Branded vs Exact Match Domains: Which Is The Best Solution?

Are you confused between branded and exact match domains? If yes, you are not alone. 

Choosing the right domain name is critical to any business or individual. And why not? It is the representation of your business on the Internet. But looking at the wide availability of options, it becomes challenging to select the most feasible one. Adding to it, online marketing and SEO have made the domain hosting and naming process even more tricky. 

Branded and exact-match domains are two popular options among online businesses. However, what works for one business, might not work for all. 

So, which is a better option for you? Should you choose a branded or an exact match domain in 2023?

Keep reading to find out the answers!

What Are Branded Domains?

Branded domains focus on building a brand that stays for a very long time. In other words, these are the domains that you can build a powerful brand around. It means they don’t have specific keywords or phrases relevant to your business. Instead, they are unique, memorable, and represent your business in the market. For example, Amazon.com, ESPN.com, Nike.com, etc.

Benefits of Branded domains

• Helps in creating a powerful online presence
• Builds trust among the audience
• Improve Search Engine Discoverability
• Offers multi-channel marketing opportunities

What is an Exact Match Domain?

Exact Match Domains (EMDs) are the domains that contain the exact keyword a website wants to rank for. For example: if you want to build a site for sports shoes that rank #1 for the keyword “cheap sports shoes,” you can search for domains like cheapsportsshoes.com. Similarly, for “best gaming laptops,” you can search domain name like bestgaminglaptops.com. 

Benefits of Exact Match Domains

• Easy to remember 
• Higher chances of conversion 
• Great for affiliate marketers

Branded Vs Exact Match Domain: Which is a Better Option for Australian Domains?

As you can see, both types of domains serve different purposes and have different benefits. 

But in today’s scenario, most people prefer branded domains over exact match domains because of the high chances of discoverability on search engines and the brand visibility they provide. 

Exact domains were very helpful a decade ago. But after being subjected to modifications in Google’s algorithms over the years, they have become less effective. Moreover, the exact domains also appear a bit spammy, which may prevent your site from ranking. 

So, a smart option is to choose between branded and partial match domains after considering your business goals and objectives. 

Partial domains refer to the domains that contain keywords that are close to your brand. For example: if you want to build an insurance site, then a partial match domain would be insurancehub.com, where “insurance” is your main keyword. 

Final Words

This is everything you need to know about branded and exact domain names. If you are planning to build a brand and sustain it for a long time, you should buy domain that represents your brand. However, if your goal is to gain a high number of conversions, choosing a partial match domain will be a great idea. They can give you a much-needed traffic boost and help you target a large audience. In