SEO challenges abound after domain name change - Wedding Company Insights

Many people think that exact match long tail domains “automatically” rank high on Google, but the truth may be more complex than that, and a recent experience by Ashish Mishra, founder of The Wedding Company, offers a new perspective on the topic.

From BetterHalf.ai to TheWeddingCompany.com

After changing his company's domain name from BetterHalf.ai to TheWeddingCompany.com, Ashish Mishra was filled with anticipation that this domain name, which was more closely aligned with the company's core business, would boost search engine rankings. However, after four months of SEO efforts, he found that the rankings did not meet expectations.

“On other search engines like Bing, DuckDuckGo and Yahoo, our content had a decent presence, but it was barely visible on Google.” Ashish took to the BlueSky platform to express his confusion and seek advice from SEO professionals.

Google Search's response: competition and the challenge of generic names

The response given by Google Search Advocate John Mueller reveals the heart of the problem: “It's a competitive space and the company name is very generic - just because you name your company doesn't mean it's going to show up at the top of the search results. ”

It's not the first time John Mueller's views have been expressed. Earlier this year, in a now-deleted Reddit thread, he questioned the SEO value of generic domain names, arguing that they don't have an advantage in search rankings based on their “generalized attributes” alone.

The Reality of Domain Names and SEO

Domain investors and entrepreneurs often believe that owning a generic or exact match multi-word domain name can significantly improve performance in search engines. However, Google's algorithm doesn't seem to fully support this assumption. It's not enough to have a seemingly “perfect” domain name; it takes long-term SEO optimization, content building, and user experience enhancements to make real progress in the rankings.

The case of The Wedding Company shows that an exact match domain name is not a “magic bullet” for SEO, but only part of an overall optimization strategy. In a highly competitive field, success requires more than just a good domain name; it requires consistent effort and the right approach.

Lessons for Businesses

1. Domain name selection should be combined with branding strategy: a good domain name can increase brand recognition, but it cannot replace the basic work of SEO.

2. Don't rely on a single search engine: multi-platform layout, so that the content is equally competitive in other search engines and social platforms.

3. Focus on content and user experience: quality content and good user experience is the key to attract traffic.

The story of The Wedding Company reminds all entrepreneurs that SEO is a constant battle, patience and strategy are the cornerstones of success, and domain names are just the beginning.