Google has released yet another algorithm as part of their efforts to enhance the user experience through better search results. What is their reason for doing this? Well, Google would like to do their part to eliminate low quality or spammy sites from your search.
So what exactly is an EMD? EMD stands for exact match domains. Essentially, these are sites whose domain names coincide with key search terms. Think of it this way, suppose a
web design company wanted to see more search traffic and let’s suppose a key search term for that business was “Web Design in Raleigh” or “Raleigh Web Design”. They may go ahead and try to register the URL www.raleighwebdesign.com. By having a domain name registered that is a match for a key search term, it will typically increase their page ranking and exposure to those looking for this type of business.
Hmmm…..so for a business this sounds like a good thing. Those who have had the benefit of these EMDs have become accustomed to a significant amount of organic search traffic. If this were the case, why would Google want to make a change here? Well the answer here is actually quite simple. The vast majority of these sites lack quality content and are loaded to the gills with articles that are just there to provide keyword rich content. While that is great for the Google spiders, it does little for the people like you and me who are searching for good quality content. Secondly, many of these have simply been monetized with ads and affiliate links, totally negating any type of user experience. These are exactly the types of site that Google would like to see eliminated. It is also the reason why we have seen many of these sites fall off page 1 since the EMD Algorithm introduction.
So, here begs the question. What do you do if you have a site with an EMD domain name? The best thing you can do is to start doing things that will enhance the user experience. First and foremost, be sure you get rid of content that Google would see as spammy and be sure to remove that or offset it with good,
quality content. Get yourself in the routine of adding new content on a regular basis and if need be, seek out a
professional SEO/writing team to help. Be sure to add social share buttons to the site if you have not already done so. Lastly, begin or enlist a quality SEO team to engage in a link building campaign to increase the authority and credibility of your
website.
Google search algorithms are far from static beings. Your website should be exactly the same, always providing updated and changing content on a frequent basis. If you don’t, this new algorithm may turn out to be a WMD for your EMD!
Tags: Google • Questions & Answers • Search Engine Optimization
