Does the domain affect the SEO-promotion of the site

Entrepreneurs often wonder whether the domain affects seo-promotion and positioning of the site – we answer the question from the position of Internet marketing

The domain of the site is the main element of the Internet identity. This fragment of the web address directs users to your page. Currently, every company that wants to operate on the Internet must register an Internet domain.

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: the main name and extension (for example, for a site joyday.me, the main name is joyday, and the extension is .me).

The domain is busy – what should I do?

It often happens that the address we like is already occupied. Many Internet users wonder what to do in this situation. There are several options:

1. Select a different domain name that is free in the enrollment pool.
2. Choose the same domain name, but with a different, free extension.
3. Buy a domain on the secondary market, that is, from an existing site.

Which option to choose? Is it worth investing and buying an interesting address in the secondary market? Does a good domain affect seo promotion and positioning of a website in Google? Where is it better to buy Internet domains? We will answer all these questions in our article.

Top-level 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, .de, .fr) or functional domains (.com, .org). A second-level domain is the addresses listed below in the TLD structure (.com.au, .org.pl), and so on.

Second-level domain names can be compared to subdomains in a certain way, because they are based on another extension.

What are subdomains?

Subdomains can be classified as third-level domains. The subdomain name is appended before the primary domain and separated by a period from the domain name (for example, positioning.contentninja.me).

There is no limit to the number of subdomains we can create within a single domain. 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 a top-level domain and a second-level domain

The only difference is the visibility of the extension by Internet users. Second-level domains were also once popular. So, about ten years ago, there were really a lot of .com.au domains, and many companies chose this option.

Over time, this expansion has ceased to be used on such a scale. Why? Let's look at a simple example. Suppose our primary 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. There is no point in overpaying for a domain – this name will be the same no matter where we buy it. The cost of registration and renewal is set by the appropriate domain registry operator, or registrar.

It is important to understand: domain registration and its renewal always costs money. Be wary of promotions from registrars that offer domain registration for symbolic amounts or completely free of charge.

Renewing a domain with such registrars can be much more expensive. Registrars catch customers with low prices or other similar marketing gimmicks and finally squeeze a lot more money out of them. Often in such companies there are also problems with the possibility of transferring the domain to another registrar.

We always recommend that you read reviews on the Internet about a particular company and, most importantly, about the rules for providing services 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 a domain through the Authinfo code. Here it is worth moving smoothly to the question: what is Authinfo?

The authinfo code (Authcode, EPP) is a string that allows you to transfer a domain within one operator or even transfer the domain service to another registrar.

Any honest registrar should provide free access to the Authinfo code for customers without any additional fees or additional documents.

Does a domain name affect SEO?

Opinions in the industry are divided, but our experience shows that a domain name does not currently affect SEO. Previously, this trend was really observed.

This was largely influenced by Google's EMD algorithm update – Exact Match Domain, which was introduced in 2012. Later, with the subsequent updates of the Google algorithm, the keyword in the domain name completely ceased to be relevant in terms of SEO-promotion of the site.

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 domain names with a keyword for a lot of money.

Today, these names are not relevant, but still easy to remember for the user.

Secondly, it is unlikely that any site is positioned for one keyword.

Of course, there are exceptions, such as "Plumber SPb", but most often we want and even need to reach our potential customers with a set of keywords.

To summarize: the keyword in the domain name does not affect SEO, although if a plumber works in St. Petersburg and his site will be called santehnik-spb.biz – this is probably more convenient and euphonious than some hydraulixon.biz.

Domain and SEO-promotion of the site

Yes, the domain itself has an impact on SEO (except that the domain name has no effect). Among other things, the age of the domain (a controversial issue), the reference profile and links to the domain (an undeniable problem) 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 business.

SEO Best Practices for Domains

If you plan to engage in Internet marketing in the future, it is worth making the right decision from the very beginning about which Internet domain to choose. We invite you to familiarize yourself with best practices for domains in terms of SEO and website positioning.

Use keywords wisely

If you have the ability to enter a keyword in a 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.

An example is mbank.me. We immediately know what to expect when entering such a site, the domain is additionally branded (that is, has a name that can be used as a brand), unlike, for example, bank.me.

No brands are created on dictionaries – we don't wear "shoes" or "T-shirts".

Similarly, we do not use banks called "Bank".

Don't overdo it with keywords in your domain name

It is advisable to avoid domains with a large number of keywords. For example, if we provide services for the development of sites in the Krasnodar Territory, you should not choose a domain razrabotkasaitakrasnodar.ru. Such piles 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 conversation 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 the name:

1. easy to remember;
2. easy to enter into the browser;
3. 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. This way, you pull in 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 yourself to domains up to 15 characters long.

Finally, it is worth mentioning the endings, that is, domain extensions. Choose the most popular of those that users will recognize. For example, .ru or .com.

Avoid dashes in the domain name of the site

If the domain name consists of two parts and is occupied, you can theoretically separate these words using a dash - often in such variants, domains with dashes can be registered.

However, it does not make sense to use this procedure if the domain name without dashes is not occupied. Most of the traffic from your domain will go to the domain without a dash, so you will lose potential customers that can go to a competitor.

Avoid low quality TLDs

Often, when users see that a domain name in a given region is busy, they choose a less popular top-level domain, such as .biz, .co, .info, and so on.

How many popular sites in Russia do you know based on .info or .biz? Think twice: no wonder the domain name in this extension is free – just the ending is less popular among users, and its business value 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 reference profile. The history and age of the domain itself don't 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 by many valuable sites, and these links will certainly help you in the development of a new project. A reference profile can be checked, for example, using the Ahrefs or Semstorm tool.

How does a domain change affect SEO?

If you already have an existing site, you can change the domain and transfer the strength of the old domain to the new one. A properly installed 301 redirect will help you move to a new page without any problems, even if you enter the address of the old page.

In addition, this type of redirect transfers the strength of links 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.

In addition, if you are not interested in a specific name, it is worth looking for an interesting domain in the secondary market. Ideally, if he had a history and a reference profile.

All newly registered Internet domains go under the Google filter (the so-called Google Sandbox). They're kind of in quarantine, which usually lasts 8 to 12 months and drops the site a lot 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 domain name on the Internet are numerous, including the fact that trusted domains with a history inspire more credibility.

Wouldn't you trust a site that was doing credit intermediation within the kredyty.ru domain, not a suspicious tanikredytex.za, right?

Also, a flamboyant domain name gets more attention on search engine results pages, paying dividends not so much in terms of SEO as in terms of SEM in general.

A domain name is important for business and in terms of image. If the name is "amorphous", unrelated to the field of activity and does not represent the brand – prepare for a predictable decline in trust and, as an inevitable consequence, the potential of the website.

How to estimate the cost of a domain?

In the internet domain industry, it is popular to say that a domain is worth as much as a potential customer can pay for it. A simple investment in domain names is presented as an investment in virtual real estate.

So, how do you estimate how much a domain might actually cost? It's not easy.

The price of Internet domains is influenced by many factors, including:

1. Domain Age: If the domain has been registered, for example, for a long time, this may indicate, though not necessarily, that it is expensive.
2. Link Profile: If a domain has links from reputable sites (especially topic sites), it can significantly increase its price.
3. Site traffic: Some domains generate incoming traffic, that is, users enter a name in the browser with their finger, looking for a page with a given theme.
4. Domain length: Basically, the shorter the better – for example, two-letter .ru domains are significantly more expensive than complex and confusing names.
5. Domain termination: the more popular the ending, the more valuable the domain.
6. Versatility: for example, reklama.za.

Conclusion

Choosing the right domain for a business can greatly facilitate the process of promoting a website in the future. Despite the huge importance in terms of perception of users, now a domain name does not affect SEO – unlike a link profile and history.

We hope that thanks to our advice, you will choose the right domain for your company, ensuring the success and prosperity of your business on the Internet.