Age of domain name

Many people may be surprised to learn that age is actually an asset in the world of websites. That is, at least in the context of search engine results. Age of the site is one of the deciding factors in how search results are ranked. Older, more well-established sites are generally viewed more favorably and given a higher ranking than newer domains.

This is largely a result of spam and pop-ups. A large number of domain names are registered for short-term use for spam. This leads to the view that sites must be a bit older in order to be reliable. A domain’s age is not determined just by how long it has been around. The age is calculated by considering how long the site has been in use, the last time its content was updated, the date the domain was registered, and the amount of time the domain is registered for. When registering a domain, owners have the option of registering for one, two, five, or ten years, depending on the circumstances. Websites that have registered their domain names farther into the future show that they intend to be around for awhile, thus upping their credibility and minimizing the chances that they are spam.

For this reason, many specialists recommend that website owners register their domains for as long as possible, and develop the website before opening for business. Once the site becomes active, the goal is to already have as much age established as possible. This is wisdom that is true in almost every aspect of business: consumers tend to put more trust in businesses that have been established for awhile.

Some internet search engines even go so far as to assign a waiting period to new domains before allowing them into their search results. The younger sites are said to be “sandboxed” until they are old enough to be ranked with mature websites.

There are some things that can be done to avoid being sandboxed or getting buried in search engine results pages. First, when registering your domain, find out what the maximum length you can register for is. Depending on which registrar you use, the max may be five years, ten years, or even longer. Always register for the longest period possible. This shows that you have long-term intentions to stick around and increases your credibility, and is really the only controllable factor in the age of your domain.

Another option to consider is buying a pre-owned domain name. While these domains are often more expensive than a brand-new domain, it may be worth the money. Rather than starting from scratch with no page rank at all, you start from where the prior owner left off. Its increased age alone increases the rank it will warrant in searches. If the site was well-maintained, it may have earned a greater rank yet. Buying pre-owned in this way completely avoids the sandbox waiting periods.

Lastly, try to think ahead for your business’s future. Try to anticipate domain names that may serve your needs down the road, and register those names in advance. If you do end up using them, you will avoid the complications of a young website and attain a better rank right from the start. If you do not end up using the domain, you can always sell it. There is a good chance that the domain’s value will have increased, if for no other reason than its age.

Tags: domains, SEO, Traffic

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