When it comes to the subject of increasing a website’s SEO, page rank and visibility, there is certainly no shortage of confusion, myth and presumption. One of the most common questions we hear, is whether or not a website’s SEO score will improve if the domain name contains relevant keywords and search terms. In the spirit of settling this debate once and for all, we thought we would share some expertise and insight from John Mueller, one of Google’s very own webmasters.


In this video Mueller states, “Just because a website has a keyword in its domain name, doesn’t mean that it’s more relevant for that keyword. In short, you don’t need to put keywords in your domain name.” This, of course, will come as a shock to many who have, over the years, made a habit of choosing domain names specifically based on their inclusion of relevant search terms. But as we’ve learned, it’s far from how Google envisioned and built their platform and corresponding search algorithms.

Select a Domain Name That Allows Your Business to Evolve

Mueller also made an interesting point in the Ask Google Webmasters video when he stated that, “Businesses evolve over time, and moving domain names is hard. It makes more sense to pick a domain name that you can use for the long run, and not necessarily one that just matches what you’re offering today.”

So, there it is. If you’ve been wracking your brain looking for a URL that captures the core keywords you’re looking to hit, you’re better off choosing an original domain name that reflects what you’re doing now, as well as the vision and potential you have for future growth. For more information on how to improve your website’s page rank and visibility, get in touch with the experts at CMS Max by visiting our website or write to us via email through our contact page.