Hey Gurus, I was thinking are the direct match .com domain names dead for google. Is this a good ranking factor or we will still go to the point where domain DA, PA and links to it make the whole ranking difference? P.S. there are still some good high volume searches, low competition keywords that can make a direct match .com domain name out there.
You will not be punished or rewarded based on the domain itself. It is how you use the domain; When people got these exact match domains, then they were stuffing their content with exact match keywords, and sites got punished for a number of other reasons also.... 1: keyword stuffing. 2: poor quality content. 3: poor quality backlinks. 4: over optimized anchor/text 5: overall, poor quality site.... It is not what is in your domain... ultimately, it is how you use your domain.... Are you going to get a better edge because of your keyword rich domain? I would think google has already compensated for this, so my answer would have to be, no, you are not, so I am afraid if you want to get anywhere, then you will have to put in the work, and earn your way just like everyone else does.... personally, I would think brand, how can I brand myself in away that my brand will work in my favor, unless you want to be known as a generic, google nor visitors will take you very seriously.... Tabasco is a brand... best-hot-sauce is not.... So I would stay away from generic domains, you should think high, and reach for the sky, not dig for worms in the dirt....
Thanks for taking your time and thank you for the effort to write this prolific answer. The idea behind the question was to have a brand (established and growing) and to have satellite domains that are direct match keywords and to have the sites optimized for these exact words. The example is here: if you type lifetime hosting in google you will see the first result it a direct match domain that is ending with the newly allowed .hosting domain name. I bet this domain is keyword stuffed, also has little to NONE Domain Authority and Page Authority and it beats direct competitors like very serious hosting brands with more backlinks and more DA and PA So, let me get back to the question and the dream high reach for the sky thing, I do believe that there is still some SEO value in the direct match domain names for highly optimized satellite sites for a specific niche. If anyone has the experience, please share.