Google, you get a list of long tail keyword suggestions.

Does a Blogger need a domain? ›

To create a blog, you need a domain name. This becomes your blog address. Until a few years ago, bloggers had just a few choices in web extensions — basically .com, net and . org.

Is domain important for Blogger? ›

One of the most important success factors of many popular blogs is their domain name. The reason is that we create blogs for humans not search engines. The more you make it easy for your readers to retain your domain name, the more they can easily find their way to your website.

Can I use my domain on Blogger? ›

You can use your domain as a custom domain for a blog hosted on Blogger. Learn how to set up your domain with your blog. You can also link Blogger sites to specific subdomains of your domain.

What is Blogger domain? ›

Your domain name is your address on the Internet. It's the URL (web address) that people will type in, to navigate straight to your blog. You'll often hear domain names referred to as an “address,” “web address” or “blog URL” interchangeably, but they're all one in the same.

What are the don'ts in blogging? ›

The Don'ts of Blogging
  • Don't: Ramble with run-on sentences that just keep on dragging or lengthy texts.
  • Don't: Try to cover too many topics at once. ...
  • Don't: Use profanity or unprofessional language.
  • Don't: Use other people's stuff without permission and credit.

What to avoid in blogging? ›

Abandonment of your blog is probably the single biggest blogging mistake you can make.
  • Using the wrong name for your blog.
  • Not publishing frequently or consistently.
  • Focusing too heavily on self-promotion.
  • Choosing the wrong topics.
  • Missing best SEO practices.
  • Not linking to other content.
  • Not using a variety of content.
12 Apr 2022

What are the three 3 essential elements of blogging? ›

It's not just about having an idea or writing great content.

In this article, we are going to cover the three key elements that make a blog successful: content, design and branding. To create and manage a successful blog, you are going to need to implement all three of these elements.

Do and don'ts in blog? ›

The Do's & Don'ts of Blogging:
  • Do include a share button on your blog for your readers. ...
  • Don't sell your products or service. ...
  • Do write with your audience in mind but always write for yourself! ...
  • Don't write novels. ...
  • Do create content that is beneficial and meaningful to your audience. ...
  • Don't spam your readers.
2 Dec 2014

What makes a good domain name? ›

The making of a good domain name

It's a good idea not to exceed 2-3 words. You want people to remember your domain name and type it accurately. Complicated or uncommon words or names may be hard to remember and spell correctly. Relevant words help users find you in a search and recognize what you do at a glance.

What should you not put in your domain name? ›

10 Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a Domain Name
  • Do not use numbers.
  • Do not use hyphens.
  • Do not use trademarks (on purpose or by accident)
  • Do not use hard to spell words.
  • Do not use homophones.
  • Do not register a very long domain.
  • Check if a .com/.net equivalent exists.
  • Check the domain registration history.
21 Jan 2021

Which are not allowed in domain names? ›

Domain names can only use letters, numbers, the fada character (acute accent) and hyphens (“-“). Spaces and other symbols are not permitted for use. Names cannot begin or end with a hyphen and are not case sensitive.

Is my blog automatically copyrighted? ›

Under the Copyright Act, the moment your blog content is published, you automatically have a copyright in that work. While you are not required to register your copyright to get some baseline protections, there are a variety of benefits to registering a copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office.

Which domain is best? ›

  • The Best 10 Domain Name Registrars of 2022.
  • NameCheap.
  • Domain.com.
  • Google Domains.
  • Dreamhost.
  • Hover.
  • GoDaddy.
  • Bluehost.
12 Nov 2022

How do I create a domain for my blog? ›

Here are some tips for creating the perfect blog domain name:
  1. Use Your Name. If you're creating a personal blog, using your name can be a great way to give it some credibility. ...
  2. Know Your Audience. ...
  3. Check Out the Competition. ...
  4. Watch Out For Trademarks. ...
  5. Brainstorm. ...
  6. Use Keywords. ...
  7. Keep It Short. ...
  8. Avoid Hyphens.
2 Nov 2019

Videos

1. How important is it to have keywords in a domain name?
(Google Search Central)
2. SEO Basics For Bloggers: Top 5 Things To Know 💻
(Austen Tosone)
3. How to choose domain name for blog/website | SEO tips
(Online Info Studio)
4. Everything You Need to Know About Domain Names
(Elegant Themes)
5. How to Choose a Perfect Domain Name for Your Website
(Wes McDowell)
6. How to Come Up with a Blog Name & Domain in 30 Minutes or Less!
(Create and Go)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Dr. Pierre Goyette

Last Updated: 03/21/2023

Views: 5600

Rating: 5 / 5 (70 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Dr. Pierre Goyette

Birthday: 1998-01-29

Address: Apt. 611 3357 Yong Plain, West Audra, IL 70053

Phone: +5819954278378

Job: Construction Director

Hobby: Embroidery, Creative writing, Shopping, Driving, Stand-up comedy, Coffee roasting, Scrapbooking

Introduction: My name is Dr. Pierre Goyette, I am a enchanting, powerful, jolly, rich, graceful, colorful, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.