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New Top Level Domains Have No Ranking Advantage in Google, Not Geotargeted

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googlebot 2John Mueller from Google reminds webmasters that the newly added TLDs do not come with any ranking benefit in Google.

It’s been a while since Matt posted https://plus.google.com/+MattCutts/posts/4VaWg4TMM5F , but this is still the case. There’s no inherent advantage in search that comes from using any of the new top-level domains (TLDs). They’re also not geotargeted by default (for example, both .nyc & .berlin are seen as gTLDs that you can adjust the geotargeting for in Webmaster Tools).

If you want to register an entirely new TLD for other reasons, that’s your choice, but you shouldn’t register a TLD in the mistaken belief that you’ll get some sort of boost in search engine rankings.

There have been many new TLDs added this year, making many webmasters wonder whether they should switch to a better name and if that better name would be beneficial in the search results.  While there is no longer the same emphasis on keywords in a domain name that there was years ago, from a branding perspective, it still makes sense to have a great brandable domain name, and many are looking outside .coms to do that.

Mueller also reminds webmasters that it makes sense to pick a domain name that works well for your website or business and stick to it for the long term, as unnecessarily switching domain names creates additional work and potential issues.

My recommandation is to pick one domain that you really like (be it a on an “old-school” or new TLD) and to try to stick with it for the long run. While moving sites has gotten a bit easier (see our recommendations at https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/83105?hl=en ), it’s still a lot of work. If you don’t unnecessarily move your site from domain to domain, that gives you more time to focus on the really important aspects, such as making your site the absolute best of its kind — which is something that search engines will try to pick up on.

 

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Jennifer Slegg

Founder & Editor at The SEM Post
Jennifer Slegg is a longtime speaker and expert in search engine marketing, working in the industry for almost 20 years. When she isn't sitting at her desk writing and working, she can be found grabbing a latte at her local Starbucks or planning her next trip to Disneyland. She regularly speaks at Pubcon, SMX, State of Search, Brighton SEO and more, and has been presenting at conferences for over a decade.

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