Google EMD update has thrown away many websites set up on exact match domain (EMD) from its search results page. Like most other updates, this new algorithm too is aimed at helping end users get a better experience while using its search engine. This time around the main focus of the update is on getting rid of spammy, low quality and thin sites that had been hitherto taking advantage of their domain name to make it to the top of SERP.
For many years it has been known that webmasters value the domain names that use the same exact keywords that they want to rank for. The reason that webmasters have looked highly upon these domain names is because they were a good source for helping to increase their website traffic which in the end helped to boost the rankings of their websites.
What was going on?
The process of taking mileage (or call it undue advantage) out of EMD names went up to such an extent that webmasters used to acquire these domains for high prices and set up few pages of low quality content to get quick traffic. Most of the EMD consisted of lengthy names since it was relatively easier to rank for long tailed keywords.
There is no denying the fact that the EMD update has caused a huge loss to a large number of webmasters who were into exact match websites and micro niche sites. However, from a longer viewpoint there are many good things it has brought along with it.
What do you stand to gain?
The very first positive impact is that it teaches webmasters to care for their visitors without having to worry much about the bots. Unlike the spammy EMD sites that merely focused on promoting their ads and affiliate links without giving a damn to their readers, webmasters now have a higher responsibility to make their readers happy by giving a positive user experience.
Another good thing is that you can now focus on creating your brand without having to run after those ‘most desirable’ domain names which had been long booked by somebody else.
The update has in a way eliminated players with a short vision. If you’ve been an honest webmaster, you’d probably remember how your blood boiled to see those spammy EMDs ranking over your genuine sites with real good content.
To conclude, the only way to survival now is through a long term genuine strategy that adds true value to the web. So, if you are a real webmaster, you have nothing to lose… in fact, you now have some low quality competitors eliminated!
