URL Keywords May Not Matter…As Much, Reports Google

Search engine optimization specialists have always considered the use of keywords in URLs to be an excellent way to enhance a website’s search engine rankings. Now that may change, as Google recently stated that they may not be as valuable as they once were for SEO performance. 

Google’s principal engineer, Matt Cutts, was recently features in a report on SearchNewz.com, and spoke about the keyword issue, stating that “Some people have complained that we’re giving a little too much weight for keywords in domains. So, we have been thinking about adjusting that mix a little bit and sort of turning the knob down within the algorithm, so that given two different domains it wouldn’t necessarily help you as much to have a domain with a bunch of keywords in it.”  

This change will certainly be considered serious by those sites which were affected by the “Panda” update to Google’s search engine algorithm, which is over 11% of all websites. The search engine giant is always trying to fine tune its search procuess to improve the experience for users. Unfortunately it also affects online businesses, who must adjust their SEO practices accordingly.