This is me on a bad day!
You may, or may not remember my little experiment thing I was going to carry out with regards to ranking for my own name. That was about 5 weeks ago now. Well, I checked the rankings for “Joseph Archibald” in Scroogle Scraper and voila! its now sitting in second place. And top is once again my ezinearticles account.
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What did I do to achieve this second place ranking?
Erm, not much. I added in about 10 links in all and did some on-page SEO stuff, and that’s it. It was ranking at 72nd position about 5 weeks ago. Then a week later it went up to around 40th. And I’ve been checking it on and off and seemed to be sticking around about 30 – 34th position in Google. But here we are, finally up to 2nd position.
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What does this tell you?
I know what it tells me.
Two things really.
Firstly and foremostly. The competition for my own name in Google rankings is not at all strong. Hardly surprising, is it.
But secondly, due to this lack of strength in competition, its been incredibly easy to rank very highly in Google with the exact domain name.
If the comp was a fair bit stiffer there is no way I could have slotted this webpage in at 2nd position so easily. It may have popped in at around 7th or so just after it was indexed and if I had some good content on it, and then fairly rapidly drifted away again. It never did however. Its taken months to rank this domain simply due to the lack of necessity of doing so.
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Do not forget however – its easy to rank for anything with little competition regardless of which domain name you use. Sure, it will take a bit more work to rank something like “Skodacars.com” at the top of Google SERPS if we are trying to achieve rankings for the phrase “Joseph Archibald”; but it can be done. I’ve got a few exact match domain names which utilize either the .com the .net or the .org which never achieve a top 10 ranking for their matching keyword phrase, even though I have done some backlinking with that intention. So its not a given that you will always achieve good ranks with exact match.
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I want to end this short post with something that is going to cause some confusion.
You know how everyone who knows anything about SEO and internet marketing always says to avoid purchasing dot info domain names?
Well, I have bought a few over the past 12 months and loaded them up with some posts from the likes of eBay, just to see what happened. I bought them due to the fact that they were selling so cheaply on Go Daddy – $1.99 a pop. So this was my alternative to working with Hubs or Squids – experimenting.
But what I did with a couple of them was to then go on and buy up either the .com or the .net if they proved to be relatively successful in the .info format.
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Well, that was all happening about 9 months to a year ago. I’ve been checking for a number of very long tailed keyword phrases I’ve been ranking for on both the .info domain and the .com domain (both have the same domain name, or a very close match – so for example, one might be pearlhuntinginmalaysia .info and the other would be pearlhuntinginmalaysia .com). And what I’ve been finding is that time and again the .info format is ranking higher than the .com for the same long tailed keyword phrase.
No backlinking has been done at all to either domain.
This is not an exact experiment so there may be a couple of other factors coming into play here, but the sites are set up exactly the same with the same plugins and the same format for the posts etc. so there is not much different in the posts, other than the particular product that they are selling.
And one more thing regards to .info domains. I’ve been noticing just a bit more often than before when I’ve been checking for my own long tail kwd rankings in Google that .info domains are more often ranking top 10. I’ve never seen this before, but it seems a little more common these days. Interesting stuff going on here as .info domains have been shunned as very much a low class format when it comes to purchasing domain names.
Now this is not to say go out and snap up a ton of cheap .info domains. It is to say just be aware of the fact that .info domains may not be as bad as what they have been made out to be with regards to their potential for rankings in SERPS.
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
My two most profitable websites are .info’s, so I completely agree that they can do well. They are both ranking in the top three for keywords that are fairly competitive and get 6000-8000 exact searches a month. I have had to do some backlinking to get them there, but they are doing just fine despite the extension and I would say about 1/3rd of all the domains I purchase are .info’s right now. I’d still go for a .com EMD over a .info EMD, but I think a lot of the negativity about .info’s is wrongly placed.
Michelle recently posted..Weekly Update 12 August 18-24
That’s very interesting Michelle! I’ve never heard of anyone before yourself actively buying up .info domain names, and that will be due to the fact that whenever you read the guru literature it always says to avoid .info domains. And up till now I pretty much believed it myself too. Time for change. The pity is that I think the price of .info on Go Daddy has now gone up from a couple of bucks to $5.99 a go. Not that I will ever use Go Daddy for my domain name purchase again, cos they’ve been a pain in my ass ever since I visited Malaysia at the end of 2008. They’ve got this stupid fraud rules and regs in place that’s way over the top.
I’m following closely your progress with the CB product. How do you feel yourself now you’ve completed the Master Cleanse program?
“Master Cleanse Journal” in 8th with me!
I’m still getting .info’s from GoDaddy at .89 cents a pop – are they supposed to go up soon? If so, I’m going to snatch up a lot.
There are some real famous .info sites out there – this topic get’s brought up every few weeks on the WF, and it seems to me that those who know their stuff usually say that it doesn’t matter if you use a .info or .com as long as you are doing your SEO and backlinks right. For examples, do a search for these terms and see what kind of domain is ranking on top:
pagerank checker
Noam Chomsky
roman coins
new york transit
craft ideas
move your money
(I’m not giving out what my .info addresses are however
I’m really glad I did the Master Cleanse – I’m going to do it again. I felt immensely better afterward! The site is on page one, but towards the bottom still. Hopefully it will start moving up soon. But maybe I should have used a .info domain instead…
Michelle recently posted..Weekly Update 12 August 18-24
I thought the Go Daddy price went up to $5.99 (although maybe I’m confusing this with Dynadot pricing), and now on their home page they seem to be showing a $1.99 price. But no, I’ve not heard word that the price is set to rise Michelle. I suspect because the dot info’s are so unpopular that GD just want to get the sale. I think when I’m ready to buy a few domains then its gonna be dot info’s – so much cheaper, aren’t they…
Yes, I got your web page for “master cleanse journal” at 8th in Scroogle. I was gonna ask you how many CB products are you focusing on to get the sales you manage to do, but I’ll come over to your blog and ask the question there.
What an interesting experiment, Jo! I have never bought a .info domain — for no reason other than the gurus and “SEO experts” bashing them and saying you can’t rank .info sites. I’m curious to see how this experiment unfolds during next few months. Let us know!
I don’t buy domains at GoDaddy anymore. I find their interface slow and so full of ads it gives a headache! Also, you can get domains cheaper at NameCheap (.com, .net and .org), with one year free WhoisGuard. I just checked and they are selling .infos at $2.99, but I bet you can find a coupon and get it for less.
Selena @ Niche Blogging Diva recently posted..The Amazon Experiment- Action Plan For This Year’s Shopping Season
Hi Selena, well I was just going to let those .info domains expire, but I’m having second thoughts as a few of them bring in a small income month on month even though I don’t touch them. If Go Daddy will allow me to renew them at a reasonable price and nothing like the current $11.63 they are charging for .com domains, then I may well keep them.
I agree – their interface is clunky and filled with so many ads that its very confusing and irritating. I find their support is very good however – very fast at responding, which is unusual. NameCheap is certainly worth a look see so thanks for the tip!
To be honest, I haven’t heard all that much bashing of .info names. What I have read is that if you want to resell a domain later on, the .com name will be worth more because of the perceived bias against .info as you suggest. It doesn’t surprise me that it is as easy to rank with .info as .com since I would dare say that there are many factors that go into rank determination.
Kidgas recently posted..Goals for Rest of 2010
Hi Kidgas, I don’t think there is much bashing of dot info domains due to the fact that the vast majority of internet marketers are afraid to use them. That includes myself – I’ve avoided using dot infos for the past 2 years because so many other IMers were saying they don’t rank in Google. And the fact that folks don’t buy them is reflected in their very cheap pricing when compared to other domains – .com .net .org etc. If you try and find a decent exact match in a .com these days you will be very hard pushed. Try to find one in a .info and you’ll be far more fortunate.
I’m still not 100% assured about .info being as easy to rank as say a .com even with my own recent findings and even with what Michelle said about her own .info domains being her best money makers. But at least now I’ll be willing to make my own judgement calls on this rather than simply go with the flow of believing what others are telling me is “supposed” to be factual.
But they are a fantastic alternative to a .com or a .org when cash flow is tight, and when you prefer to build up your own private domains rather than rely on Squids, Hubs and the like. So this makes them a sure-fire winner in my mind!
Joseph – another IMer I don’t connect with as much as I’d like – how are you?
Great experiment on the .info – and you’re right, they do rank well. I’ve not purchased one – wish I hadn’t purchased the domains I do have right now (I will be renewing more than I’ve developed) – but had I the guts to go against the “ban” on them – from the purge years ago – I’d have saved some moolah.
It’s interesting, though, the history of it – Google crashing down on the IMers in the .info purge and then the Florida purge – it’s not necessarily a “safe” business when you have the 800-lb gorilla wanting to take a swing.
I wanted to ask you, I’ve just read Dave’s recent post at makingmoneyontheinternet (dot) INFO…ahem…and he says he ranks for high compete (doesn’t check the competition) keywords, about 30k searches a month in WordTracker.
Have you ventured off the non-compete territory yet? I haven’t yet, but will be taking his advice on some inner pages just to see.
JamestheJust on Elance recently posted..Quit Blaming Google For Your Sucky Website
Hi James, I’m well, thanks. I know you are very busy so no worries we don’t “get together” as often as we would like to.
No, this IM business is far from safe, in fact – its so unsafe as to bring about some paranoia. Imagine you’re creaming a nice monthly income and you think that finally, after years of toil, all is well with the IM world. Then all of sudden the big G changes the goal posts and most of what you toiled for in the previous years is suddenly defunct. I guess keeping eggs in different baskets is one way to achieve relative safety, but even that is open to a big crash.
I like Dave’s methods in that he does not check the competition. Sounds good to me! I’m currently mixing it more than previously with regards to ranking for high end keyword phrases and long tails alike. This may change again however. After all, is it more hard graft to rank for a keyword phrase that achieves 30k searches a month. Or is it more hard graft to rank 2000 different keywords to achieve the same end result? With this in mind, its wise in my opinion to go for a bit of both. Its healthy too – achieving rankings for inner pages by way of a few backlinks to there, as well as to the homepage.
Gotta dash out James, but I hope this addresses your question to me fairly reasonably. Do take care!
Jo
Yo, hustla – thanks for answering.
I think from here on out I’ll be doing the mixed bag…I have a sorta idea cookin’, have it drip-fed to the blog for a day or so out.
Anyhow, Joseph – thanks for taking the time.
James recently posted..SEOPressor And Amazonian Profit Plan Ranking Experiment
Pleasure James! I suspect you’d do fairly well with real long tails (those that Google misses in their keyword tool etc. etc.); combine those with the Amazonian Profit Ranking plan and utilize SEO Pressor. I can’t help but feel this would be a winning combo. Only problem being that its very time consuming, as we know. But there is absolutely no doubt that long tail kwd combo’s are where the money is at with regards to a “buyer’s mind”, and there are so many untapped gold mines out there just waiting for some attention.
I bought a few .info and .com domains with the exact kw bane before and the .info did just as well if not better then the .com!
Matt Gannon recently posted..What Can I do to get my Ex Girlfriend Back
Dash it all! My complaint against this post is the timing. Is it too late to get a refund??
lol
Good information, thanks Joseph for posting it.
JamestheJust on Elance recently posted..Plan For Making Sales Online During Christmas Shopping
Contrary to what most people think, Matt. Goes to show that this SEO stuff is far from clear cut!
I know what you mean James. I’ve invested about 300 bucks this month alone renewing dot coms via rip-off GoDaddy. If only I had known…
I am a Dj that spins Indian music, and I purchased a .Info that has been helping me then. I think I bought it from GoDaddy for like 89 Cents or something, and depending on what people type, I can come on the first page of Google. Now its not perfect. Sometimes certain things on Google are ranked higher then me, and im not sure why when there just ranked there because of key words but don’t necessarliy offer what the person is trying to. In other words i might offer something of what they want, but they might get ranked higher then me, and i don’t like that then. But .Info has gotten me on the first page of google, again depending on what people type, and its not always there, but again sometiems it is there. And for the price I am happy with it. I would love a .com but so many names are not avaiable. …… Just recently I learned that google took the .Info’s out so that does scare me. I hope they dont mess with .Info’s as some of us actually use it and rely on it. I do have other domains that are no .Info’s but my .Info is a good one, especially for the price. Google if you got this, please don’t prohibit .Info’s on your search and please don’t mess with .Info’s!! Some of us like it and some of us use it!!
Hi Bobby, thanks for taking the time to leave a long comment!
That’s good to hear that you have a dot info that is ranking well! Most people tend to avoid them due to the amount of hype via the SEO and internet marketing network.
You have a very good point – some of the sites above yours don’t offer the searcher nearly as targeted information as your site does. I believe that Google will be working on changing that. In fact, they have been working on changing that for years, and although its very far from perfect, its better now than ever before.
I doubt that Google will demote your site due to it being a dot info Bobby. Surely if the site offers thoroughly valid information in the niche then they would support said site, rather than demote it (although – with Google, that is certainly NEVER gauranteed!).
Anyway, I wish you the best with your site and thanks again for sharing this information with us!
Kind regards
Joseph
I appreciate this article, and the informative comments below. I don’t think it would be half as worthy if the interactivity on this post wasn’t here. Personally, I have had my blog running on a .info, along side the same keyword, and it seems to be staying right with the .com.
Sure, there probably are some thresholds Google has in place for .info spammers, but if you’re doing what you’re supposed to do with a website, you shouldn’t have any trouble with that.
Best of luck to you all in 2011!
Doug Montgomery recently posted..Dealing With Anxiety
Hi Doug, thanks for taking the time to comment!
I can’t really add any more to your comment because you’ve said it all
I do sense that more people are buying up dot info domains these days than was the case before. There appears to be less and less exact match domains that are dot info extensions. Not that I worry about that myself, but its something I’ve noticed “on my travels” so to speak.
Good luck to you too for the coming year!
Joseph
I was looking for a post about .info domains and I found your article. Thank you very much.
After finding your post, I was wondering if the same type of backlinking would lead to the same results with a .info domain compared to a .com.
Ayafoue recently posted..How to Keep Bees in One’s Backyard – 2 Things that Could Be Beneficial
Hi Ayafoue, that’s a tough call. Its said that the big 3 (com, net, org) are the ones to go for, but other SEO and IM folks say they have good success with dot info domains. I too had reasonable success, although I don’t buy them up – merely occasionally. Sorry cannot be more specific.
Good luck!
Joseph
Thanks for letting me know Nordstrom Dresses. I use IE and don’t have any issue with it. I think there is a way to correct compatibility in IE called “compatibility view”. Thanks for letting me know anyways.
Regards
Joseph
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