Why Is This Site Number 1 In G?

GeoMal · 19-11-2011, 08:25:34 AM

First, could you Google "Cowbridge"? I have the site h-ubc-owbridge-.com (without the hyphens) at number 1.

Now I know this isn't a competitive term, it's a small but prosperous town in South Wales. This site however has only been up a couple of months. It has links from only one site, twitter, plus a Facebook group (that I can see), all of which use the anchor text of the site name not just "Cowbridge". Yet it out ranks the Google map, the wiki page, and the exact match .co.uk.

Why? Any opinions from the resident SEO gurus warmly welcomed.

Aiden Roberts · 19-11-2011, 08:32:30 AM

At first glance I would say the unique, up to date and regular content is ranking it high, recent changes in G are rewarding exactly the above attributes.

Regards

Aiden

The Ferryman · 19-11-2011, 08:33:59 AM

Probably some clever geo-seo expert has parked cowbridge.co.uk on it, and Google will be ranking it for the .co.uk being the best match.

Well done!

Regards

Bruce

Ashton · 19-11-2011, 08:39:01 AM

cowbridge.co.uk (686 backlinks) has a redirect to it, which is transferring most of that SEO value to you.

GeoMal · 19-11-2011, 08:46:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ashton

cowbridge.co.uk (686 backlinks) has a redirect to it, which is transferring most of that SEO value to you.

That would explain it, thanks guys I missed that one. (It's not my site btw).

GeoMal · 25-11-2011, 04:16:57 PM

A further question to those who answered before, this gets more interesting!

The 301 is still in place from the exact match domain cowbridge.co.uk, a domain that has held the no 1 spot for years, to the new site.

However the new domain that is 301ed to, is losing the top spot, it alternates between 1 and 2, sometimes being topped by another old local site.

This suggests to me that the 301 is passing the benefits of the inlinks, PR etc, but perhaps not the exact match benefit? Any opinions very welcome..

Nick · 25-11-2011, 04:27:56 PM

IMO you won't inherit the exact match bonus - that is calculated on a domain basis. You are purely telling Google that the domain has been permanently moved and it should redirect traffic/rankings/pagerank etc to the new domain - you will lose the exact match bonus. It's probably still thinking about it - just give it time and carry on linking to the new domain.

GeoMal · 25-11-2011, 04:40:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nick279

IMO you won't inherit the exact match bonus - that is calculated on a domain basis.

That is what I suspected from the loss in rank, but have never really considered before. I'll continue to watch it, see if the new domain continues to fall.

(It's not my site btw).

19-11-2011, 08:25:34 AM	#1 (permalink)
GeoMal Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 454 No Classified Ratings Domain Trader Rating: (100% / 14)	Why Is This Site Number 1 In G? First, could you Google "Cowbridge"? I have the site h-ubc-owbridge-.com (without the hyphens) at number 1. Now I know this isn't a competitive term, it's a small but prosperous town in South Wales. This site however has only been up a couple of months. It has links from only one site, twitter, plus a Facebook group (that I can see), all of which use the anchor text of the site name not just "Cowbridge". Yet it out ranks the Google map, the wiki page, and the exact match .co.uk. Why? Any opinions from the resident SEO gurus warmly welcomed.

19-11-2011, 08:32:30 AM	#2 (permalink)
Aiden Roberts Join Date: May 2011 Location: UK Posts: 849 No Classified Ratings Domain Trader Rating: (100% / 13)	At first glance I would say the unique, up to date and regular content is ranking it high, recent changes in G are rewarding exactly the above attributes. Regards Aiden __________________ New Domainers How I started in Domains including my success and failures.

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19-11-2011, 08:33:59 AM	#3 (permalink)
The Ferryman Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom Posts: 362 No Classified Ratings Domain Trader Rating: (100% / 12)	Probably some clever geo-seo expert has parked cowbridge.co.uk on it, and Google will be ranking it for the .co.uk being the best match. Well done! Regards Bruce

19-11-2011, 08:39:01 AM	#4 (permalink)
Ashton Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: South Coast Posts: 1,518 No Classified Ratings Domain Trader Rating: (100% / 21)	cowbridge.co.uk (686 backlinks) has a redirect to it, which is transferring most of that SEO value to you.

25-11-2011, 04:16:57 PM	#6 (permalink)
GeoMal Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 454 No Classified Ratings Domain Trader Rating: (100% / 14)	A further question to those who answered before, this gets more interesting! The 301 is still in place from the exact match domain cowbridge.co.uk, a domain that has held the no 1 spot for years, to the new site. However the new domain that is 301ed to, is losing the top spot, it alternates between 1 and 2, sometimes being topped by another old local site. This suggests to me that the 301 is passing the benefits of the inlinks, PR etc, but perhaps not the exact match benefit? Any opinions very welcome..

25-11-2011, 04:27:56 PM	#7 (permalink)
Nick Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 730 No Classified Ratings Domain Trader Rating: (100% / 27)	IMO you won't inherit the exact match bonus - that is calculated on a domain basis. You are purely telling Google that the domain has been permanently moved and it should redirect traffic/rankings/pagerank etc to the new domain - you will lose the exact match bonus. It's probably still thinking about it - just give it time and carry on linking to the new domain.