Exact Match Domain Good For SEO?

[tallman]

Hi everyone,

I came across a domain on Sedo that I'm interested in buying and wanted to ask opinions first.

Is an exact match domain (EMD) important for ranking/SEO purposes? I looked at the competition on the first page of google's results and it doesn't seem to competitive.

The domain i'm looking at is OmahaPoker.net

Appreciate your input

Thanks

[chaumi]

While EMDs did have an advantage simply because of what they are at one point, the evidence highly suggests they don't any more (and haven't for some time).

But still, OmahaPoker.net would be a great domain for an Omaha site.

It depends on how much you'll have to pay. If you really want it (and can afford it) then nothing to say don't go for it...but reality is you could build a site on pretty much any domain (including the words Omaha and if you want poker) and get good results if you do everything right.

[tallman]

Thanks for your reply Chaumi.

I guess the fact it's an EMD is what caught my attention at first. I'm pretty new to SEO so wasn't sure how important it was. Do you think that keyword would be relatively easy to rank for over time?

Thanks again

[chaumi]

Looking at Google.com for straight 'Omaha Poker', page 1 and 2

You have:

Pokerstars
Wikipedia
Pokerlistings
Pokernews
Celebpoker
WSOP
AOL
Pagat
Cardschat
A few videos
888
Amazon

..and a few I don't recognise.

I'd say you have zero chance of outranking the majority unless you have a ton of inbound links (and a great site), maybe you could leapfrog Wikipedia and the other few that don't ring a bell (though they might be good too, didn't look).

These guys have 10+ years head start on you. They're massive sites with deep pockets.

That's not to say though that you couldn't do well on long tail terms...but you'd need to be well clued up (I'd say to expert level) on Omaha, and be able to present it all exceptionally well (because all those other sites will be ranking for - and maybe even targeting - longer tail terms too.

There is always room for a new kid on the block, but you have to be clued up and do it well.

[tallman]

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

I can understand it would be hard beating the major players as they've been around for so long. I guess the reason I thought it might be more achievable than other keywords was the fact that Wikipedia and some videos were on first page. I'll have to look into in much more detail before any decision is made.

Thanks again for your insights and help.

All the best

[pokeraussie]

EMDs were never a magic bullet for competitive keywords even prior to the EMD update.

It still makes a lot of sense to use EMDs when/if they're available.

[a_1_poker]

Subscribing. I am interested in knowing the science behind EMDs as well. I'm guessing they should have at least a SLIGHT advantage over non-keyword based domains.

[tallman]

For developing a site to rank, would I be right in assuming that an aged EMD would be more beneficial than a new hand registered domain?

[manuelinbmw]

Yes an aged emd with good metrics would be more beneficial. You can find the metrics of the domain by going to majestic and moz.

[tallman]

Thanks for the tip on Majestic. Testing it out now

[sweetbet]

EMD are not as advantageous as they used to be many years ago.

[manuelinbmw]

Thanks for the tip on Majestic. Testing it out now

No problem your welcome.

[santomarco]

Without good content and articles, I think they have no relevance...

[tallman]

Thanks, I plan to add good content. The auction didn't meet reserve. Waiting to see if seller will accept offer

[chaumi]

For info...

Looks like it first went 'live' in 2003 with a Godaddy parked page
Properly live in Sept 2012
Got redirected or changed to a Forex site somewhere between late 2015 and early 2016

Not sure how to prove it...but I'd suggest trying to find out if it has any penalties before you get into a bidding war

[seojennifer]

I think exact match domain is good but before seo you must have to aware EMD Updation.

[wonderpunter]

It does't matter some people still see value but brands tend to be favoured the problem with EMD is that you are limiting yourself for future work if you want to change the theme, and area if you are looking for SEO reasons then the effort would be best placed on other methods

[MJM]

I'm always amazed at the confusion regarding this topic, there is nothing but upside to having a domain that is relevant to the market AND is brandable.

Yes, OnlineGambling.com is just as brandable as Bovada.lv - which would you rather build?

EMD = your brand name. Also happens to be a memorable one if done right.

My .02

[Aeternus]

Videoslots.com is a pretty good example of the perfect use of emd if you ask me.

If you got a solid site, packed with good content, I am certain that a emd will help you rank. Emd with thin content, and a weak link profile, not so much.

So, when done right it still holds value, but not nearly as much as it used to, imo.

[tallman]

Thanks everyone for your input. I have plans to develop the site and work on building it into a brand within the industry. Just hoping I can win the auction first