Quick summary
Do keyword domains still work?
If you’ve ever registered a handful of domain names in the hope of showing up higher on Google, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common things small business owners do, and it makes a kind of logical sense: the more you cover, the better your chances, right?
Not quite. And there’s a very specific reason why.
Here’s the thing people don’t realise: if you’re sitting on several keyword-heavy domain names hoping they’ll improve your Google ranking, you’re still chasing a tactic that Google officially killed off in 2012. That’s over a decade ago (find more info on Search Engine Journal).
Let me explain why those extra domains aren’t doing what you think they’re doing, what Google actually cares about now, and why letting those renewals lapse might be one of the easiest money-saving decisions you make this year.
A real example we came across recently
This isn’t a hypothetical. One of our clients, a building and extensions firm we’ll call them based in Yorkshire, has a main website with their business name in the domain. Alongside that, they’re paying to renew six more domains, including:
- A “builders in [town]” domain on both .com and .co.uk
- A second town’s “builders in [town]” domain, also doubled up across extensions
- A “.uk” version of their own business name
- Two separate “extension specialist [town]” domains, one for each of the two towns they work in
That’s seven domains for one business. None of the keyword-heavy ones are doing anything for their Google ranking, and depending on what’s sitting on them, they may even be working against the main site rather than for it.
What is a keyword domain, and why did everyone start buying them?
A keyword domain is a web address built around search terms rather than a business name. Things like edinburgh-plumber-cheap-callout.co.uk or bestscottishbuilder.co.uk or glasgowpaintersanddecorators.com.
Back in the early 2000s, this genuinely worked as a shortcut. If someone searched for “cheap plumber Edinburgh”, Google would see those exact words in your domain name and push you up the results. Simple, easy, and wildly abused.
Word got around. Businesses started snapping up multiple versions: their town plus their trade, different spellings, different service combinations. Some people ended up with five, ten, or more domain names, all pointing at the same website.
Google closed this loophole in 2012. It’s still closed.
In 2012, Google updated its algorithm specifically to stop low-quality, spam-heavy websites from gaming the system with keyword-stuffed domain names. From that point on, the value Google gave to keywords in a domain dropped significantly, and it has continued to drop ever since.
A keyword domain name will not give you any meaningful SEO advantage on Google
Google’s own Search Advocate, John Mueller, has been explicit about this: a keyword domain name will not give you any meaningful SEO advantage on Google. He’s also pointed out that keyword-heavy domains can actually work against you, making it harder to build a recognisable brand and limiting your ability to rank for anything beyond that one narrow phrase.
So if you registered stirlingflooring123.co.uk in 2015 and have been renewing it every year since, you’ve been paying annually for something that hasn’t helped your Google ranking for over a decade.
A keyword domain name will not give you any meaningful SEO advantage on Google
Does pointing extra domains at your main website help?
A lot of people assume there’s a workaround: buy the keyword domains, point them all at your real website, and let the SEO value flow through. It’s a reasonable assumption, but it doesn’t hold up.
When a domain has no content, no backlinks, and no real history, redirecting it passes virtually no SEO benefit to your main site.
When a domain has no content, no backlinks, and no real history, redirecting it passes virtually no SEO benefit to your main site.
When a domain has no content, no backlinks, and no real history, redirecting it passes virtually no SEO benefit to your main site. You’re not accumulating anything. You’re just forwarding an empty address to a real one. Google isn’t impressed by how many doors you own if they all lead to the same empty hallway.
There’s also a second, separate issue worth knowing about, beyond the redirect question. If any of those extra domains have actual content sitting on them rather than a redirect, even content that’s mostly the same as your main site, that’s cross-domain duplicate content. Google’s own guidance on this says that when it finds duplicate content across multiple domains, it will pick one version to show in results and filter the rest out. You can influence which one it picks using 301 redirects or a cross-domain canonical tag, but if you’ve done neither, you’re leaving that decision to chance, and you risk Google choosing your weakest domain rather than your strongest.
Your business name, used as your domain name, will almost always serve you better than any keyword combination.
What Google actually cares about now
The good news is that what Google rewards today is much more straightforward, and far more achievable for a small business.
Google wants to rank websites that are genuinely useful. That means real, helpful content that answers the questions your customers are actually asking. It means a website that loads quickly, works on mobile, and is easy to navigate. It means other websites linking to yours because your content is worth referencing. And it means a consistent, recognisable brand presence.
None of that has anything to do with how many domain names you own.
A simple example.
- Imagine a joiner based in Falkirk.
- They’ve registered three domains: falkirkjoiner.co.uk, falkirkcarpentry.co.uk, and cheapjoinerfalkirk.co.uk.
- All three point to their main site, mccallumjoinery.co.uk.
The three keyword domains are doing nothing. What would actually help them rank is writing a simple page that explains the kinds of joinery work they do, a few photos of completed projects, and maybe a short post answering common questions customers have about fitted wardrobes or staircase repairs. That’s the kind of thing Google notices.
McCallum Joinery is also a far stronger brand name than any of those keyword domains. It’s memorable, it sounds professional, and customers who’ve used them before will search for it by name.
This is exactly what we’d recommend to the Yorkshire builders client above too. Instead of paying to renew a separate “builders in [town]” domain, that effort is far better spent on a proper location page on their main site, with real photos of completed jobs in that town and the kind of detail a homeowner there would actually want to read.
Your business name is your best domain name
This is worth saying plainly, because it’s often the opposite of what people expect.
Your business name, used as your domain name, will almost always serve you better than any keyword combination.
Your business name, used as your domain name, will almost always serve you better than any keyword combination. Here’s why.
When someone uses your services, they remember your name, not your URL structure. A customer who had a great experience with McCallum Joinery will search for “McCallum Joinery” next time they need work done, or when they’re recommending you to a neighbour. They won’t search for “cheap joiner Falkirk” and hope you appear.
A branded domain also builds trust. When someone lands on mccallumjoinery.co.uk, it feels like a real business with a real identity. When they land on cheapjoinerfalkirk.co.uk, it can feel like a throwaway site from 2008.
Let’s talk about the money. Domain names typically cost anywhere from £10 to £20 per year, depending on the extension and registrar. If you’re holding five extra domains at £12 each, that’s £60 a year leaving your account quietly and automatically. Over five years, that’s £300. Over ten years, £600. For nothing.
That same money could go towards a couple of hours of proper SEO work, a well-written page of content, or simply stay in your pocket.
Cancelling domain renewals you don't need is one of the simplest small business wins there is. It requires no technical knowledge, takes about five minutes, and immediately stops the bleed.
Before you cancel everything: one thing to check
There’s one exception worth knowing about. If you’ve had a domain for many years and it has actually been a live website at some point, it may have backlinks pointing to it, or some residual Google authority. In that case it’s worth a quick check before you drop it. A web designer or SEO specialist can look at this for you in minutes.
But if the domain has never had real content on it and has just been sitting there redirecting to your main site, it almost certainly has zero value. Let it go.
What to do instead
- Pick one domain.
- Make it your business name.
- Build everything on it, consistently, over time.
If your current main domain is a keyword domain rather than your actual business name, it might be worth considering a migration, though that’s a bigger conversation and worth getting advice on before you act.
The money you save on redundant renewals can go towards something that actually moves the needle: a page of good content, a few genuine reviews, a faster-loading website. These are the things Google rewards in 2026, and they build value that compounds year on year.
One good website, looked after properly, will always outperform a collection of dusty domains going nowhere.
