Busting 6 Myths Around

Domain Extensions

Domain extensions play a crucial role in local search rankings
However, there are several misconceptions about how they work
Some of these notions are negatively impacting SERPs for SMEs

Misconceptions around domain extensions

1. Domain age matters

Some people believe that the older the site is, the more credible it is to search engines
Consequently, it’s ranked higher in the results
There has been no proof of this ever
In fact, Google’s Search Advocate, John Mueller, has explicitly denied this

2. Country TLD extensions limit global visibility

There has been some talk about Country Code Top Level Domains (TLD) limiting global visibility
Yet, there’s no research or data to substantiate this statement
Instead, such extensions help local rankings and increase country-specific visibility

3. Keywords in TLD extensions no longer boost SEO

A decade ago, using keywords in TLD extension significantly boosted SEO
While not as effective as before, this technique still acts as a relevant marker for online discovery
This method is immensely beneficial for SMEs who rely on local visibility as a marketing tool

4. Altering a domain extension negatively impacts search engine rankings

Modifying a site address after a prolonged period does not reduce online traffic
For example, say an SME in Singapore has .com for the longest while
If it adds .sg as an extension, there may be conflict in addresses for a brief duration
However, the search engine algorithm rectifies this on its own

5. Domain registration length decides how legitimate it is for SERPs

Most legal domains pay for the address years in advance
Illegal IDs are rarely used for more than a year
As such, a search engine doesn’t account for the registration period in its algorithm
Instead, it looks at the length of usage

6. Conventional extensions have more weightage in SERPs

Years ago, the only available extensions were .com or .org
That’s not the case anymore
However, people still believe that using such extensions boosts SEO rankings
As long as the site has relevant keywords and local codes, the phrasing doesn’t matter

Key Takeaways

Understandably, it’s worrisome to alter anything about current site addresses
Yet, search engines consistently change the weightage given to particular elements
Thus, adhering to assumptions will only be detrimental to overall site visibility
This bit is crucial for SMEs, considering such businesses rely on local attention
A professional website development team could take care of all these concerns