Keywords in Domain Names? How Domains Impact SEODomain names used to be a solid ranking factor. Domain names are no longer a direct ranking factor, according to GooglersJohn Mueller, Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google, has just recently confirmed that again. One fact remains: Keywords in a domain name could generate some external link equity with those keywords as an anchor text. Domains are still importantWhile domain names don’t have a direct SEO impact, choosing a domain that (hopefully) triggers strong niche associations is still essential.