Revenue unlocked for our customers
$792,028,102
FreeGet a free SEO keyword reportScore my rankings

Does Domain Age Matter in Organic Rankings?

Chris Kirksey
Chris Kirksey

CEO, Direction.com

domains-and-ranking-in-search-organically
Share this
Topics
seo badge clutch seo
Is your website ranking on Google?

Get a free keyword report 
with 3 custom pricing options

If you were thinking I have some magical remedy for age reversal, you have come to the right place; welcome!

Okay, okay this isn’t the organic fountain of growth per se, but it is pretty darn close.

To be more forthright; I’m talking about websites, and more specifically, domain names and the factor they have on your website ranking in search results.

You just bought a new website domain, what next?

If you just bought a new domain name, congratulations! Hopefully, you’re on your way to building a website now.

If you already have a website up, maybe your site is a baby, a hatchling fresh out of the egg, but not quite ready to take flight into the world-wide-web.

But at least now, your business is now prepared for real growth.

It’s now time to get your website up and running with blog content and digital PR, gaining traffic, and soaring high above your competitors in the organic search realm.

You want people to find you and your shiny new site.

All of a sudden you are stopped in your tracks. Someone either told you, or you realized or read somewhere that there is a ranking factor called: domain age.

How Much Does Domain Age Actually Matter?

That’s the question of the day; so let’s pick it apart together.

The bottom line is that yes, domain age does matter. But guess what? It’s not as big a deal as you’d imagine.

We are here to soar right through these domain age issues and get your business’s website flying high in search engine results, even if your site is still just a hatchling.

So let’s dive in by defining the term “aged” domain, and exploring the options available when purchasing a new domain.

What does domain age actually mean?

Domain age is the amount of time in which your website has been registered and active online.

It is said that the more extended amount of time your site has established a presence online, the more it becomes trusted among search engines and valid among visitors searching within your niche.

If you are ready to invest in an “aged” domain name, there are a few things you should consider first:

  • An old domain name might be tricky to find, and if you’re a business owner, you understand time is money.
  • In all reality, it is all about the amount of time in which Google first indexed, or sighted a link to said “aged” domain. An Aged domain has been indexed by Google for say 5+ years. You’ll notice that the highest ranking sites have been around for a long time. For example, Amazon, Apple, Apartments.com, etc.
  • Be careful! Don’t get mixed into the idea that a domain name registered age is the same as a site that’s been indexed by Google for 10 years. An “aged” site with no content or index is at the same playing level as the newly hatched domain you purchased this morning.
  • If you already have an aged domain name but want to start with a clean slate, I wouldn’t avoid making a new website just because it’ll drop your domain age.

There are multiple factors to consider before buying, or worrying about your website’s age. Just remember that we are after the fountain of organic search growth.

So what is the benefit in buying an “aged” domain name?

Now that we’ve nipped some of the confusions about what domain age is in the bud, let’s explore the bottom line about your newly hatched website.

Up front, domain age does matter. But it’s not all that big a deal when pertaining to your own website if you optimize it correctly.

Get excited! SEO is not all about your domain names age, and your website is going to soon be ready to take flight!

Let’s explore the 5 ways to ensure your new domain establishes an authentic online presence and takes a flight to the top of search engine results.

1. Blogging & Content Marketing

You want to be the go-to person on the internet when it comes to the content of your industry or niche.

Show your audience you’re a true professional in your niche by showing your audience that you care about them, and want to help solve their problems. Start by thinking about the most common questions your customers bring to the table.

Find ways to indeed make your customers feel comfortable before purchasing a product or service from you. Create a web of articles that connect and link back to the main idea behind what makes your business desirable.

2. Social Media

Twitter, Instagram & Facebook- this should be a piece of cake. Everyone you know uses social media, and it gets the word out there.

All it takes is two to three minutes out of your day every time something unusual happens in the office. Post a picture of the cake that might help you gain those 5 lbs you’ve been trying to pack on at your next office party.

You get the point- post and get excited to post about your next meeting with a big-shot client because if you follow these tips, the word about your company will grow, and it is bound to happen

3. Building Quality Backlinks

Having a robust portfolio of backlinks on your website indicates to Google that your site is popular among users and relevant to your industry.

But not just any backlinks, you need high-quality, industry-related backlinks. When done correctly, this happens organically.

You answer questions in detail, better than anyone else, and people link to you as a source of information. You also build relationships with editorials.

Overall, this is called digital PR. Buying backlinks is a bit frowned upon. And so is buying thousands of backlinks that have no quality whatsoever.

This topic could be talked about for days, so, to cut it short; old “SEO tactics” that used to work, no longer do.

The backlink game is a time-consuming, therefore, expensive game that requires an entire team in-house, or working with professionals at an agency. Neither of which are costly.

Why?

Once you start ranking, you begin to see a pretty nice return. Always look at every penny spent on your business online as an investment, never an expense (unless you hired the wrong people or agency of course).

While determining the purpose of your website in regards to specific keywords, search engine bots examine the number of inbound links to a site.

Search engines like Google will give your website more credibility if your site contains powerful backlinks that are from credible online sources.

These will show you as a reliable source on the internet within your niche and help your website rank above of your competition.

4. Video Marketing

Make your content engaging, create visual effects tailored to your business. You will be sure to reach a wider audience online because let’s face it- not everyone likes to read.

Get into the idea of Mixed-Martial Marketing, everyone enjoys learning about products through different and engaging ways. Video marketing is sure to give your online presence a boost!

Plus, according to a study done by SEMRUSH in 2017 (yes, 2 years old but still highly relevant), having a video on your page is one of the top ranking factors.

5. Schema.org Markup.

Optimizing your schema code is very important.

Essentially having clean and clear schema code directs search engine bots to all of the vital information about your company or product.

Things like where your company is located, principles and phone numbers. You want people to find you online first, and then step right through your doors!

It also helps conversion optimization via click-through rates in organic search results as schema can help your website stand out with review stars and more.

Is Domain Age Important For SEO?

Yes. It could help with your next SEO campaign, but don’t let it scare you or put you out of the domain game. 

Your domain can gain relevance, trust, and traction online! So what are you waiting for? 

Hatch your domain egg and watch as the website you build on it takes flight into the online world!

Domain Name FAQ:

There are many places online such as SEDO & Afternic where you can purchase domains from people who already have registered domain names, many of which were registered since www was a thing. You can also check out Expired Domains for domain names that have been registered for years, but their owner, for one reason or another, has decided to not renew the domain. I’ve found some gems there for sure.

Get the ones you want, but don’t let them sit in your domain name account. See if they make you any money by parking them on a place like bodis.com. It doesn’t cost you a penny. And then you can check direct traffic statistics, and maybe make a few bucks!

You’ve heard of the biggest domain name registrar already: Godaddy. But other registrars such as Name.com and NameCheap.com are actually cheaper and work just as well. And if we’re honest, most of the time, better.

It’s always a good idea to get WHOIS Privacy once you register your domain. This will help reduce the number of spammy calls you get from “Joe, who can get you to the top of Google.” What you don’t need is anything else that Godaddy and other registrars try to tell you that you need during your checkout process. You’ll quickly see the price of your domain skyrocket, all for literally no reason whatsoever. You just fell for their marketing tricks. Trust us on this one, the only thing you ever need to add to your domain name is WHOIS protection. Outside of that, there are things like “Get SEO for only $8.99/month”, which, to be blunt, is complete BS.

Call a professional. A professional IT company can help you get the absolute best, safest hosting solution. DON’T GET SHARED HOSTING. That’s a pretty quick way to put your business at risk. Yeah, it’s only $5.99/month or so, but this is your business, treat it well. Any IT professional can explain to you the difference and save you a load of headaches down the road.

How much do you care about your business? If this is your baby, and you want to see it succeed, hire a professional web design company to build your website in WordPress. Please, please, please – don’t think you can DIY this thing and go with Squarespace, Wix, or Godaddy Website builder. At least, not if you ever want to rank in search results and provide users with a great experience.

There are over 250 ranking factors. Let a professional agency help you, or hire an in-house team. Attempting to DIY your SEO will simply mean you’ll never actually run your business. It’s a full-time gig. There’s no way outta that one.

Ideally, you want a one or two word, correctly spelled .com domain name. Forget all the other extensions, everyone types in the .com. Also, you want it to be 5 syllables or less. Why? Because the easier it is to say, and the shorter it is, the better your branding will be, and the easier your branding will be. Ask at least 5 people to try spelling the domain name you have in mind. If any of them misspell it, scrap it. Don’t get any domain with a dash, and don’t get a misspelled domain name unless it’s your actual brand name.

About The Author

Related
More posts
choose new domain names
Article
trends for domain names
Article
Table of contents