Google Exact Match Domain – yet another algorithm introduction in the world of search engine. Google has already kicked large number of web-masters from search engine that have main keywords in their domains. Earlier this week, everyone start bragging about the traffic loses on their websites, and especially on the website that are published in the cyber-world to generate affiliate sales or targeting big community with focusing on main keywords in the domain name. We have seen Google talking about to take action against the SEO experts & webmasters that are using exact match domain names to promote their products around the world. But, no-one expected to see the update release in such way.

According to the numbers & charts, Google released the Exact Match Domain (EMD) algorithm update, and almost every web-master has seen the traffic loss in his charts, but mostly takes it as normal weekend traffic bump. But, later things turned into worse with clear signals to the release of Google Exact Domain algorithm update on the weekend. On the launch of new changes in the Google Exact Domain algorithm, the front face of Google Web Spam Team, Matt Cutts tweeted weekend’s weather forecast of the search engine, in which he clearly mentions the changes and effects towards the webmasters with big portals.
Minor weather report: small upcoming Google algo change will reduce low-quality “exact-match” domains in search results.
New exact-match domain (EMD) algo affects 0.6% of English-US queries to a noticeable degree. Unrelated to Panda/Penguin.
However, it doesn’t ends here! There are still many big fishes in this pound with targeted keywords in their domain names, but still did not touched by Google’s Exact Domain Match. Well, there are many things to discuss about the new Google Exact Domain Match algorithm, but we are here to fix up the old domains that get lot of love from Google this week.
Starting from….
What Are The Changes In Google Exact Domain Match Algorithm?
So far, the people around SEO community have suggests the new changes are for those who have more targeted keywords in their domains, and they are also ranking well on the major relevant keywords. In the clearer words, if you have a domain with name of iPhoneNews.com – and you are also heavily covering the iPhone related content, then you must have received a little decline of organic traffic in last three days from Google.

Google Exact Domain Match Noticeable Factors:
- It’s not about low quality & high quality content.
- It’s not about the incoming links to your websites.
- It is about the mixture of your targeted keywords.
- It focuses on your profile in the niche.
- Depends on the authority of your page.
Recover from Google Exact Domain Match Penalization in Google’s Way:
In Google’s clean words, if you really want to use your old domain anymore to promote some affiliate product or specific niche, change your current topic of coverage on the domain. In easy words, if you are running a SEO blog with SEO related targeted keywords in your domain, then gives up on the SEO side and start covering something else on the same domain such as development, or music, something that is not related to old niche or complete different from the older.

However, it is the most insane method to recover the value of specific domain. But, in very initial approach, Google just want to get rid of some newbie’s and intermediates that are making their process tougher and energy consumer. Well, I am not saying anyone to go with Google’s style of recovering domains from Google EMD algorithm update. There are lots of methods still available to crack the Google’s EMD algorithm, like we already have methods to overcome Google Penguin & Google Panda penalization.
Recovering From Google Exact Match Domain Algorithm Penalization In SEO Expert Way:
Like every new-generation search algorithm update, the new Google Exact Domain Match algorithm is also requires you to reconsider your whole SEO & marketing plan of your domains. You have to rethink every strategy, and more importantly, you have to rethink about the branding of your website over the internet. You have to build a new image of your business, and once again have to target your old community. There are around 8 Steps to Recover Domain from Google Exact Match Domain Algorithm.

1. Develop New SEO Strategy
Once you have done with yourself on recovering the penalized domain names, then start with a pure new SEO strategy, and avoid every low-class and old SEO tactics to bring back the old domains. You have to rethink about everything. Start from the Blog title to its nature of business. You have to drop or modify few things, but these changes will bring back the organic traffic to your website.
2. Make Your Website A Brand
It’s not the first time that I am mentioning about the authority of website and pages. Almost every Google Search algorithm gives lot of attention to the authority of website, and also to the interaction rate of your content with real audience. It is time to become a brand by yourself, and let others to follow you. (I already have covered number of tips, on how to become a brand yourself.)
3. Re-Focus On Current Targeted Keywords
I am feeling that I am saying you to copy the important stuff from unrecoverable piece of paper. But, indeed its true, and one have to go through this in-order to recover from Google EMD algorithm. You have to clearly focus on your current targeted keywords, and to check out which are highly penalized and which not. Once you get a list of every targeted keyword, make sure to include only those that are not heavily penalized by Google Exact Domain Match algorithm, and drop every-other keyword, on which you have lost big traffic and rankings. It’s to move forward, not to waste time on recovering hard things.
4. Bring New Targeted Keywords
Once again start your targeted keyword research, and this time bring more targeted keywords, but only those that are ‘just’ relevant to products not ‘highly’ relevant keywords. With Google EMD algo ghost, you have to work very carefully, and think about everything.
5. Focus On Keyword Phrases
Instead of focusing on short tail keywords, add some exclusive value to keyword phrases, and focus on long-tail keywords to make a quick return in the search engine. Sometimes, long-tail keywords play an important role in bringing traffic to blogs / websites. So, it’s your time to play with long-tail keywords and phrases.
6. Start A Supportive Blog / Website
It is an optional idea to startup a supportive blog for your domain, and help out the poor SEO status of domain. It actually helps in the recovering of domain from the heavy penalization of Google Exact Domain Match algorithm.
7. Enrich Your Content
Majority of affiliate product / services selling blogs only come with very tasteless content, which means they are equipped with very few images or references to the context, and they more focus on the sales of their product. However, with Google EMD algo, you have to change your content and make it more enrich and useful for the readers.
8. Heavily Become A Part Of Social
In the very last attempt to recover from Google EMD algorithm, take a start with social media marketing, and grow up as a brand in the community. It gives you big exposure in the community, and as well as in Search Engine. Remember, Google is now more social than normal SEO.









I think its good for sites with good content, many people purchase Domains with great keywords but they never put quality content in it, I know many websites which have lots of waste content and they rank on top only because of domain name.
Nishant Srivastava recently posted..Learn How To Attract Advertisers & Sponsors
Hi Nishant, Thanks for commenting
Yes, you are right! It is good for whole cyber-world that relies on the search engine results. With Google EMD algorithm, Google has kicked every exact match domain from index due to low-profile in the search engine, and as well as for the less social signals.
OMG, That’s Quite Big Resource About Google EMD I have ever seen till now because just 2 days have passed and you have managed to pull of great information.
Basically EMD is now a Big issue if you have unique content or well form keywords. Until or unless you duplicate other.
Stunningly mine traffic is jumped quite handsomly hoping for the best. Peace and Blessings
Hi Faizan,
That’s great, if you have find my content really supper for you! Yeah, its only 24 to 48 hours ago, since everyone discovered the Google EMD update penalization. I have been hearing about Google EMD algo update from a long time, and even I have mention on my social accounts to punch the web-masters. But still
It really looks scarry for affiliate sites. the main keyword in domain name used to boost the value and much easier to rank on Google. Now it appears that the additional value you were getting for free is no more.
But I guess this way the Web will be more healthy and quality content bubbles up! Its nice move!
Suresh Khanal recently posted..Best Ways to Start Making Money Online
Welcome back Suresh!
Yeah. It is really scary for the affiliate marketers who believes they are genius, and they become real SEO expert, with only having few domains with targeted keywords. Many of my experienced friends got their websites penalized, but one of my testing affiliate website didn’t get any signal of this update. I am looking into to discover more highlights
This is not good.My traffic is just decreasing day by day just because of what ? my domain name and keywords are same ? i am not targetting any brand / category .. it is just the name of my website ..e.g :
Link: http://www.123.com
Title : 123 – (Tagline Here)
Hi Yahya. It is not about targeting any specific brand. It is about targeting a specific topic on the internet and gaining quick access to higher SERP in Google with featuring a domain with your targeted keyword. If you need assistance, you can ping me more on email.
My website was destroyed with this update. It was ranking in top #3 in US, now it is somewhere in #700. Lost big money in the niche. I really do not know what to do next. How someone can brand an EMD with such sales keywords? It needs lots of efforts and social work I guess.
Anon recently posted..Glow in the dark iPhone 5 Covers
Hey Hamza,
Excellent work. Seriously right now, I do not have any idea how to recover from Google EMD update but you have given a nice idea.
Thank you
(dofollow)
Saif recently posted..NoIndex and Nofollow Difference– How to Use these Tags in On page SEO?
Hi Saif.
I know, majority of SEO experts are still discovering and thinking about the methods to recover from Google EMD. However, I am also busy in digging more into this algorithm, but as one of my new source indicated me, in the last month. Google EMD is really terrible for some business owners.
So, I think this EMD will badly hits to my blog as my keyword is MCQ Questions and my domain name is same as my keyword mcqQuestions.com
Since I am not targeting on any brand & category. I just selected this domain to match with it’s contents. Is there any suggestions to overcome from this Google EMD for me?
Hi Ganesh! Welcome to our comment section.
I have personally visited your blog, and discovered you are doing great work on your blog. I only suggest you to take a look at keywords that have lost rankings very badly, remove the badly penalized keywords, and do focus on some social signals. You have really less social impact on your work.
Google just want to be noticed all the time. Matt cutts has not done a great job to me, he should have concentrate on hitting sites with low quality contents rather than the keyword domain matching stuff. Google doesn’t want people making money from domain spinning anymore and its obvious that they are feeling highly monoplous doing what they feels like with Matt feeling how big he is. **spits** sucks
thanks for sharing these information are very useful….but i want to know about what type of how to make a website as a brand please visit my website and suggest me that what errors are present in it.
Hi Angela, I have also visited your website this evening. To be honest, your website at first look very clean and tasteless. While the Google is forcing web masters to put some spicy content on their web-pages. I suggest you to go re-arrange your content, ignore SEO for sometime, and think about the ease of design, and make your website user-friendly.
In the above post, I have mentioned how to be a brand by yourself / website. Just take a look at it
My blog is also effected by this algorithm. I will follow the tips that you have explained to recover from it.
Thanks Hamza for this insight. Two of my websites was hit by the update, they were EMD. Although i didn’t pay much attention to the website because i was busy working on other project. I would like to know parking the websites or leaving it the way it is now, which would be better until am ready to spend some time developing it?
Hamza, thanks for the advice. One thing I’m not clear on. What is the process for finding the keywords that are heavily penalized versus those that are not on your site?
The best way to check heavily penalized keywords is to check Google’s Web-Masters, under Traffic -> Search Queries.
Hamza, be more specific please. What will I see there that will let me know if there is a penalty versus if there is not penalty. Thanks.
The Google WebMaster’s “Traffic” section is normally filed with tools to determine the search queries used in search engine to pull or rank your content. It is similar to Google Analytics, but some means it provide easy data, and also provides you an option to check the current and previous ranking position with specific keyword in the search engine.
So by focusing on Search Queries section, you can easily guess the downfall of specific keywords. It shows you the current position of your links with specific keywords, and with this metric you can check on which keywords you have lost the rankings.
The most easiest way, well, there are couple of premium tools available to check the position on specific keywords. If things are still not clear, allow me few hours to come up with a fully detailed post to determine the ranking and penalization of keywords
It will help you more.
That sounds like a wonderful idea! I’m using Market Samurai, so I hope that you will include this in your new post.
It seems that SEO is a constantly changing landscape and we need to know that latest and greatest.
Thank you so much!
I also use Market Samurai, it is amazing tool. But I don’t rely on single software. Google Webmasters & Google Analytics are more reliable, as almost everyone is using the codes in their websites.
hi Hamza bro, yar my site had effected previous day.
lost almost 70% of my traffic…
I think now i have to do some more work on it…
Thanks anyways, it’s a nice article…
Zeshan Ahmed recently posted..Wo Ja Chuka Hai – Parveen Shakir Poetry
Good information on how to recover from the EMD update. Seems as if this EMD is not exactly EMD but also PMD and penguin in disguise and some of us may not recover from at it at all. But no doubt that its stems from low quality and low link profile.
Shalu Sharma recently posted..Corruption in India
Hello All,
My Site also Penalization in New EMD update but my main concern is that. That i am not using the keyword in the domain name and i not have the site which come under EMD characteristics but also my website got penalize . I am totally upset with this update. What to do please suggest
http://www.medlinereports.com
hy, i have recently hitted by emd update.Can you just tell me why i am hitted. paleo-cookbookdotorg
amit shrestha recently posted..Paleo Recipe Book: An Unbiased Review
Yep, thats what i have learned from this google emd update, do not depend on google or search engine to get traffic out. it will help you in long run.
James Dean recently posted..Dante Quotes
Thanks for sharing great and informative tips. Google EMD update is good from the user perspective but it is really bad for affiliate marketers. I opine that EMD is not a big issue when compared with other updates.
Big G has garbage on first page now in replace of me and others in niche. I had 50 plus pages of original content, and many keywords now top 5 results 30 second you tube videos. Thats “engaging content”? No Google wants to force webmasters to use adwords they are GREEDY it is fact. Cutts is only “yes man”
Charles recently posted..Free Dominos Pizza Gift Cards
This a very good & unique idea l like your post. thanks to sharing nice post.
Great post , is this for sure safe to do and can this help. I’m not affected but just wanted to make sure, thanks for sharing
James recently posted..6 Ways to Make Money At Home
Your welcome James!
And please stay non-penalized
Hey, The 8 tips you posted are great. But I’m not sure how to implement them. Instead of the SEO way, following the Google way is lot simpler in my sense.
I lost 30% traffic on Nov 20-21st. But I’m not sure why it is so? Can you analyze my site and let me know if its an EMD update? My website is http://www.windows7port.com and current my articles are targeted at Windows 8..
learned lot about emd. Thanks for the informative post.
Hi Hamza,
Thank you very much for your post. I have a little website of holiday rental, ranking usually around 5-8 position. However, after google EMD update, the website is no longer shown in google, neither on google places… very sad.
Do you know if a first and quick fix would be changing your domain name, and putting your old domain name redirected to the new one?
Thanks in advance
Alberto recently posted..El Mar y Cartagena
Hi Alberto,
First of all thanks for approaching. I will suggest you to go with some content marketing on your website, make a plan for another return in the market, and treat your old website like a new website. It will start indexing and ranking again
If you are looking for Content Marketing tips, I have recently published a new post on my blog covering deep Content marketing tips for bloggers and internet marketers
I don’t necessarily agree with a part of your post. If a website has EMD, it does not mean it has poor content. And if big G decided to remove that content just because of EMD, they have really messed up results. Maybe a better option would have been just to ignore the EMD, and make the rankings using other factors like… hm… content?! Just saying…
John S recently posted..iPhone 4 Clone with Android 2.3 vs Classic iPhone 4
Hi John,
I have pointed my gun generally! Majority of EMD websites only contain cheap content, almost their content does not have any kind of social interaction and users engagement.
The recent EMD update doesn’t affect the results too much. Google just attacked on such EMD domains that contain low quality content.
Hi again Hamza,
Thank you for your answer. However, If me website is focused on “holyday rental in La Manga”, and my Domain is practically, “holyday rental in la Manga”, as well as the keywords in the home etc… How am I going to build a new market strategy? Could you give me any tip ? thanks in advance
Really nice tips to how to recover from Google EMD Update keep updating these type of tips.
Michael Smith recently posted..SwaranSoft – IT Services | Enterprise Solutions | Business Technology Consulting
EMD hit me,
my blog name is “workingof.com” and i think it is an exact match domain, when i search for workingof.com in google, google shows “workingolf.com”, and says showing workingolf instead of workingof.com.
the backlink count of workingolf is 3 dofollow, but i have more than 3K external backlinks including dofollow,
its a new blog plz suggest me a good way to recover from EMD.
Rohit recently posted..Java: What is Java (basics covered)
This was honestly the last straw for me. I am just focusing on methods other than search engines to get traffic to my blog. I’ve done everything they say to do and they still dinged my site so I’m done trying to kiss Google’s butt to get traffic.
DeAnna Troupe recently posted..Small Business Reading: Book Review-It’s Rising Time By Kim Kiyosaki
the most obvious example of exact domain match: search term \”guns for sale\” , country target : UK and the domain name is http://www.gunsforsale .co.uk ; so the question is ; is adding a blog, news , youtube videos, tweets, facebook likes will help this site? what are your thoughts about recovering from EMD?