Will Redirecting a Domain to My Website That Has a High-Volume Keyword Improve My SEO?

So, you've got a shiny new domain with a killer high-volume keyword. You're ready to point it to your website and take over the SERPs, right? Wrong. Unless that domain has some serious SEO juice already flowing, search engines will likely ignore it.

Why?

While redirecting a new domain with a high-volume keyword to your existing website might seem like a clever strategy, it won't drive traffic. The new domain lacks a meta title and description so it’s very unlikely to rank well in search results, if at all. 

Meta titles and descriptions are imperative for ranking in search results. These are the little snippets of text that show up in these search results. But here's the thing: search engines generate these meta tags based on what you say they are, or from the content of the website tied to the domain. If the domain redirects to a different domain, or is tied to a website that doesn't have any content, there's nothing to generate these meta tags from.

Additionally, since the domain hasn't established a track record, it won't have any existing backlinks or organic traffic. As a result, redirecting traffic from a domain that isn't visible to users won't lead to an increase in visitors to your website.

Search engines, like Google, want to serve their users the most relevant and trustworthy content. They're usually skeptical when a new domain pops up, especially one with the perfect high-volume keyword. They don't know who you are, what you're about, or if you're even worth a damn.

So, are you totally screwed?

Not quite. There are two paths you can take to lead your business to greatness:

• (Recommended) Throw that domain in the trash and focus on improving the online presence of your existing site.

• (Not recommended) Improve the online presence of your current site at the same rate and start building the online presence of a new website with this new domain to eventually drive traffic back to your original site. (Recommended if you have money to burn) *Caveats apply that will be covered in a later post.

Assuming you’re not Elon Musk, here’s an overview of practical steps you can take to improve the online presence of your existing website:

1. Build Backlinks: The more high-quality websites that link to yours, the more authority you gain. This signals to search engines that your website is valuable and trustworthy.

2. Create High-Quality Content: Consistently publish well-written, informative content that's relevant to your target keywords. This will help you rank for more keywords and attract organic traffic. And no, mass-produced AI content will not help you. *Will also be covered in a later post.

3. Optimize Your Website: Make sure your website is technically sound and optimized for search engines. Things like fast loading speeds, mobile-friendliness, and proper use of heading tags are a good place to start. (Obviously after meta titles and descriptions)

4. Be Patient: Building an empire takes time. Don't expect overnight success. Keep creating great content, building backlinks, and optimizing your website. Eventually, your website will start to rank well. (But honestly you should expect a significant upward trend in 3-5 years at the latest, depending on your industry and geographic location)
   

Remember kids, search engines are smart. They can spot a spammy website from a mile away. But if you build it, they will come - a website with informative, valuable content that is.