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Google swears blind it doesn't give SEO advantage to new internet dot-words

So why do people continue not to believe it?

So why don't we believe Google again?

So Google is telling the truth about how it ranks domains. As of today, there is no inherent advantage in new top-level domains.

But that does not mean that from literally tomorrow we should continue to believe that is how Google does things. What the post highlights is that Google is continuing to review and experiment with tweaking its search algorithms to account for different endings. And the reason it is doing that is because it expects sooner or later to find that it can produce a better result by doing so.

When Google does finally account for domain name endings – which will likely be in the next year to three years – and changes its search rankings as a result, it is not going to tell anyone about it. Google is so secretive about how it does it rankings that an entire industry is built around reading the tea leaves around it.

On the flipside, it won't take people long to notice the change. And the surefire indicator that the policies have changed will be when we don't see John Mueller pop up with a blog post decrying the claims.

Until then, Mueller gives some pretty good advice when it comes to getting a domain name:

The new top level domains are a good opportunity for folks to get that domain name they really wanted for their website or business. A bunch of Googlers got together to work out a short FAQ on how they're handled in search, the result is linked below. Somewhat simplified: if you spot a domain name on a new TLD that you really like, you're keen on using it for longer, and understand there's no magical SEO bonus, then go for it :-).

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