27 domain name SEO strategies that increased web traffic

Marketing services at your service.

See More

Domain names play a critical role in search engine optimization, yet many businesses overlook their full potential to drive organic traffic. This article brings together insights from industry experts who have tested and proven 27 domain name SEO strategies that deliver measurable results. 

1. Acquire and redirect exact-match domains

One strategy that significantly boosted our domain's SEO value was strategically acquiring and redirecting an exact-match domain. We identified a niche product category where our main site struggled to gain visibility, then purchased a dormant domain that perfectly matched a high-intent keyword phrase in that space.

Rather than immediately redirecting it, we first built a focused content hub on this domain to establish relevance and generate initial momentum. Once this foundation was in place, we implemented a 301 redirect to transfer the entire link equity to a specialized section on our primary website.

This approach effectively injected our target pages with immediate topical authority and valuable anchor text diversity, positioning our site as an authoritative resource in that niche. The results were remarkable - organic traffic to those specific product pages increased by 300% within just four months. Additionally, we achieved first-page rankings for three high-volume commercial keywords that had previously seemed out of reach.

This method leveraged domain name SEO value not as a standalone entity but as a targeted authority booster for our core website, proving to be an extremely effective strategy for our specific situation.

Bowen He, Director, Webzilla Digital Marketing

2. Build topical authority through semantic anchoring

What really improved my domain's SEO was what I call "semantic anchoring." So, instead of chasing exact-match keywords in the domain, I built topical authority around the meaning behind the name. When I took over chillifruit.com, the name didn't scream SEO, so I had to train Google to associate it with digital growth and link-building through consistent content, internal anchors, and off-page mentions using that phrase cluster. Within six months, the branded search traffic grew 180%, and referral clicks from high-authority publications tripled.

What worked best was feeding Google contextual breadcrumbs. I used the same semantic patterns in guest post bios, LinkedIn descriptions, media interviews, etc.—wherever it was possible, basically. That repetition turned our brand name into a recognizable entity. And once Google connected our name with our niche, the algorithm did the rest.

Milosz Krasinski, International SEO Consultant, Owner, Chilli Fruit Web Consulting

3. Balance brand identity with keyword value

One of the methods I have implemented to improve the SEO value of a domain name is to balance brand identity with keyword value. Rather than cram the name with keywords, I choose something that is easy to remember, is short, is indicative of what the business does but does not make it generic or spammy. 

For example, if I choose a domain that is easy to remember and spell, traffic would not only increase due to the fact that visitors could remember it, thus returning directly for repeat visits. This is the kind of traffic that Google rewards due to its value. I also select a saturated extension such as .com, which increases its value and trust factor.

By avoiding domains that are too long or complicated, I increased the CTR from search engine results because the users recognized and trusted the name. This blend of brand-ability to the name and clarity combined has an incredible effect on organic traffic.

For one customer, the refreshing of the domain name to something more user-friendly generated an organic search traffic increase in excess of 30% within months. The domain therefore became an asset in itself rather than merely a link. SEO is more than just the keywords in the domain. It is about user trust factor and experience at first appeal.

A domain can become your best silent salesman if produced with care and a proficient knowledge of search behavior and the psychology of branding.

Kevin Heimlich, Digital Marketing Consultant and Chief Executive Officer, The Ad Firm

4. Focus on branded backlinks for trust signals

One thing that really moved the needle for us was focusing on branded backlinks instead of those old-school, keyword-stuffed anchors. I started leaning into mentions like "Mike Khorev of Nine Peaks Media" through HARO and Featured, because they feel more natural and build real trust. It wasn't about gaming Google; it was about showing up like a credible source journalists actually want to quote.

This simple pivot compounded trust signals for Google's EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) model. Over six months, our referring domain count rose by 42%, and organic clicks from branded queries grew by 61%.

Journalists and editors trust clean, branded domains more than keyword-heavy ones, which means more placements and higher-quality links. It's not just about SEO value; it's about long-term authority building that keeps compounding.

Mike Khorev, SEO Consultant, Mike Khorev

5. Launch podcasts to generate authority signals

It is important that you have a good SEO foundation. Ensure that your website runs fast, each page is optimized for high-volume, low-competition keywords, and all meta fields are populated. Ensure that you create high-value content, especially source magnet ones, which can attract links from high-authority domains.

One strategy I found useful is to start a podcast. This provides original content in line with Google's EEAT: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Turn these podcasts into source magnets, send a press release, and get PR coverage. If you do this, your domain will be surrounded by multiple authority signals, increasing your EEAT, which in effect will increase the traffic to your website. This will also help you get cited in the LLMs, which will further increase the value of your domain.

Our website, Saspod, has increased from 0 organic traffic to over 1,500 visitors in just five months, with a modest budget, one article per week, and one podcast episode every two weeks.

Bogdan Bratis, CEO/Founder and Podcast Producer, Saspod

6. Split domains for separate intent stages

I once deliberately split my main domain into two connected micro-domains, each targeting a different intent stage of the same audience, and it completely changed our SEO performance. Most people focus on domain authority consolidation, but I went in the opposite direction. I created a parent domain for credibility through evergreen content and a child domain built for transactional keywords with its own structure. 

Both domains connected through relevant anchor links instead of site-wide ones, allowing Google to view them as related but independently authoritative.

Within four months, the transactional micro-domain ranked for 60% more high-conversion keywords, while the main domain saw a 40% increase in referring domains because publishers viewed its content as less promotional and more credible. The connection between the two sites created a feedback loop. Authority flowed from the parent site, while keyword performance strengthened topical authority metrics.

This approach works because it reflects how Google separates intent across entities. Most businesses pack all their content into one site, which confuses search intent signals. By building and managing two domains, I gained control over both brand authority and commercial ranking intent without weakening either. This strategy only works if you maintain consistency in schema, linking logic, and brand coherence. When done well, it can strongly improve rankings.

Armen Davtyan, Head of SEO, Market Apartments

7. Pair strategic content with topical link building

When I'm working with clients who've already built some authority, my approach is pretty straightforward: fix what Google actually cares about before chasing shiny tactics.

The biggest wins? They usually come from pairing solid link building with content that genuinely deserves those links in the first place.

Here's how it works:

First, I identify the pages already pulling their weight — the ones driving real traffic or conversions. Then we build supporting content around them. Not random blog posts, but strategic pieces that naturally link back and help Google understand what you're actually about.

The internal linking alone can be transformative. Most sites have this completely backwards — they're linking to their homepage from everything instead of building topical clusters that actually make sense.

On the backlink side, I skip the generic guest post treadmill. Instead, we target pages that already rank for related topics. This keeps your link profile tight and topical instead of all over the place. Google's gotten really good at spotting when your backlinks don't match your content themes.

Is it sexy? No.

One client saw their organic traffic nearly double in four months just from cleaning up internal links and focusing all their off-site efforts around three key themes. No algorithm hacks. No "one weird trick." Just fundamentals executed well.

Most people overcomplicate SEO. The truth is, if you can make it crystal clear to Google what you're about (and prove you're credible on those topics), the rankings tend to follow.

Jeff Lenney, SEO Manager, JeffLenney.com

8. Incorporate high-ranking keywords into domain names

At the time, I had just left my corporate marketing job and was on the verge of starting my own SEO company, but I hadn't yet come up with a name. I still remember the moment I was running on the treadmill and inspiration hit: “Mrs. SEO.” I hopped off the treadmill and jotted it down right away so I wouldn't forget it.

Six years later, I'm still successfully running Mrs. SEO, and the concept has delivered both as a business name and a domain name. I attribute that to the fact that it encompasses the best of both worlds—it's catchy, brief, and easy to remember while also incorporating a high-ranking keyword ("SEO"). One of the ways I maximized the value in those early days was by creating a high amount of keyword-rich content and appending the name "Mrs. SEO" to each URL. By populating the website with related blog posts and titles, I was able to start garnering traffic right away.

Of course, having a solid domain name is a great start, but measuring its impact requires a holistic strategy. A few other techniques I recommend to my clients are making sure to incorporate your domain keyword into your FAQ section as much as possible and including different long-tail versions of your keyword throughout your website. Also, your competitors are your best keyword research — see what they're ranking for and take that into account when choosing a domain name.

Stephanie Long, Founder and CEO, Mrs. SEO

9. Submit updated XML sitemaps regularly

We continually submit an updated XML sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools each time we add fresh pages to our domain name. This has helped our website remain visible to both new and returning visitors.

For us, we don't launch new supplements without reflecting these updates by creating webpages and including them in our sitemap so that search engines can store their data and display it in search results. Once a user searches for new supplements, our recently added website section appears and directs them to our platform.

After all these years, we've realized that creating a website once and doing SEO once isn't enough. An equally important task is maintaining an updated XML sitemap for our domain so that search engines can index new pages to make them discoverable.

Olivar Brandrup, Director of SEO, Neurogan Health

10. Coin terms and stake ownership early

Many people think that exact-match domains help rankings. They rarely do. Instead, something better is to create a coined term and stake ownership from the outset. Suppose you have a domain with that coined term included. In that case, you earn brand authority and keyword authority in a space that has no competition. Therefore, the more people learn about you, the more you can leverage that niche as a highly intent keyword without challenge.

I did this with Editorial.Link. When I started, there was almost no search volume for "editorial link." However, after investing in conferences and PR and content, it became a household term within the space of SEOs. Now it has over 1,000 monthly searches, and our brand has cornered the market on every result page. I've turned my domain into a self-reinforcing SEO equity generator that compounds over time.

Dmytro Sokhach, Co-Founder and CEO, Editorial.Link

11. Target local keywords for immediate visibility

Local visibility was my top priority when choosing a domain for my new SEO consulting business, Sandy Eggo SEO. Since I'm based in South San Diego and competition is low, SEOinSD.com was a great option, allowing me to show up for searches like "SEO in San Diego" almost immediately. Since the domain had been used for SEO before, it came with extra SEO signals. While not a long-term tactic, the visibility was critical and had an immediate impact. In the first year, we reached 5k people and reinvested all organic revenue back into SEO.

Pablo Villalpando, SEO Consultant, Sandy Eggo SEO

12. Treat brand name as a search entity

I squeezed more SEO juice out of "New Dawn Media" by treating it like a search entity, not just a logo. I standardized the brand across title tags/H1s/meta, added Organization + Website schema (with SameAs links to my LinkedIn, portfolio, Crunchbase-style profiles, etc.), published a branded FAQ/"What is New Dawn Media?" explainer, and built a mini branded topic cluster (Fractional Marketing, Content Strategy, Video) interlinked with partial-match anchors like "New Dawn Media fractional marketing." Net effect: Google stopped seeing my name as a cute phrase and started mapping it to my actual services.

Impact (aka the receipts): within ~90 days, organic sessions were up ~38%, CTR on branded queries jumped from ~45% to ~64% (Search Console), and homepage sitelinks appeared—shifting more clicks toward my service pages instead of everything piling onto the home. In plain English: I turned a poetic brand name into a clickable, rankable entity—and traffic followed. AND my website has always been on GoDaddy.

Dawn Sygulla, Fractional Marketing CMO, New Dawn Media

13. Consolidate subdomains into clear subfolders

The single best thing we did to ramp up the SEO value of our domain was to put everything on one simple.com in clear subfolders. We moved the old subdomains and the country domains into subfolders like /mexico, /peru, and /es, and it brought all our strength to one place and made it easier for Google to read our site. 

We used permanent 301 redirects, the change of address process, and hreflang for language pages, so we kept our Spanish traffic. Six months after the move, organic sessions were up 47%, non-brand clicks were up 34%, and the percentage of pages in the top three positions went from 18% to 29%. Our homepage CTR on brand searches was also up 21%, which I think was partly because of the shorter domain and because it was the same across markets.

Alex Veka, Founder, Vibe Adventures

14. Redirect aged domains to pass authority

First things first, the SEO value of a domain name can only be improved through backlinks from other authoritative websites (authority, relevancy, referral traffic).

If the domain name doesn't host a website, there is no white-hat way of improving the SEO value of that domain name because search engines have no interest in including empty domains in their search results. However, there are some grey-hat practices still effective today. 

One such grey-hat technique of getting backlinks for a domain name that does not have an associated website is to get your hands on an aged domain with the desired backlinks pointing to it and redirect the entire aged domain to the domain you want to improve the SEO value of. You will have to use a 301 redirect type. Most of the authority and relevancy signals from the aged domain will be passed on to your desired domain, usually within a few days.

There are a few considerations to keep in mind when opting for this technique:

1. You need to know what you'll want to do with your domain name in order to select the right aged domain to redirect to it. For example, if you want to build a fishing site on your domain name, you'll want to choose from the aged domains with backlinks related to fishing to maximize the impact the redirect will have on your domain name.
2. Aged domains can be found on aftermarket domain auctions and closed marketplaces.
3. It's also worth noting that finding the right aged domains can become difficult, but only if you don't know what to look out for. Both auctions and marketplaces have domain names listed for sale with no real SEO value, but disguised as aged domains, using their high Domain Rating score as a credential. In reality, the score is manipulated through link farms, PBNs, and other outdated black-hat SEO practices.

How to assess an aged domain?

1. To find the right-aged domain for your future website, you must look at the history of the website that was hosted on that domain through the Internet Archive and ask yourself if it looks like it ever was a legitimate website.
2. You may optionally check the history of its organic traffic. If the domain had good organic traffic numbers in the past, it's almost certain it is a high-value aged domain.
3. You must then look at its backlink profile. Only if it has backlinks that you'd want for your own website is the aged domain in question worth it to redirect to your domain name.

Sergiu George, Founder, Nurdic.com

15. Target single services with localized pages

Local pages, in which a single service is targeted, helped me reach more people in Sydney suburbs. On one page, there is one need, such as fixing a blockage or repairing hot water, and one suburb. When a person in Maroubra requires plumbing, he or she will see a page with actual job pictures, the most advantageous time to book, and a map indicating where we have called recently. 

That helps the clients become comfortable and have trust in us more.

We have since added nineteen pages for the various suburbs, and after eight months, our number of people who found us on Google increased by 29.4%. Through those pages, I can assist about twelve more families monthly, which adds $11,000 in jobs that are of fixed price. It is easier to provide what people actually need, and this will increase the bond in their community.

Emily Demirdonder, Director of Operations and Marketing, Proximity Plumbing

16. Align URL structure with core domain keywords

We aligned our URL structure with the core keyword in our domain name, which is 'carers,' and built out programmatic location-based pages under it. Because our domain already signals topical relevance, we were rewarded with semantic consistency. Organic traffic to our pages grew by over 80%, and enquiries from organic search increased by over 50%.

James Bowdler, Founder, PrimeCarers

17. Increase keyword depth with semantic context

I am currently managing over 30 SEO projects from different industries across several countries, with most of them from Australia. With the advent of AI, chatbots and search engines are bringing out updates more frequently. We can see what's working and what's not month on month, and this is what's working for us in 2025.

1. Increased the depth of keywords to semantic keywords that are contextually related to the target keyword we are aiming to rank.
2. Traffic from these long-tail specific queries is as good as the competitive business keywords when it comes to lead generation.

One strategy: Structuring content + increasing keyword depth + weekly content updates + use multiple formats of content (video, text, images, web layout) to share more comprehensive information in a neat format for both bots and humans.

Outcome: This has helped us improve SERP position (GA4, GSC) for most pages across the website and not depend on the target landing pages for organic website traffic. It also helped us survive every key update brought out by Google, so that we can deliver leads month on month throughout this dynamic phase of search engine evolution.

Shantanu Biswas, Digital Media and SEO Strategist, ITCC

18. Build authority through reactive PR links

We started focusing on reactive PR from October 2024 and slowly started building real links and brand mentions from authority websites. Earlier, it was just paid sponsorships and local business citations like Clutch, GoodFirms, etc. We also implemented the proper schemas so that LLMs and Google understand our authority in marketing.

And it worked. This was a huge win, and we acquired high-authority backlinks from reputed outlets like GritDaily, GoDaddy, Featured, AMA Phoenix Chapter, and such. We recently started getting referrals from ChatGPT and Perplexity AI. So, the restructuring of SEO along the lines of content, backlinks, and authority building helped to increase the brand value of our domain and business name of Orange Carrot Media.

Paranjyothi Sripada, Director of Digital Strategy, Orange Carrot Media

19. Create dedicated landing pages per feature

Creating a dedicated landing page for each key SaaS feature boosted our search traffic several times over. It's better not to describe all the product's benefits on a single page; keyword clusters can be built around main features to attract more targeted traffic.

Eduard Mur, Founder, Monitoro

20. Consider misspellings and keyword-rich domain names

The domain is spelled correctly; it's my surname, and I landed on it because it would be easy to recall. People happen upon my website accidentally because of misspellings. It was dumb luck, and I'll take all of the traffic I can get. But spelling errors are something to consider when branding and choosing domains. A more important consideration is keywords. Purchasing industry-relevant keyword-rich domain names and redirecting is highly beneficial to your SEO. And don't limit yourself to .com. Keywords with any extension will help drive traffic. Consider misspelled keywords as well.

John Raisor, Growth Director, Occam's Raisor

21. Use hub-and-spoke content strategy

I use the hub-and-spoke content strategy to compete with websites that have a higher domain rating. The hub page attempts to rank for broader and more competitive keywords. The spoke pages are topically related to the hub, but tend to target more long-tail keyword variations (more specific terms that aren't as competitive). All the spoke pages link back to the hub. 

From an SEO perspective, more contextual internal links can help a page rank higher even if it lacks external backlinks and a high domain rating. Furthermore, the spoke pages are more likely to rank since they target lower competition keywords (that also have less traffic). When put together, the hub tends to have a much higher chance of success compared to a single article on the topic.

Ben Bozzay, Founder and Senior Developer, Tech Lockdown

22. Add footer links to client websites

As part of my business's offering, I build websites for my clients where I insert a little "Powered by Njord Star" text in the footer with "Njord Star" linking to my own business website.

This seemed to have a positive impact on my SEO, as my domain authority ranking went up by 5 points (i.e., AHREFS metric) once I started doing this, and my organic traffic went up by around 20%.

Karim Bel Hadj, Founder, Njord Star

23. Separate subdomains for different user intent

One strategy that worked incredibly well for us is that we created separate subdomains for our careers website, our resource center, and other recruitment application platforms. In fact, we are a client of GoDaddy, and if it wasn't for how simple it was to create subdomains and connect them to our Webflow website platform with their help, we would have struggled to set it up properly.

What we discovered is that we wanted separate subdomains and websites that could cater to different users of our website, so that we could properly set up our Google Analytics and refine our SEO strategies for the target user of our sites.

For example, our main website, felcorp.com, is aimed at sales and prospects looking to engage us. We originally had our careers page on the site. However, we noticed that we had a lot of traffic on our domain from job candidates who would explore our site and make it difficult to track user behavior for someone who would actually purchase our services.

We decided to set up our own careers website with careers.felcorp.com rather than felcorp.com/careers. This was a huge change to our SEO and analytics. Our careers website is designed to funnel candidates to our job application process; it's not designed to sell our services.

The measurable impact we discovered is that while our main site got 10-15% lower traffic volume, our website traffic actually had a 20% higher engagement per user, which is what Google counts as an SEO positive indicator.

This is a great lesson for us. By separating different users' search intent to different sites, we could analyze our traffic far more easily, make page alterations that fixed high-bounce rates, and deliver relevant content to the user. Ultimately, if we have a suite of subdomains that has targeted information for each user, all of this great SEO 'juice' will flow to our root domain.

Tobias Fellas, CEO, Felcorp Support

24. Select clear names for consumer understanding

We chose a name that is easy to understand for both consumers of our products as well as the search engines. "Guardian Shield" is a name that has a protective feel to it, and "windows and doors" is an exact phrase, which is what Florida homeowners are searching for. 

The clarity of this name makes it easier for search engines to know that our website is about protecting homes in Florida and safety. In less than 3 months, we saw organic traffic grow 47%, and we saw direct visits increase by 28%, and local click-through rates go up 35% due to the clarity of our name. 

This clarity is still helping us to get customers who want to buy Florida-made impact windows and doors that will protect their homes for years to come.

Owen Zohar, CEO and Project Manager, Guardian Shield Windows and Doors

25. Leverage LinkedIn as an underutilized SEO tool

LinkedIn is the most underutilized marketing and SEO site around. I've organically scaled my personal brand and podcast in the past 2 years by using LinkedIn for marketing. My podcast is now ranking in the top 3% globally. The hack is that only 3% of people post content on LinkedIn, so you do not have a ton of competition, and at the end of the day, all LinkedIn is is an SEO tool. Web traffic went from 0 to over 450K in just one year for my website.

Caroline Pennington, LinkedIn Expert, Podcast Host of Feminine Founder and Founder of ChilledVino, Feminine Founder

26. Move blog to subdomain to prevent cannibalization

We moved our blog to a subdomain instead of a subdirectory. Now, our blog will no longer interfere with our main website's SEO value. Our blog covers similar topics, so this will stop keyword cannibalization for us!

Jodi Laux, Copywriter, Totally Promotional

27. Present URL path in logical hierarchy

My strategy to get the maximum SEO value from our domain name is to present the entire URL path in a logical manner. Insurance Hero is a reputable platform, so we make sure that the structure under our main domain makes it clear to everyone the hierarchy of topics. We plan for a clean and intuitive path where content is organized in a logical manner, not via complicated strings of random letters and numbers.

For instance, when dealing with life insurance for a certain profession, the address would look like https://[domain]/life-insurance/truck-drivers. This format not only informs potential visitors what the page is about but also tells search engines that the page is about a Life Insurance product relevant to Truck Drivers. 

This clear organization minimizes confusion and allows ease of indexing so the search engines can easily categorize the expertise that we have. This structural clarity alone helped our niche articles increase the total organic search impressions by 28.40% in six months.

Steve Case, Financial and Insurance Consultant, Insurance Hero