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WWW vs Non-WWW: Which is Better for SEO?
Discover the truth about www vs non-www domains and how they impact your website's SEO. We dive into the technical aspects, clear up common misconceptions, and provide insights from Google's John Mueller to help you make an informed decision for your website.
When it comes to your website’s domain, you may have wondered whether to use the “www” prefix or not. Does it matter for SEO? Well, allow us to shed some light on the www vs non-www debate, and how it impacts your website and its performance.
Understanding the Technical Aspects
Contrary to some common misconceptions, there are few significant technical differences between the www and non-www domain options:
- Both www and non-www domains can be configured flexibly using DNS records.
- Cookie handling capabilities are essentially the same for both options.
- Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) can be set up for both www and non-www domains.
- Both can support multiple subdomains.
The main technical distinction often lies in DNS configuration:
- Non-www (naked) domains typically use “A records”, pointing directly to an IP address.
- WWW domains can use CNAME records, which point to another domain name.
This difference can be relevant when using some cloud services or load balancers, but for most websites, in most scenarios, it has minimal impact on functionality or performance.
SEO Implications of WWW vs Non-WWW
From an SEO standpoint, Google and other search engines treat www and non-www versions of a domain as separate entities. This means that if your site is accessible through both versions, that it could possibly lead to:
- Duplicate content issues: Search engines value original, unique content. Having both www and non-www versions indexed can be seen as duplicate content.
- Diluted link equity: Backlinks pointing to the www version will only benefit that version, while non-www pages will only gain from links to their respective URLs.
- Waste crawl budgets: By not specifying your preferred version, search engines may exhaust their crawl budget before scanning all important pages of your website.
To avoid these SEO pitfalls, it’s crucial to choose one version as your preferred option and set up proper 301 (Permanent) redirects from the non-preferred version. This ensures that search engines recognise your selected domain as the canonical (official) one.
Benefits of Each Approach
While the SEO impact is minimal if configured correctly, there are some pros and cons to consider for each option:
WWW Domains
- Traditionally associated with websites, which can feel familiar to some users.
- Can be useful for separating subdomains in some complex hosting setups.
Non-WWW Domains
- Shorter, and more modern-looking.
- Aligns with how many users naturally type or speak web addresses.
Our Recommendation
At Ayup Creative, we generally recommend using the non-www version as the preferred variation for most websites. It provides a clean, branded look, and aligns with more modern web practices.
However, the most important factor is consistency. Whichever option you choose, stick with it and implement proper redirects. Our SEO experts can help you make the right decision for your website and ensure it’s optimised for search engine success.
A Quote From John Mueller
Back in 2022, John Mueller, Senior Search Analyst and Search Relations Team Lead at Google, addressed the question of using the www or non-www version of a domain name in an episode of AskGooglebot on YouTube;
You can use whichever you prefer. Google’s systems have no preference either way. Sometimes there are technical reasons to go one way or the other, but often it’s just a matter of your personal preference.
This aligns with the general consensus that consistency and proper configuration are more important than the choice itself.
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