When selecting a domain name for your blog, you may focus on things like your name or persona, your brand or even relevant keywords. What you may not realize, however, is that your blog’s domain impacts search engine rankings in several important ways. What should you know before selecting a domain?
One of the more exciting aspects of launching a new blog is establishing the brand. This includes colors, fonts and graphics, and it is also highly impacted by your blog’s name and domain. When selecting a domain name for your blog, you may focus on things like your name or persona, your brand or even relevant keywords. If you already have an establishing following on social media, that may play a role as well. What you may not realize, however, is that your blog’s domain impacts search engine results in several important ways. What should you know before making this important decision?
Ways Your Blog’s Domain Affects Search Engine Results
Google has made it clear that your website’s URL name is not a primary or direct ranking factor. Simply using a primary keyword that your website targets will not affect rankings. At least not now. It’s important to remember, though, that Google makes hundreds or even thousands of algorithm updates any given year, so bloggers are always faced with a moving target. While there isn’t a direct impact, your site address indirectly affects SERPs in significant ways.
Branding & User Experience
The URL name’s memorability is important for branding purposes. Your audience may remember your website more easily when a relevant keyword is included. Furthermore, it aptly tells the user what your website is about before they click the link. It establishes and reinforces a great user experience.
Regardless of your decision to use a keyword or another standout identifier, brand presence also affects key ranking factors, such as authority and trust. Google’s primary goal is to deliver an excellent experience to its users with high placement for trusted and authoritative sites. So, in these indirect ways, the domain name is important.
Relevance
Both the domain and subdomain tell search engines what your website and individual pages are about. Often, the subdomain contains the primary keyword of the blog post. This allows search engines to more easily crawl through the website and more accurately determine what the website is about. In addition, subdomains improve the user experience. They tell the users what the page is about before they even click on the link.
Memorability
A memorable website name that is relevant to your niche can lead to higher click-through rates. A higher click-through rate is a signal of a better user experience. Memorability can lead to more backlinks, which play a direct and important role in SERPs. Avoid using hard-to-spell names or words as well as misspellings, which may be difficult for users to remember
Critical Limitations
When carefully chosen, your blog’s unique site name can have a huge yet indirect impact on search engine rankings as well as the user experience, branding and other critical factors. However, it can be limiting in several significant ways, including some that ultimately result in the demise of your website. It can take years to build your audience and gain traction. The last thing that you want to do is reduce your chance of success from the get-go. Before selecting your blog’s URL name, keep these critical points in mind.
Inability to Pivot
When your URL name has a specific keyword in it, you are less able or unable to pivot to a new niche. Some niches become less relevant over time. They may become more competitive. Both of these can impact traffic to your website, and it may be necessary to shift gears. When you are locked into a niche by a narrow URL name, however, the ability to pivot can be limiting and detrimental. When choosing your website’s domain, avoid putting yourself in a corner.
Negative Impact on Ranking
According to Google’s John Mueller, using keywords in the domain was once a major and direct factor that affected rankings. Over the years, Google has adjusted its algorithms dramatically, and this extends to how it analyzes domain names. When not done correctly, though, it can backfire. For example, the use of hyphens and very long domain names have a negative impact on both rankings and memorability. When using keywords in the domain name, keep the name short, free of hyphens and memorable. Choose the name for the user experience rather than for SEO purposes.
While you may be inclined to settle for a low-level domain if you have a specific name in mind, keep in mind that high-level domains generally rank higher. Expanding your search while keeping these factors in mind can help you make a smart selection.