seo and domain names: best practices, moving your site · 2015 . ftld– nff ftldv fffcom sffff....

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SEO and Domain Names:Best Practices, Moving Your Site


About Me• Senior Strategist, Globe Runner• Brand Ambassador, Majestic.com• Personal Blog: www.BillHartzer.com• Practicing Organic/Natural SEO since 1996• 100+ Successful Site Migrations


Overview• SEO Factors and Domain Names• PPC and SEO Domain Name Research• Migrating Your Domain Name• Concerns about Moving


Search Engine Ranking Factors: Google• No Duplicate Content (esp. on two domains)• Content Quality and Quantity• Domain Name Authority, Trust• Links from Other Websites• Title Tags• Heading Tags


Search Engine Ranking Factors: Google• Company Blogs, Freshness Important• Page Load Speed Important• Social Media Important• Subdomains OK• No Multiple Domains (Domain Authority on one only)


SEO Factors and Domain Names• For search, still value in using Keyword Rich domain• Keyword rich domains must be developed• Search engines use link data, keywords used in links• Domain history, reputation are ranking factors


SEO Factors and Domain Names• Keywords are how people refer to websites• Websites use keywords to link to other websites• A keyword rich domain, with content, will rank• New TLDs with keywords in extensions help


Spam Devalues Domain Names• Negative SEO factors devalue domains• Low quality, unnatural links

difficult to clean up


Spam Devalues Domain Names• Links tied to domain are passed on to new owner• Google penalties stay with domain unless revoked


Other Factors that Devalue Domains• Previously used for Social Media spam• Domain parked for a long period of time• Multiple Domains with same content

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New gTLD Versus .COM Study

• Which is better for marketing?

• .COM vs. New gTLD domain name?

• Which is better for Return On Investment?


Methodology, Requirements• Use a Controlled Marketing Test

• Real-World Testing, Results

• PPC to Test Ads, Landing Pages, TLD

• Landing Pages, Conversions the Same

• Test for a Certain Period of Time


How We Did the Testing• Google AdWords Ads

• Keywords the same for all ads

• Bids the same ($1.00 per click bid)

• Same Landing Page, Same Content

• Only difference was the domain name used:

www.3CaratDiamonds.com

www.3Carat.Diamonds


Keyword Examplesdiamond price chartdiamond chartdiamond quality chartdiamond carat size charttypes of diamond cutsdiamond facts

3 carat diamond ringdiamond gradediamond claritydiamond colordiamond buyer guidediamond certification


Ad Examples

Diamond Buying GuideDownload Your Free Carat Size Chart.& Learn the 4 C’s of Diamond Buying!3CaratDiamonds.com

Beginner’s Diamond GuideDownload Your Free Carat Size Chart.& Learn the 4 C’s of Diamond Buying!3carat.Diamonds


Landing Page


Results in 20143CaratDiamonds.com vs. 3Carat.Diamonds

• May 2014: Average CPC3Carat.Diamonds: $.773CaratDiamonds.com: $.81

• May 2014: Results52% Conversion Rate on .Com, 36% on .DiamondsEffective CPM: Costs 2x as much to advertise a .COM

*Effective CPM is the rate spent for 1000 views of an ad.


Results – Sept. 20153CaratDiamonds.com vs. 3Carat.Diamonds

• Results: Average CPC3Carat.Diamonds: $.77 (vs. $.77 in May 2014)3CaratDiamonds.com: $.83 (vs. $.81 in May 2014)

• Conclusions:Sept. 2015: 22% Conversion Rate on .COM, 35% on .DiamondsMay 2014: 52% Conversion Rate on .COM, 36% on .DiamondsNew gTLD converts BETTER than .COM in 2015

Effective CPM: Still costs 2x as much to advertise a .COM

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Changes in Conversions Since 2014

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Moving to a New Domain Name

• Don’t take moving to another domain lightly

• Problems can be avoided with proper planning

• Moving to a new TLD can be done successfully

• Moving may position you better for the future


Steps for Pre-Move• Make Backup of Current Website• Perform due diligence on new domain name• Crawl website, save list of URLs• Set up 301 Permanent Redirects (old URL to new URL)• Set up SSL HTTPs Certificate for new domain name

(SSL is mandatory for .Bank)• Start marketing campaign, help awareness of domain


Steps for Pre-Planning• Plan a date and time to move to the new domain• Detail the process for moving• Who is responsible for what (in your organization)?


On Moving Day• Add 301 Permanent Redirects, Test Redirects• Crawl Website to check redirects• Update Social Media, Email Address, Business Cards• Notify Search Engines of Change of Address• Submit sitemap of OLD site to search engines


After Moving Day• Watch analytics for changes in traffic• Watch site for any search engine ranking changes• Get new links to the new domain name


Checklist for Moving to a New Domain• Extensive checklist is available (one-pager)

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Concerns on Moving to a New TLD• Sites have been moving to a new domain for years• Personally handled over 100+ large site migrations• No significant issues if done properly• No significant drops in traffic, search engine rankings

• Issues can arise with duplicate content, bad redirects

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Why Move to a New TLD?• New TLDs enhance SEO• New TLDs add aspect to relevant content not

available before• New TLDs encourage keyword-rich linking• Moving to a new, better address can be done safely

2015 fTLD – Thank You

Contact Me

Bill HartzerSenior StrategistGlobe RunnerEmail: [email protected]: +1 (214) 236-4378Office:+1 (972) 538-0260

Web: https://globerunner.comBlog: https://www.billhartzer.comTwitter: @bhartzerFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/bhartzer

seo and domain names: best practices, moving your site · 2015 . ftld– nff ftldv fffcom sffff....

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