There’s no shortage of bad advice around exact match domains, with some “experts” saying EMDs are dead and others saying that they always work for every kind of project, whether affiliate or rank & rent.
The truth is a lot more subtle than either extreme opinion.
What I want to demonstrate in this post is recent test results that show search engines still like exact match domains.
But you have to be more careful these days, and I’ll show you my exact process for quickly and easily finding exact match domains with Xagio’s automation tools.
What Is An Exact Match Domain (EMD)?
An exact match domain is a domain name that is a 100% match with a specific search keyword. Some people also refer to it as a keyword domain, and typically SEOs look for .com, .net, or .org exact match domains.
Here’s an example.
Hundreds of people search for the term “mold removal Chicago” on a monthly basis, and an exact match domain would be moldremovalchicago.com, but it could also be the .net or .org version.
Since we already know that having a focus keyword in the URL is very advantageous for SEO purposes (e.g., domain.com/mold-removal-chicago/), it should then be obvious that having the keyword as the root domain instead of a URL slug is even better: moldremovalchicago.com
In fact, there was a time when simply having an EMD with a load of random keyword stuffing on the site was enough for search engines to catapult you to the top of the SERPs.
While those days are long gone, it’s still safe to say that there is value for search engine optimization.
I’ll provide some examples shortly.
You may also have heard of a “partial match domain” (PMD) that is supposedly a safer approach.
Let’s revisit my above KW example: “mold removal Chicago”. A PMD example would be moldexpertschicago.com, where not every word of the search term is represented in the domain.
These can still be valuable, but my testing has shown that there’s no real risk with exact match domains if you take the right approach.
Do EMDs Still Help Search Engine Optimization?
Yes, exact match domains still help you achieve higher search rankings, with all else equal.
Here’s what I mean.
Let’s say you started a Rank & Rent/LeadGen website to target the KW “mold removal chicago” and registered a new branded domain (e.g., themolddude.com) and an exact match domain (e.g., moldremovalchicago.com).
You then make the exact same on-page optimizations on booth sites, and you send very similar quality backlinks to them.
If an exact match domain had no influence on search rankings, then both sides should slowly appear in the same place in the SERPs.
Does that happen?
No, not in my experience. I have tested this on several occasions, and the EMD always ranks faster.
I have also created dozens of Rank & Rent sites with an exact match domain name, and more often than not, the sites appear in search rankings with little more than adding content and good on-page SEO. I’m not saying they hit #1, but they do index strongly & quickly.
The same happens when I test exact and partial match domains.
I’m pretty sure you have one nagging question.
Why Do People Believe Google Punishes EMDs?
Mostly because they believe what they hear and read rather than actually testing it for themselves. People LOVE to share this kind of stuff, and even worse, many LOVE to believe it simply because someone wrote about it.
Search engines like Google regularly refine their algorithms, and in many cases, those updates target specific techniques used by the SEO industry.
Exact match domains have been the target numerous times, and the most notable one happened in 2012.
Each time, there was a big shakeup in the search engine results pages, and people immediately concluded that this one tactic was the reason.
But can these people also clearly prove that there was only one issue with exact match domain sites?
Let’s take a closer look at what Google has to say.
What Does Google Say About EMDs?
Google introduced an algorithm update in September 2012 that specifically targeted exact match domains.
Google’s Matt Cutts announced the following on Twitter/X:
Here’s the thing, though.
People only focused on the fact that he mentioned “exact match domains” and completely ignored the important “low-quality” part.
Even before 2012 and the clampdown on exact match domain sites, search engines had realized that many SEOs were spamming the Internet with crappy and KW-stuffed content.
As Matt states, this was simply an update that specifically looked at the exact match domain and low-quality content combination that was rampant.
But that doesn’t mean exact match domain SEO is dead.
Far from it, and I have a few simple rules for you to follow.
Simple Rules To Avoid EMD Penalties
If you look at any search result for local and Rank & Rent SEO, you’ll notice that the search results are still full of exact match domain sites.
Over the years, I have spent a lot of time analyzing these sites, and I’ve found that those that still appear in the search results follow two simple rules.
1. Avoid KW Stuffed EMDs
One reason so many exact match domains got affected in 2012 is that they had gone completely overboard. They either tried to stuff multiple keywords into one domain or they used keywords with four or more words in them to create an EMD.
There’s also the case of trying to create EMDs with keywords that simply wouldn’t make sense as a website or business name.
Let me explain.
Here are two KW examples that would NOT make a good exact match domain project:
- homeowners insurance miami dade county
- movers nyc to miami
Both of these KWs have good search volume, but what kind of business would be called “Movers NYC To Miami”?
Exactly, it’s a highly unlikely business name and stinks of KW stuffing!!!
If you’ve got a short keyword phrase and it makes sense to be the name of a business, then it should be fine as long as you’re careful with your content.
This leads me to the second point.
2. Create Valuable Information
The days when you only needed an exact match domain and really crappy, keyword-stuffed content are long gone.
As highlighted above in Matt Cutts’ tweet, Google specifically looks at the quality of the content as well.
That means one of two things.
Either you hire great writers to create unique content, or you use AI to create it for you.
The important thing is that you need to make sure the content is valuable and provides information that will help readers.
If you do that, then exact match domains are going to be hugely helpful for your SEO goals.
The big question now is how you find exact match domains quickly and consistently, and Xagio has an answer for that as well.
My Process For Finding EMDs
I’ve worked in the Rank & Rent space for over ten years, and exact match domains remain my number one tactic for conquering search engine results pages with ease and speed.
However, in the early days, I found the process of identifying great keywords to use as exact match domains very slow and tedious. I mostly used Google Adwords Keyword Planner tool, but they continually made life harder by doing things like removing search volumes in place of ranges.
That’s why I created Niche Hunter, which is built directly into Xagio’s WP plugin.
You can learn about how to get the most out of this tool in our detailed Niche Hunter blog post, but I’ll outline here how easy it is to use and find a highly valuable exact match domain in minutes.
If you want to find keywords that make for great EMDs, then you have to search for keywords that have what I refer to as “the genetic makeup of a solid EMD”.
- Must be profitable
- Must be easy to rank
- EMD is available
And these are the steps I use to find those golden nugget niches.
1. Set Your Search Variables
Log into the WordPress dashboard on one of your sites that has Niche Hunter installed. Then, navigate to the Niche Hunter tab to modify the Advanced Filters section.
These variables determine what kind of results you get in the search, and the higher you set them, the more competitive the results will be, meaning that they will be tougher to rank.
Start by setting up what I call the sweet spot by adjusting search volume to 300–800, the CPC to greater than 15, and the Google Adwords competition to greater than 0.3.
Those values will return results that are easier to rank, but you can experiment with them to suit your experience level.
2. Enter A Niche Or City
In the Enter Keyword field, you can enter a term to use for the exact match query, and there are two approaches you can take.
Either enter the name of a city or county to get Niche Hunter to return different industries and services in that location.
Or, enter an industry or service keyword, and Niche Hunter will find loads of locations that match the keyword and search variables from Step 1.
3. Review The Results
Within seconds, Niche Hunter will return a long list of results with data about the search volume (with history), cost per click for Google Ads, and the advertiser competition.
You can browse this list to search for keywords that look like a good industry that also matches my above rule about being a realistic business name.
There’s also a button on the right-hand side for each keyword that allows you to quickly search Google for Broad, Phrase, InTitle, and InURL results to better assess how competitive the SERPs are.
Once you’re happy with a niche keyword, you can click another button to check if an exact match domain is available. By default, it checks for .com, .net, and /org, but you can refine that list in the Niche Hunter Settings to any country TLD.
4. Register The Exact Match Domain
The last thing you have left to do is to register the exact match domain and set up your website.
What the Niche Hunter process does is combine multiple important tasks into one. You’ve set specific search parameters that help you find keywords that are easier to rank, you’ve analyzed the SERPs, and you’ve checked if exact match domains are available.
From start to finish, this process can take as little as 10 minutes, setting you up for a higher success rate in your Rank & Rent projects.
Try Xagio’s Niche Hunter Today
If you want to experience a whole new way of efficiently finding exact match domains with high success potential in less than 10 minutes, then try using Xagio’s Niche Hunter.
I’ve designed it so that you can do all your analysis in one tool, which speeds up the process and eliminates costs for other tools.
Exact match domains are still a highly effective technique to boost rankings in search engines, and with Xagio, you’ll be set up for success.
Just make sure you have enough XAGS in your account. XAGS are Xagio’s internal currency needed to use premium features like Niche Hunter, and you can learn more on our XAGS introduction page.