How Important is the Domain Age for SEO

There are different factors that can affect your SEO ranking. One important factor that major search engines usually consider for SEO ranking is the domain age and authority of your website. However, how important is the domain age for SEO ranking? Will it really affect the ranking of your page or is the effect of the age of your domain minimal?

We take a closer look at the importance of the domain age for SEO in the article below. In addition to this, we will discuss the benefits of having an older domain. Find out more how you can use the domain age of your website to your advantage.

Defining the Domain Age

You should not begin counting your domain age the moment you own a website. The domain age will be measured the moment that Google has indexed your page. It can also begin the moment that Google has seen a link to your site.

When you buy a site, you cannot just let it sit and expect Google to consider the page an old domain. If you want an aged domain, you cannot just register it and not do a site up. It is important that this domain has caught the attention of Google. You can do this by ensuring that there are some activities on your page.

For example, you have two domains that you plan on buying. The first domain is a ten-year-old domain that has not been indexed by Google or it has just been parked. On the other hand, the other page is a five-year-old domain with several links to the site. The five-year-old website can be considered an older page even if the former domain has been registered first.

The Importance of the Domain Age for SEO

If you ask me whether the age of your domain is important for SEO, my answer would be YES. You may think that the benefits of having an older domain age are minimal. However, we will discuss the advantages of having an older domain in this section. With an older domain, you are able to rank faster and you will have a higher domain authority.

In addition to this, an older page is likely to be considered a more trustworthy page. We could not truly quantify the importance of the domain age in terms of Google analytics. On the contrary, the results would show that major search engines put value in the domain age of a website.

A. It Can Help The Page Rank Faster

We have looked through a comparison between newer and older domains for several different topics. It comes to no surprise that older domains rank higher in Google. In addition to this, Google would place little to no value on domains that are a few months old. When you have a relatively new domain, it would be harder to rank for your chosen niche. With an older domain, you are able to save time by making your page rank.

Based on a recent study that we have conducted, the majority of the top ranking websites per niche has a domain age of five years and above. It is very rare that web pages with a domain age of a year and below would place high on major search engine rankings. The domain age plays an important role in ranking a webpage. However, it is important to note that you should combine it with other good SEO practices. Otherwise, your effort would remain futile.

B. An Older Domain will have a Higher Domain Authority

Older domains tend to have a higher domain authority compared to newer domains. Domain authority is a measure of prediction of how high your page will rank in major search engines. If your score is higher, it will work to your advantage.

While having a higher domain authority would not directly lead to money making, it can help you gain higher traffic. In addition to this, a higher domain authority can help increase your ranking in major search engines. On top of that, you can even attract advertisers to your page once you are on top of the domain authority board.

A newer domain will take longer to reach a higher domain authority. On the contrary, it would be easier for older domains to achieve this feat. The benefit of a domain with a high domain authority can lead to more income for your website due to the increase in your page visibility. However, it is still important to note that the domain age is not the only factor that will influence the domain authority.

C. An Older Domain is More Trusted

Most consumers rely on brands that have proven their worth. If you are purchasing a mobile phone, would you purchase a brand that is unheard of or would you rather trust a brand that has been on the market for decades? Most consumers would choose the latter instead of the former. This is because an older brand has gained the trust of the buyers.

This is the same case when it comes to domains. An older domain is likely to gain more trust due to the longevity of the domain age. With an aged domain, you are known to be an established brand. However, newer domains are commonly associated with spammers, which can lead to less traffic. This is because the site visitor would be apprehensive about visiting this page.

The importance of having an older page, in this case, is not relevant to the ranking of a domain in major search engines. However, it has an effect on the site traffic, which can lead to more benefits for your page. You do not want a domain that will cause fear among the potential visitors of your page due to an unwanted branding.

How to Find Older Domain Names?

Now that we know the value of the domain age of your site, you might be wondering if there is a way to find older domains. You can find older domains by purchasing them from the owners of the domain. People usually purchase domains and make money out of it.

There are various methods and avenues that you can use for finding an older domain. This is why you should not be disheartened if the domain that you want already has an owner. You can opt to purchase expired domains.

In addition to this, you can participate in domain name auctions and make a bid for your preferred domain name. There are several websites that allow you to purchase expired domains through a drop registrar. On the contrary, a domain name auction will allow you to buy and sell a domain name that is current.

A Beginner’s Guide on Domain Name Auctions

Domain name auctions provide a venue for buying and selling current domain names. This provides you with the chance of still owning your domain name even if it already belongs to someone else. A domain name auction is similar to a regular online auction like Ebay, wherein you can place a bid for the item that you wish to purchase.

The seller of the domain will set a minimum acceptable amount for bidding, which cannot be seen by the bidder. On the contrary, a buyer can also employ a bidder verification service when bidding for a domain name. This service can check the eligibility of the domain that they plan on purchasing.

When you lose a bid for a domain name auction, you do not have to pay for anything. However, you will also lose a chance at owning the domain name unless it has been dropped by the current owner. On the other hand, when you win a bid, you will get in contact with the domain owner.

Once you get your hands on your newly acquired domain, you are free to explore the page. The new domain owner can now improve the page as they wish. Hopefully, the newly purchased domain name would have some value in it to maximize your purchase.

Domain Name Auction versus Drop Registrar

Both a domain name auction and drop registrar provides a venue for buying a domain name. The difference of both concepts is in the timing of the sales. A domain name auction will sell a domain name while it is currently owned by the domain owner. On the contrary, a drop registrar sells a domain name when it has been expired. In terms of domain age, a domain name auction retains the current age of the domain name. However, a drop registrar will reset the domain age. This means that you will be starting from scratch if you purchase a domain name from a drop registrar.

Three Important Factors to Remember when Buying a Domain

A. The Domain Name Must Be Indexed by Google

If you are uncertain about what indexing means, Google describes it in this manner:

“Googlebot processes each of the pages it crawls in order to compile a massive index of all the words it sees and their location on each page. In addition, we process information included in key content tags and attributes, such as Title tags and ALT attributes. Googlebot can process many, but not all, content types. For example, we cannot process the content of some rich media files or dynamic pages.” (https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/70897?hl=en)

It means that Google will index your page if you create content that is relevant to a user’s query. Your page relevance is determined by several factors. However, relevant backlinks will increase your chances of being indexed by Google. If you plan on purchasing a domain, it is important that the domain that you purchase has been indexed by Google for it to have a value. In addition to this, the age of your domain will be considered from the time that you have been indexed.

B. The Domain Must Not Have Any Previous Penalty

When you are planning on buying a domain, it is important that the domain has not been penalized by Google. In order to explain it further, you can view it in this manner:

“…it is important to be cautious of the page that you are planning to buy. First, the domain you should purchase must not have been penalized by Google before the purchase. If the site has been penalized, it will be harder to rank a page in Google if it has a bad track record. If your page is also associated with a business that is from another state, it will take longer to see any SEO results in terms of ranking.”

For more information on this topic, you can read this article: How Long Does It Take See SEO Results? 

C. The Domain Name has Related Keywords to your Niche

If you wish to rank on major search engines, it is important to put value in the keywords related to your niche.  You should not just buy a domain just because it is available. You should purchase a domain with a name that will add value to your domain.

We will provide an example of this instance with the niche water damage in Miami. When your niche is water damage in Miami, it is best to have a domain name with all these keywords. If you key in “water damage in Miami” in Google, the first page that would show up in the search is www.waterdamagemiami.com.

Finally, since we understand the importance of the domain age for SEO, it is also important to note that domain age alone would not help you rank. In addition to having an older domain, it is important to have good SEO practices. This will include creating high-quality contents and having valuable backlinks.

When it comes to ranking for major search engines, one factor alone would not take you higher. SEO is a simple concept that will require effort, patience, and time. We hope that this article has helped clear your mind on any questions that you may have when it comes to the importance of the domain age for your SEO.