SEO value of URL keywords could change, Google says

The SEO value of the keywords place in URLs looks set to change, according to Google.

Up until now, a website’s domain name was hugely important to it’s SEO ranking but that could all be about to change according to the search engine’s principal engineer Matt Cutts.

According to a report featured on searchnewz.com, Cutts said: “Some people have complained that we’re giving a little too much weight for keywords in domains.

“So, we have been thinking about adjusting that mix a little bit and sort of turning the knob down within the algorithm, so that given two different domains it wouldn’t necessarily help you as much to have a domain with a bunch of keywords in it.”

It has been suggested that the changes will be particularly favourable to branded websites whose URL features the company name rather than the service they provide.

The changes, which come on hot on the heels of the ‘Panda’ update aimed at reducing content farming, are unlikely to be last tweaks of the algorithm in the near future.

In an interview with Search Engine Watch, Cutts claimed that staff at Google were looking forward to improving the quality of their searches even further.

He said: “There is definitely still room for improvement in the space of low-quality content – or in trying to reward higher quality content.”

Source: SEO value of URL keywords could change, Google says | Search Engine Marketing News