Do Keyword Top-Level Domains Give Websites an SEO Benefit?

Every website URL features several components, ending in a top-level domain like .com, .org, and more. While they’re an essential part of how the internet works, some sites use special top-level domains that use keywords for branding reasons. Recently, one of Google’s top search analysts revealed whether this gives any SEO benefits.

How Top-Level Domains Work

At the technical level, a top-level domain (TLD) caps off the domain name so the site can be properly addressed in the Domain Name System (DNS). Then, when you use a browser, you run a DNS lookup to find and load websites. When looking for the right site, the lookup process starts by checking TLD name servers (where all the .com/.net/.org sites are stored).

The secondary role of TLDs is to give users context for what the sites are about. You know that a .edu site points to an educational resource, for example, and some are even restricted, like .gov domains. That said, most sites still prefer the old .com (for commercial) despite a wide variety of TLD options. For example, the catch-all TLD can be found on sites where you can play slots despite the fact that .casino, .games, and .poker TLDs have been created for casino sites. In some cases, that .com domain is seen as a more familiar and trustworthy TLD over the rest.

Keyword Top-Level Domains

Those .casino domains are what we’re discussing today. As the internet matured, we started adding more TLDs to correspond to different functions, services, and even hobbies. We even added joke TLDs like .lol to be used for comedic purposes.

Then, with the advent of search engine optimization (SEO), site owners and digital marketers started to pay strict attention to keywords. Ranking for keywords could be the difference between life and death for an online venture, whether it’s a giant e-commerce store or a personal cooking blog. This led to a theory – if keywords are so important, is there an SEO boost if a commerce site has .store or .shop instead of .com?

A similar phenomenon can be found with domains like .ai, .tv, and other abbreviated TLDs that correspond to industries. Those are actually country-code TLDs for places like Anguilla and Tuvalu, but they happened to abbreviate to a trendy, instantly identifiable label. They enhance the secondary function of TLDs, giving users context about the domain if they see it in the wild. Until recently, it was unknown if they gave any meaningful SEO benefit.

Keyword TLDs Give Few Benefits

At Google, John Mueller is a famous search analyst who frequently answers questions posed to him. Recently, Mueller was asked about a specific TLD, .music, and if it has any relevance to growing a website. His answer was short and sweet – “There’s absolutely no SEO advantage from using a .music domain.”

While he was speaking about a specific TLD here, it’s clear that his answer would be the same for any other keyword TLD. Google has a long list of metrics it uses to rank sites, and over the years, it has tried to move away from keyword/tag spamming to focus on users’ search intent instead. With that context, it makes sense that they wouldn’t want to reward keyword TLDs.

If anything, TLDs provide a unique opportunity to optimize for human attention instead of the algorithms. If you operate in an industry where non-standard TLDs are accepted, then a keyword TLD works to separate you from .com and .net domains. If it’s not common in your industry, like with our casino example, then you may want to avoid keyword TLDs and stick with the classics.

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Adam Regan: Deputy Editor

Features and account management. 3 years media experience. Previously covered features for online and print editions.

Email Adam@MarkMeets.com