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Google no longer bolding keywords in domain names

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Another blow to domain names in search.

Domain names and URLs that contain terms people search for on Google have long been thought to have some sort of advantage.

For a while, Google seemed to give preference to “exact match domains”. Then it tweaked the algorithm to downplay this, at least for low-quality sites that were created to take advantage of this benefit.

I believe that good domains with popular keywords still can get a boost thanks to the anchor text people use to link to them. But the other day I was doing some searches and noticed that domain names have been demoted again.

Google used to bold the words you searched for if they were present in the URL. This was something new top level domain marketers pointed to as a benefit; even if the keyword was part of the top level domain it was bolded.

But Google has apparently stripped the bolding from URLs. It still bolds words in the description, but not the URL. This is bad for domain names, as every bolded word has to give some sort of boost to click-through rates.

A search for “hockey” has bold terms in the description, but not the URL or title.

Things are even worse on mobile. Two years ago, Google stopped showing domain names at all in mobile search results.

It makes sense for Google to downplay domain names. They want people to start their navigation at Google instead of remembering domain names.

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Study shows that new TLDs can rank like other TLDs, but not much else

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Study provides little more than anecdotal evidence.

You’re going to see some headlines today about an SEO study commissioned by The Domain Name Association (DNA). Some of these headlines might suggest that new top level domain names get some sort of search engine boost over .com domains. It’s not quite that simple.

Here’s the deal: DNA commissioned a search engine optimization study (pdf) about new top level domain names. It cherry picked a few niches that it felt would have a good mix of websites built on new top level domain names. It further highlighted four domain names built on non-.com domain names that are ranking exceptionally well.

And although the group was careful to not fall into the same trap Rightside did when Google debunked its headline SEO takeaways, its official headline still reads:

“SEO Expert Research Reveals Search Advantages of Relevant Domain Name Extension”

What the research did find was that the so-called “domain authority” of some of the ranked new top level domain names was much lower than .com domain names ranked for the same terms. This would suggest that it’s easier to rank a site on a new TLD than on .com. Click here to continue reading…

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Google coughs over “New-TLDs-as-SEO-boost” claims

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Google’s John Mueller chimes in (again) on claims about new TLDs helping search engine rankings.

New top level domain company Rightside has been promoting the apparent search engine benefits of new top level domain names lately. It is promoting a case study it commissioned with GlobeRunner about an attorney who switched from ErickBlockLaw.com to Jacksonville.Attorney and saw a nice uptick in traffic.

After Rightside did a sponsored post about SEO benefits on Search Engine Land last week, Google’s John Mueller felt the need to comment. (Mueller is quickly becoming the new Matt Cutts when it comes to SEO claims.)

john-mueller-post

If you take a look at Rightside’s full report (pdf) about Jacksonville.attorney, you’ll see that the domain name change was only part of the big update made to the attorney’s site. In fact, the lawyer got an entirely new website and started adding good content to the site.

With so many variables at play, it’s hard to say the domain name had much of an impact.

I can see how the domain name would result in more clicks when a searcher sees the domain in search results, but the SEO claims are highly suspect.

Another notable part of Mueller’s post is the mention about how it’s hard to switch domain names. This is indeed the case. You can listen to a case study about the work involved in DNW Podcast #70. I keep wondering if Google is going to make the process more seamless. Doing so could be a huge boon to new domain name choices.

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Google Domains pitches new TLDs with Q&A post

by — Domain Registrars 8 Comments

See a new TLD in action by searching for “coffee club”, company suggests.

It’s not from Google’s search team, but a new blog post today from Google Domains seeks to clear up any misunderstanding about new domain names and search.

The post answers common questions about new domain name endings, such as will they affect my website’s search ranking (no) and can I move my site to a new domain name (yes).

Google uses Coffee.club as an example of how new domain names show up in search. It suggests typeing in “coffee club” at Google to see how a new TLD shows up in results, just like a .com domain name does.

The rest of the post if a marketing pitch for new top level domain names, providing examples of how domains can help with brand identity and promotions.

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HomeAdvisor’s costly name change is paying off

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HomeAdvisor spent a lot of money on its rebrand, and saw a sharp drop in traffic initially, but it has paid off.

HomeAdvisorA couple weeks ago Quebec announced a decision to opt-out of switching its web presence over to the new .quebec domain name, citing a price tag north of $10 million.

Just how much work goes into changing to a new brand and domain name?

One large company has gone through a domain change, and it provides a good case study for the costs — both in upfront money terms and lost business during the transition. Click here to continue reading…

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