Ahrefs have done some stellar research into the On-page ranking factors in 2016 and have found many interesting nuggets.
Back in 2012 Google rolled out an updated intended to bring an end to high ranking, low-quality Exact Match Domains (EMDs). Since then, the scurry to find high volume, keyword rich domains has somewhat diminished. But does have an EMD still impact the SERPs?
As evidenced in the data, there is a clear jump between position #1 and #2 which suggests that either the EMD update is no longer in effect, or something different is going on.
First of all, the phrasing used by Matt Cutts himself was "Minor weather report: Small upcoming Google algo change will reduce low-quality "exact-match" domains in search results". Which suggests that those "high-quality" pages that rank with EMDs were unaffected.
The guys over at Ahrefs have also offered their own reasoning behind this clear jump. They believe the jump caused by so-called "branded keywords". The example given "if you search Google for “addicting games” — you’ll notice that it’s actually a brand name for a popular gaming website, which ranks #1 for the term".
In terms of using this as a particular SEO tactic, is it something I'd look to implement myself? In short no. Although I believe EMDs are a ranking signal, it is one of such insignificance it isn't worth the stress/money/time.
By Alexander Clark
A former member of the Smart Insights team, I’m always on the look out to collaborate with the finest minds in Digital Marketing. Currently working at Silverbean, I have a distinctive interest in all things outreach, content, strategy, and measurement. If you’d like to get in touch, you can do so through my LinkedIn or Twitter accounts. When I’m not planning new campaigns and content, I love playing the Bass Guitar and Drums (not necessarily at the same time) also racking up as many hours as possible on Football Manager and the Rugby pitch.
Turbocharge your results with this toolkit containing 7 resources
The Search Engine Optimization (SEO) toolkit contains:
Start your Digital Marketing Plan today with our Free membership.
Recommended Blog Posts
Keyword research data reveals the SEO CTR rewards for top of SERP rankings in Google. Inform your SEO marketing strategy with the latest trends in 2024 You often hear company owners saying “I want to rank top” for their target …..
Google Search Console Insights combines Google Search Console and Google Analytics to introduce a new SEO platform for content marketers If you regularly use Google Analytics and/or Google Search Console tools to evaluate and optimize your marketing (and if you …..
Monitoring the right KPIs is the best way to avoid spending time and money on something that isn’t driving the expected profit Is your SEO strategy effective enough? How can you ensure your efforts drive tangible results? What can you …..
