Should gaming affiliates be worried about Google’s recent exact match domain (EMD) Update? The answer to that question, and so many other SEO questions, depends a lot on the overall quality of your site.
Want to know more about the EMD Update? Check out Google Update Targets Exact Match Domains.
Webmasters operating exact match domains targeting specific niches within the gaming industry won’t, neccessarily, be automatically targeted by this update. That’s because Google is more specifically looking for EMDs that are also using questionable SEO techniques such as keyword stuffing. And this is hardly a secret.
In a recent posting on SearchEngineLand.com titled, Deconstructing the EMD Update, Christopher C. Cemper, pointed out that Google has been planning this move for many years now. Not only that, they’ve been very clear about their expectations regarding white and black hat SEO. Matt Cutts himself even warned about it last year.
The key to avoiding this penalty, according to Cemper, is to not abuse that keyword domain in your content. As always, natural language and quality content are what Google is looking for.
There’s no conspiracy at play here. Google is making it very clear that grabbing high page rankings through manipulative techniques simply won’t fly anymore.
Google’s customers, the people submitting search queries, don’t want to wade through pages of low quality content to find the pages that offer value. Pleasing them helps Google make money. That’s the key to beating the EMD update and whatever else Google rolls out down the line.
Have you been impacted by the EMD Update? Share your experiences in the comments section below.