Exact match domains (EMD) is a difficult conversation to have for many website owners, developers and SEO professionals.

Each has their own isolated experiences of success and failure when using exact match domains, both pre and post Google EMD update.

If you don’t know about the Google EMD update, then I suggest you do a little reading on how Google released an exact match domains update.

In short, Google created a filter to remove low/poor quality websites using exact match domains from ranking in search engine results.

Because websites using exact match domains contained the keywords in the domains that users used when searching, they were easily ranked as authoritative websites in search results.

With the intro of the Google EMD update, many website owners and developers were hit hard in loss of rankings, traffic and revenue.

Others were penalized to the point of de-indexed in some cases for their websites using exact match domains, also known as keyword domains.

From sea to shining sea, you’ll read and hear mixed reviews when attempting to find a final resolve for whether you should or should not use exact match domains.

However, my hope is to help you thoroughly understand why and how exact match domains can be used effectively and ineffectively.

I receive a wide range of emails and phone calls in a given week questioning how to generate content that increases website traffic.

From business owners, website developers, and even other SEO consultants posing as potential customers, everyone wants to know what the secret is when it comes to content marketing that increases search ranking and website traffic.

There are plenty of resources, whether newsletters, websites, blogs, ebooks, etc., telling you the bare bone SEO basics and principles, such as creating content:

• Written with a focus on customers and not search engines
• That is more than 600 words in length, ideally 1000-1500 or more
• That is relevant and specific to your industry and target market
• That educates, informs and solves problems for customers
• That customers will share with the masses
• That is easy-to-read content consisting of short sentences and containing every day layman terms
• Using specific keywords and keyword variations in moderation
• That includes the use of header tags with keywords within header tags
• Containing moderately supportive external and internal links, images, and videos

And the list goes on with other value-add content marketing strategies and techniques to help increase not only your website or blog’s search engine ranking, but also increase the likelihood your content is shared with the masses and increasing overall website traffic.

Today’s post on content marketing will guarantee you success should you religiously understand, comprehend and flawlessly execute each aspect.

Let’s get started.

Having been involved with SEO in various roles over the last 10 or more years, I’ve had my fair share of conversations dealing with a wide variety of theories and hypothesis concerning the best approach to a company’s SEO efforts.

From in-house SEO to outsourced SEO, I’ve seen SEO efforts range from being planned, implemented, executed, measured and sustained flawlessly to those SEO efforts that were DOA or dead on arrival once the SEO efforts were executed. I’ve also seen and experienced mediocre SEO efforts.

My point is, there is no one-size fits all SEO effort. Whether in-house or outsourced, consider your SEO effort to be unique in its own right.

That’s not to say you should not focus on SEO fundamentals, but it is to say that you should always enter SEO knowing that there is no guarantee either way.

We live in a world today that can hardly do much or without being powered by the Internet at some point throughout the process.

More specifically, the internet is being driven by a variety of different types of domain names.

Depending on your domain name being keyword-specific or an exact match domains, or premium domains, it can be the difference in driving a handful of visitors, if any, or millions of visitors daily.

Have you ever typed in a domain name into a web browser to find that it has been taken and filled with search ads, but not being used a business?

I’m sure you’ve wondered why and how to get your hands on this premium virtual real estate and gem of a domain without paying an arm and a leg, right?

Welcome back to second post of Page one search engine ranking and the rest.

In our initial post of this series, we discussed the importance of taking your time to select your niche, keywords, register or acquiring keyword-specific domain names, and creating unique and value-add content.

All are equally important, but I’ve found it most important to have selected the correct niche and keywords long before a domain name and content ever came into consideration.

In today’s post, I’ll continue discussing the wide variety of SEO actions I’ve taken that have led to successfully ranking websites in the top spot across major search engines, and led to increase traffic, conversions, and revenue.

In addition, I’ll share a few tips and tricks for what not to do too.

Let’s continue our search engine ranking discussion.

Have you ever wondered about search engine ranking positions?

Is there a difference in page one search engine ranking positions and the traffic generated to highly ranked websites?

I mean, you hear and read all the time about people proclaiming the number one, two, and three search ranking positions driving exponential website traffic, conversions and revenue.

This is not to say that most or all of the individuals claiming page one search engine rankings are lying.

I think everyone has their story and results, but I would like to add the twist of search ranking niches.

In today’s post, through my own experience, I’ll openly share with you about a few websites I own and operate.

We’ll cover in great detail keywords, domain names, content, social media, search engine optimization (SEO) and analytics.

I’ll take you throughout a quick timeline from domain registration to page one rankings.

I’ll shed light on theories, mistakes, corrections and overall successes and failures.

Over the last 10 plus years, I’ve been on a winding course of Internet entrepreneurship that has lead me to crash and burn a number of times with various ideas and concepts.

From printing and graphic design to IT consulting and support to web design and development to designing and selling t-shirts to women’s boutique to disaster and emergency communications to non-profit and religious websites, I’ve done it all.

However, the one constant in all of the businesses mentioned above was my reliance on effective search engine rankings and search engine optimization (SEO).

Overall, the experience was phenomenal and chock full of life and business lessons that small business owners and professionals alike could learn and benefit.

From search penalties to de-indexation to stupid and costly mistakes to the mountain-top of page one ranking for hundreds of highly competitive keywords and cash registers converting and ringing nothing but profitable success, I’ve knowingly and unknowingly have experienced my fair share of search engine failures and successes.

Today, as a seasoned SEO consultant, I’m privileged to consult and coach a wide variety of customers and the question I receive the most from small business owners is, “Are there any SEO strategies and techniques that I can implement myself?”

Understanding that small business owners are typically short on time and money in some cases, I set out to create a simple and easy-to-use guide to help lead small business owners down the SEO path in achieving sustainable and profitable SEO results.