Google: .gov Domain Names Do Not Get A Ranking Boost

Jan 22, 2020 - 7:32 am 3 by

The White House Google

John Mueller of Google said again, .gov TLDs, top level domain names, do not get a ranking boost or preference in Google search. Having a .gov, just because it is a .gov, does not directly help you rank better.

However, a lot of .gov domain names have a lot of good quality links. That is probably why you would think .gov TLDs rank well.

But Google doesn't have a ranking signal that says, if .gov then increase the ranking of this page by X.

Here is John Mueller of Google on Twitter saying no to the .gov ranking benefit question:

Forum discussion at Twitter.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Google Search Volatility

More Details

Search Video Recaps

 
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: July 24, 2026

Jul 24, 2026 - 10:00 am
Search Video Recaps

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Sends Billions Of Clicks From AI Search, Publisher To Block Google, $120 Billion Quarter, EU's $1 Billion Fine & More

Jul 24, 2026 - 8:01 am
Google Ads

Google Merchant Center Gains More AI Features

Jul 24, 2026 - 7:51 am
Bing Search

Bing Tests Fading Out Related Searches On Hover

Jul 24, 2026 - 7:41 am
Google Ads

Google Ads AI Max For Shopping Campaigns Expands

Jul 24, 2026 - 7:31 am
Google Ads

Google Ads Recommended By Google Al In Conversion Summaries

Jul 24, 2026 - 7:21 am
 
Previous Story: Google Still Does Support Microformats; At Least For Now