Google Claims All Top Level Domains (TLDs) Treated Same.

Any Extension Carries Same Weight and Keyword in Domains (EMD) Don't Help

[incrediBILL]

It's official in this episode of myth buster...

Google clears the air today claiming they any top level domain is weighted the same and keywords in domains,, such as exact match domains, don't carry any weight.

Q: How will new gTLDs affect search? Is Google changing the search algorithm to favor these TLDs? How important are they really in search?
A: Overall, our systems treat new gTLDs like other gTLDs (like .com & .org). Keywords in a TLD do not give any advantage or disadvantage in search.

[googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.ca...]

I've been saying forever that the domain extension didn't matter but a lot of people had that idea stuck in their head which left me some very cherry domain in other extensions.

Of course some people read the horoscope, visit psychics and listen to Enya too. :)

[fathom]

supercalafruckinbullshotica.xxx or scoobysnacks.com

Believing that there is some magically value in the domain beyond low-value DIYSEOing or I don't ever want to make my website rank because visitors found it useful. I only want to focus on shortcuts.

So if you invested in scoobysnacks value added content and added it here supercalafruckinbullshotica.xxx that would indeed beat scoobysnacks.com if you did the reverse the reverse would occur.

If you want to argue "if all other things were equal" that can never happen so it is a pointless rebuttal.

If you feel comfort with KIDs that great but that doesn't make it great advice.

[TheMadScientist]

I didn't give anyone any advice. I wasn't arguing with anyone. I don't want to argue with anyone. All I did was call "non-sense" on a statement that, imo, defies logic, reason, and common sense, and I did it in a way I thought would give some people a chuckle.

[fathom]

Defying logic, reason and common sense in SEO usually suggests that you have done both and many times thus you can refute Googlers claims where they seem to suggest they have insider knowledge.

If you have only attempted the keyword style domains you have a bias ... So balance that bias by trying what you assume isn't possible only then can you say your logic & reasons makes for common sense.

Until you can prove Google wrong with multiple examples you don't have a leg to stand on.

[FattyB]

I dunno in casual online games, where I recently opened a few sites there is a massive amount of keyword domains and a lot of them rank - sometimes just briefly mind you. Particularly see it in very high search games, 1 million plus a month. These domains are usually super spammy like playwidgettoday or widgetplaywidget but they do rank, with help of a bunch of unnatural links.

Search for something like Happy Wheels and you'll see loads of them including a few on the from page with name in the domain and thousands of clearly bought or spammed links from Russia etc. Works well though.

[fathom]

So SEO works!

Blackhat SEO and even Whitehat.

A major feature (or benefit of the latter) are "links" and while a keyword in domain (KID) might seem like the holy grail of SEO it merely helps generally get unnatural links without much trying.

It does work, but so does PENGUIN!

[glakes]

All I did was call "non-sense" on a statement that, imo, defies logic, reason, and common sense, and I did it in a way I thought would give some people a chuckle.

It only makes sense that if you are selling apples to have a domain name with asparagus in it. Use a free domain ending in .tk and you can compete with the big boys. :)

I agree that that ignoring the relevancy of a domain is pure nonsense. If anything those statements by Google are meant to introduce more FUD.

[TheMadScientist]

<-- Decides if he moves forward with his "pet project" for duplicate and spun content detection he's going to build it on get-sum-cheap-v!agra-onilne-right-now.pizza rather than unspinit.com.