Let me start by making one thing clear: brandable or keyword .com domains can rank well in search engines.

There will always be pros and cons to using each type of .com domain name.

This week I received an email inquiring about whether or not it is “better” to build or develop a business website on a brandable domain or a keyword .com domain.

How the question was worded was more a focus on search engine optimization (SEO) than an overall focus on how their domain name should align with their business goal and objectives.

I could sense there was a strong desire to make money taking the “by any means necessary” approach.

There was more weight given to SEO to the point that they were ready to make a heavy investment to create thousands of optimized keyword domain websites around a certain niche.

What they were really asking me was, “Which, brandable domain or multiple keyword domains, can bring me the most traffic and, most importantly, money with the least amount of time, money, and effort invested?”

First, it was 1And1.com and their new domain name extensions commercials, and now GoDaddy has hopped into the mix promoting new domain name extensions.

I received an email notifying me that new domain name extensions are coming. It’ll be interesting to see how many small business owners and the general public understand Godaddy’s email in its most basic form.  

You will now have a chance to create a new domain name since the .com domain name you’ve always wanted is owned by someone asking an arm and leg for it or has it parked with funny colors and links on pages.  

So, for example, you will have the opportunity to own WomensClothing.shop, WomensClothing.online, WomensClothing.luxury, WomensClothing.blog, and WomensClothing.web since you can’t own WomensClothing.com.

As expressed in Godaddy’s email, the new domain name extensions will open a door of greater opportunity that never existed before. I think GoDaddy did a reasonably good job trying to simplify the tsunami of new gTLDs, or, as called by everyday people, new domain name extensions set to hit the domain market by the end of this year.

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.

For as long as I have been involved with the web and search engine optimization (SEO) in a variety of roles and projects, I’m always amazed at what small business owners are told and believe about SEO.

I hear a wide range of stories, myths and lies on a regular basis as it pertains to small business SEO.

But what surprises me most are not only the people and businesses spreading this mess, but it is the small business owners that take and receive it as the gospel.

Not only that, but in most cases, small business owners lose precious resources, if not their entire business, only to be misled.

They were lied too, and scammed out of thousands of dollars for deceptive SEO practices sold under the disguise of affordable small business SEO.

Deceptive scam artists, posing a qualified SEO professionals, guaranteed to rank small business websites in the number one position on page one of Google and generate results.

And this is where I enter into the picture and find most small business owners as potential customers.

Now as much as I would like to strangle the person and company that told a little white lie or a bold faced lie, I must also be willing to be brutally honest with small business owners.

I receive many inquiries and phone calls on a weekly basis from potential customers asking about pay for performance search engine optimization (SEO).

Some think that there is fine print and hidden strings attached to such a too good to be true SEO offer.

Some have never heard of such a SEO offering, and think that it is a scam of some sort.

Some are skeptical based on previous experience with a SEO professional or firm that took advantage of their company using deceptive SEO practices.

Some knew about and even asked for deceptive SEO strategies and practices all for the sake of making money.

All the while, others unknowingly were taken advantage of with a $99 SEO offer that was too good to be true by some fly-by-night SEO company or a Fiverr deal promising traffic – not qualified traffic.

But for every bad experience, there are customers who have yet to experience the good, the bad and ugly of SEO.

And before you have a nightmare experience, or should you have already experienced one, I’ll tell you point blank why pay for performance is your best option.

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.

I had an interesting exchange the other day in regards to whether a client should invest in a website redesign or a domain name upgrade to increase website traffic.

We’ll focus on website redesigns for now with more on domain name upgrades to come. We’ll also address what both have to do with increasing website traffic.

Typically, most business owners that have been in business more than five minutes will tell you to invest your money in a new website redesign in an effort to increase website traffic and drive sales.

And for the right business owner and situation, I do believe this could be very sound advice.

Afterall, a website redesign with a focus on providing intuitive, sound user interface and experience can work wonders in resurrecting and increasing website traffic and search engine ranking when implemented and executed properly.