What are your thoughts on using exact match domains in 2022?

[socialpatterns]

I feel like they still could help a lot. But I know it all depends. Many times brand > exact match, esp depending on how long the exact match is (too long can look spammy).

I'm trying to decide on buying an EMD I see available. Would any of you guys spend $3-5k on a short, exact match domain? If it was a really good, very niche e-commerce site (target keyword/product is pretty high demand, low competition)?... Or would you just go branded (or PMD) and spend that money on content?

Just curious what everyone's thoughts are (esp @Ryuzaki)? Appreciate any input!

 

[Ryuzaki]

I don't use EMD's these days and haven't for over a decade at least, but I do have opinions about it. The question is whether it would give you a boost.

A branded domain performs just fine, and Google says the URL slug (not domain) doesn't matter. It's the content that matters. But that doesn't answer the question, but what it does mean is that a long EMD is likely to not be able to gain the brand signal boosts, and that's a trade off.

A short EMD, however, could be amazing. Even if it doesn't give a boost, it might aid in building brand signals, even accidental ones. I think it probably signals to some users that the business owner spent a chunk of money on the domain, which increases prestige, authority, and trust. It's pretty rare to come across a short-tail EMD of 4, 5, 6, or even 7 letters.

I don't think $3k-5k is going to get it done. Some of the ones I've seen aren't even for sale, but for rent (not even lease, you don't get to eventually own it).

How short of a domain are you talking? Do we mean "Scooters.com" or "ElectricScooters.com", you know, because even the 2nd is going to cost well beyond the budget you mentioned.

 

[socialpatterns]

I don't use EMD's these days and haven't for over a decade at least, but I do have opinions about it. The question is whether it would give you a boost.

A branded domain performs just fine, and Google says the URL slug (not domain) doesn't matter. It's the content that matters. But that doesn't answer the question, but what it does mean is that a long EMD is likely to not be able to gain the brand signal boosts, and that's a trade off.

A short EMD, however, could be amazing. Even if it doesn't give a boost, it might aid in building brand signals, even accidental ones. I think it probably signals to some users that the business owner spent a chunk of money on the domain, which increases prestige, authority, and trust. It's pretty rare to come across a short-tail EMD of 4, 5, 6, or even 7 letters.

I don't think $3k-5k is going to get it done. Some of the ones I've seen aren't even for sale, but for rent (not even lease, you don't get to eventually own it).

How short of a domain are you talking? Do we mean "Scooters.com" or "ElectricScooters.com", you know, because even the 2nd is going to cost well beyond the budget you mentioned.

Thank you for your input, I really appreciate it.

Yeah, I was thinking of possible indirect ranking benefits (higher CTR maybe in serps) even if google doesn't treat EMDs like they used to back in the day. You have a ton of really good points about signals to the user!

The domain I'm talking about is a 2-word EMD, more like "ElectricScooters.com", but slightly shorter, and the niche is much less competitive, with a similar keyword volume as electric scooters. I said 3-5k just to get an idea of what you thought in general about EMDs, but there is actually a domain available for around 5k.

(KW Volume: Well, comparing this niche to 'electric scooters', according to ahrefs & google keyword planner, they are very similar keyword volume. But according to google trends, 'electric scooters' looks much higher...never understood why there have always been discrepancies between google trends and Google keyword planner, and other tools.)

 

[Golan]

Brand >> Match

Brandable variation with keyword inclusion = WIN

 

[bernard]

I like them for specific use, such as "Athens Plumbing" or something like that or "Cheap Upholstering" and you run a business doing that or a niche site only about that.

If you can keep it very tight and niche while delivering what the intent is, then it gives a decent boost. I do not think it matters much for a content site.

 

[enivid]

(KW Volume: Well, comparing this niche to 'electric scooters', according to ahrefs & google keyword planner, they are very similar keyword volume. But according to google trends, 'electric scooters' looks much higher...never understood why there have always been discrepancies between google trends and Google keyword planner, and other tools.)

Trends data is for a topic in general, not for the exact keyword. Keyword planner, as far as I remember, gives data for specific keywords.

 

[socialpatterns]

Trends data is for a topic in general, not for the exact keyword. Keyword planner, as far as I remember, gives data for specific keywords.

Ok thanks, yeah that makes sense, you are right, it's aggregated around that topic (below quote). And besides Keyword planner is probably so unreliable regardless, because it gives such a spread now. But I don't think it's ever been very accurate anyways.

On Trends FAQ:

It’s anonymized (no one is personally identified), categorized (determining the topic for a search query) and aggregated (grouped together).

But you can also narrow down a little bit, which is nice. (For example type in Django and you can choose web framework or the movie).

 

[Siberian]

Just my experience, but I have a two word EMD which ranks well for most things but doesn’t rank anywhere for the keyword it targets. I put up a post on a separate page though (think electricscooters.com/electricscooters) and that’s ranking just fine.