Another Keyword Driven Domain Question

[David-Kley]

So we have a client that has a ton of great links, solid social profiles, content with good keyword-to-content ratio (7.5-9%), etc. This site has been around for a while and performed well.

Recently a new competitor showed up with a very long keyword driven domain and has been outranking our client (and everyone else) for a large quantity of keywords. We own a keyword driven domain that could be used, but should we switch? I am always for branded domains vs keyword, but in this case it appears to be working and undefeatable. We have waited for 6 months to see if it's a fluke, but it has only gained additional ranking.

The site in question has bad backlinks, many spam items, and stuffed content on the homepage. We will not copy that format obviously, but should we take one more step and beat him at his own game?

Our client has Yext Premium, MOZ local, AdWords, social paid campaigns, location targeting pages, fast load time, etc. Overall a good presence. He seems stuck around the 3-5 position on page one, and is looking to push into the top 3 consistently.

[MiriamEllis]

Hey David!

I like your thinking on that, but from what I have seen, the top 10 results for most established businesses tend to contain all kinds of different things in the description portion of the SERP entry. For example, one will have part of a user review, another will have hours, another will have part of the owner's description. Take a look at some SERPs and you''ll likely see this.

Again, not trying to discourage anyone from writing unique descriptions - just saying that the ROI on doing so may not be great, given the way that descriptions are going to be duplicated downstream + the fact that you will not control what information ends up in the SERP display description field for most 3rd party mentions of your business.

[David-Kley]

Miriam,

Thank you for your reply.

They are about equal in terms of location. While I can't supply specific details, they are both located well within the "border" of the major target area. Geographically, Google should be able to interpret their business location and apply it to the desired search area.

[David-Kley]

Under normal circumstances, I completely agree. The largest roadblock is the client in this case, and that we are allowed to edit very little in terms of content and focus, and especially visual. At one point we had the site ranking higher with a slightly more aggressive use of keywords, a cleaner visual design, and he had us revert the entire site back.

It is my hope that would could use this method to sidestep the client (although he knows that the domain choice is an option and has approved if we deem it necessary), but also add more location and keyword "targeting" for the business and website.

[EGOL]

You can bet on a keyword domain or focus on how many times words appear on page.

If this was my site I would, instead, be focusing on the message that appears in the SERPs and how it strikes the potential visitor.  Then I would focus on the landing page and on giving the searcher what he is looking for when he clicks in.

These are the things that mean almost nothing and everything in my opinion.

[David-Kley]

Sent you both domains.

[David-Kley]

Some of the titles may have changed recently as the client has access to the site 0_o

I find it hard to believe that a site with that few pages and that small of a backlink profile has been given the green light. Call me crazy, but I think it has to do with the "exact match" of many of his elements.

1. Business name matches keyword phrase
2. Domain matches keyword phrase
3. Business name can be listed on site as name, meaning keyword repeated over and over without penalty.
4. City is listed 55 times on home page
5. Corporate is listed 33 times on homepage
6. When I search for the biggest keyword phrase, the competitor's entire domain name is bolded.

I am wondering if since we have so many of these other items in place for our client if that would catapult him to a higher position? I know the person who built the competitor site, and he is known for the quick "clone, wash, content, repeat" method of launching sites. All using the same EMD method and they do great.

I agree the "I" word is a stupid choice, but the client is very particular in the way he does things. Switching to the new domain name would remove this issue.

[EGOL]

In my opinion, your competitor has the title tag that I would click.  I like it better than any other title tag on the first page.  It uses clear common language and gives options.

The message on their site appeals to me.  I don't find it a bit spammy.   In a previous life, I was a regular customer of this industry.  Too regular.   I needed a roustabout product instead of an executive product.  The competitor's message described what I would buy  --  but I my experience is very different from this market.

Overall, I like what the competitor is selling and I like how they are selling it.

I don't like the "I" word in the client's name.  Huh?   I think that people who are in the position that I was in are going to stumble on the name.  If you say their name to the person who helps you arrange your affairs they are going to ask you to spell it.  If I owned this business I would change the name for that reason, not because my competitor had a better domain. The client's name would have never occurred to me.  The only time I use that word is when I am forced to use that word, it's too highfalutin' and I work at a lower, more common, level.

Bottom line..  I think that these guys are beating you because they are beating you.

[David-Kley]

Sent you a PM with the link and details. If you can offer a response I will share it here minus the client info.

[David-Kley]

EGOL, thanks for deciding to chime in. Please see my responses below:

"When you redirect this site about 10 to 15% of your linkjuice will evaporate in the redirect.  When you change this domain you will no longer have people typing your domain into search, typing it into the broswer window, all of your brand mentions will be irrelevant, people will click your old brand links and say WTF when they land on an unfamiliar landscape.  This is like sacrificing a lot of SEO, a trusted brand and walking away from your tribe."

We will do a sitewide redirect that states "any traffic to domainA.com/subpage will go to domainB.com/subpage". All pages will go to the new version.

HIS BUSINESS NAME is the keyword. This helps him in maps, search, etc. It's seriously driving me crazy. I'll send you a PM and you will see just how Shi**** this other site is. Its wild that Google is even allowing it, much less promoting it higher.

[EGOL]

So we have a client that has a ton of great links, solid social profiles, content with good keyword-to-content ratio (7.5-9%), etc. This site has been around for a while and performed well.

We own a keyword driven domain that could be used, but should we switch?

HELL NO !

When you redirect this site about 10 to 15% of your linkjuice will evaporate in the redirect.  When you change this domain you will no longer have people typing your domain into search, typing it into the broswer window, all of your brand mentions will be irrelevant, people will click your old brand links and say WTF when they land on an unfamiliar landscape.  This is like sacrificing a lot of SEO, a trusted brand and walking away from your tribe.

Don't be seduced into doing this because you fear this new competitor.

in this case it appears to be working and undefeatable.

What ?

My sites are on awesome domains.  In my opinion then are the best in their SERPs.  And, they are not impossible to beat.   The people who beat me got to the top because they beat the quality of my website, or they elicited more clicks, attracted a bigger tribe, created more dedication in their visitors, had more panache, or I was screwing up somewhere.  Occasionally a site that I think is a pissant will get above me and that will really make me mad.  A couple are making me mad right now.  One has such an awesome title tag that it probably getting clicked like mad and I think that is pulling him up the SERPs.  Another has content that addresses some topics that are extremely popular for the keyword that I am not willing to put on my site.

I'll create something that beats them.

I will tell you right now that the domain means very little compared to the person in charge of it.

So, every morning before you leave the house, get in front of a mirror, look straight into it and yell, "We are going to kick their asses with excellence"... then when you step across the threshold of the office you need to move and act and think like "IT IS SHOWTIME".

So we have a client that has a ton of great links, solid social profiles, content with good keyword-to-content ratio (7.5-9%), etc. This site has been around for a while and performed well.

You been doing great.  Keep at it.  Don't allow a guy with a biglongbullshitdomain.com to scare you out of your previous good form.  Keep the hammer down.  Get a bigger hammer.  It's time to step up your game.

[David-Kley]

Yeah, EMD's are a pain, BUT they still work! Crazy.

Yes, they have the service areas listed in their site, and they have a great citation score.

We have already submitted the other site to Google twice for 2 different reasons. They are not responding to any of our requests. Some of the backlinking sites even have a score of 5 and 6 in the Moz link spam indicator. It's maddening that they allow this site to stay in number one and two positions with this type of behavior.

We have recently switched them to https and are now contemplating switching the domain. Everything else we have tried. Editing content, editing settings, compressing load times, fetching and submitting, etc.

The other company's name and domain is LITERALLY the entire keyword phrase. Google is eating it up, and that is hard to beat.

[MiriamEllis]

Hey David,

Like you, I prefer branded domains, and I totally know the frustration of seeing them outranked by low quality EMDs. Ughh - really frustrating!

Are you talking about local pack or organic rankings? If local pack and you are seeing actual SPAM in the competitor's listing, you can report them to Google for that.

Also, if local pack, have you assessed how your client is doing in terms of geography? Are they within mapped city borders for the city they are hoping to rank for? Is there a clear industry centroid and how close is your client to it vs. their competitor?