What’s in a domain name? Even less, according to Google

Written by Carl Hopkinson

Google guru Matt Cutts has indicated that the search engine optimisation value placed on keywords contained in domain names is set to diminish.

So far, the domain name of a website was very important to its ranking in search engines, with the emphasis being placed on any keywords it contained.

However, according to a feature on searchnewz.com, Matt Cutts, Google’s principal engineer, is all set to change this. He said:

“Some people have complained that we’re giving a little too much weight for keywords in domains.

“So, we have been thinking about adjusting that mix a little bit and sort of turning the knob down within the algorithm, so that given two different domains it wouldn’t necessarily help you as much to have a domain with a bunch of keywords in it.”

This would be especially beneficial for companies whose URL contains their name, rather than any indication of the service that they provide.

This change, which comes soon after Google’s most recent update, which was engineered to confound ‘content farmers’, is unlikely to be the last coming down the pipe.

In a recent, separate interview, Cutts said that Google’s engineers responsible for tweaking the search algorithm were busy beavering away at it in an effort to improve further the quality of its search results.

He said:

“There is definitely still room for improvement in the space of low-quality content – or in trying to reward higher quality content.”

This news will be warmly received by SEO experts everywhere – much of search engine optimisation involves second guessing Google, so any information on how its search algorithm works is highly prized.