Does Domain Age Really Matter? Older is Better, Right?

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Domain age really matters. The older the domain, the greater the chances of getting better backlinks and domain authority, which directly affects search engine rankings, trust, and credibility. However, the old domain’s history also matters as much as its benefits— if the domain has been used for spam or malicious activity, it could be penalized. This article explores domain age in detail—from how to calculate it to critical factors to consider when selecting an older domain.

What is the Domain Age and Benefits of Having an Older Domain?

Domain age is the number of years a domain has been registered with one specific registrar. The age of a domain is a key factor in determining its authority and relevance for search engines. Older domains can provide a competitive edge in SEO by offering established backlinks, traffic, and credibility. However, it’s essential to consider other elements, like the domain’s history and domain reputation, when selecting an aged domain for your business to maximize SEO potential and improve your online presence.

There are many benefits of an older domain. Here are some benefits of older domains:

Authority:

Search engines see aged domains as more trustworthy, signaling they have consistently provided value over time.

Strong Backlink Profile:

Older domains tend to have a stronger backlink profile, which is important for SEO, especially when backlinks come from high-authority sites.

Established Traffic:

Aged domains bring residual traffic, benefiting new websites by reducing bounce rates and improving engagement.

Brand Recognition:

Some aged domains come with established brand presence, social media, and email lists, helping a new site gain credibility faster.

Why is the Domain Age Important?

The domain age is often used as a measure of trust and authority when ranking websites in search engines. While some may think older domains have more value than their counterparts, this is only sometimes true, as plenty of websites don’t succeed using an older domain. This highlights that domain age alone cannot contribute to your online presence, it has to be combined with other metrics like page rank, the number of backlinks, etc., for better results.

Domain Reputation and Its Calculation

Domain reputation is the opinion receivers have about your domain. It significantly influences email deliverability. Email Service Providers (ESPs) use domain reputation to decide whether emails from a domain should be blocked, sent to the spam folder, or delivered to the inbox. A positive reputation ensures high deliverability rates, while a negative reputation can severely affect email communication.

Here’s how to calculate domain reputation:

Determining the following scores will help you identify the reputation of a domain.

Sender Score: This score ranges from 0 to 100 and is calculated based on email sending patterns, including complaint rates, spam trap hits, and more. A higher score reflects a better reputation.
IP Reputation: This evaluates the legitimacy of the IP addresses used for email sending. ESPs track these addresses over time to assess their involvement in spam.
Engagement Metrics: Providers like Gmail weigh recipient interactions—such as open rates, email movements, and deletions—when determining domain reputation.

Maintaining a solid domain reputation is important, as businesses would be interested in getting reputed domains.

How Google Determines Domain Age

Ideally, Google doesn’t disclose its exact process for determining a domain’s age. However, there are some assumptions based on what we know about how Google works and the fact that they use domain age as a ranking factor.

One of the most obvious assumptions on how Google determines the age of a domain is by looking at the WHOIS record. This record contains details about a specific website. Information like when a domain was first registered or created on the Internet, who owned the domain before, etc., can give us an idea of their domain age.

Another way to determine a domain’s age is by looking at Google’s webmaster tools account, which shows your domain registration history and possibly previous versions if there has been more than one change over time. Unfortunately, this feature requires creating an account at Webmaster Tools, which means you’ll have to track your domain for at least a few months before it starts showing any significant data.

How Impactful is Domain Age

As mentioned before, online success is not always dependent on domain’s age. However, having an older domain certainly gives you an edge, but there are other things that will make all the difference when someone decides which site they want to visit. Here are the factors that usually make an older domain impactful where a newer one might lack:

Domain Authority (DA):

An older domain is more likely to have a high Domain Authority, which will help it rank higher. This also means the number of backlinks already acquired that are pointing toward your website, content, and brand name.

Backlinks:

Older domains are also more likely to have high-quality backlinks from other websites. On top of this, if there is some history with the domain being linked on popular sites before, this adds even further value to the domain.

Traffic History:

Not only are older domains more likely to have higher domain authority, but they are also more likely to have a strong history of traffic coming into the website and landing page. This is extremely important because it gives Google a clear idea that the website or landing page is being visited regularly by people, and this shows positive user engagement.

Brand Awareness:

Older domains are also more likely to have a strong brand awareness and reputation. This not only helps strengthen authority and traffic but also builds trust around the website or landing page visited by people who wish to use it.

Content:

Content is one of the biggest factors determining how search engines will rank your website and how people will react to it. If you already have content on an older domain, this can help influence Google to rank your website higher than if there was no content.

User Experience:

Old domains are also more likely to have a strong user experience because they already have years’ worth of data collected from visitors, which means the website or landing page is probably easier for people to use. This all comes down to factors such as usability and engagement due to having better content on your site/landing page.

These are just some of the factors that will influence how search engines rank your domain, but there are a lot more factors at play as well.

Factors to Consider When Choosing an Old Domain

Domain Age and Reputation:

Older domains generally have a better reputation with search engines because they’ve had more time to build trust and authority through content, backlinks, and user engagement.

Backlink Profile:

Evaluate the quality and quantity of backlinks. Having links from reputable sites boosts SEO, but links from low-quality sources may hurt your rankings.

Previous Use:

Ensure the domain was used by a similar business or website to inherit relevant traffic. Check its history to avoid domains with a spammy or malicious past. The domain’s malicious past can hamper your ranking and reputation.

Potential Penalties:

Investigate whether the domain has faced penalties from search engines. Penalties for spam or bad SEO practices can negatively impact your website.

Price:

While aged domains are often more expensive, make sure the price reflects their value based on factors like backlinks, traffic, and established credibility.

Is Older Domain Better?

To conclude, it is safe to say that older domains will generally be more impactful and successful than newer ones in most cases, but this is only sometimes the case. It’s important to remember that it is still possible for a website or landing page on a newer domain to perform better when search engine ranking factors are taken into account- but typically, it will take time to happen! If you want your site or landing page to succeed online, focus on creating great content and engaging user experience rather than worrying about the domain’s age. The expert team at BigRock will help you choose the right domain and establish a well-performing website that will lead you to online success!

Still confused? Refer to our FAQs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Does Domain Age Affect Security Perceptions?

Yes, users and cybersecurity systems consider older domains with a consistent track record of secure practices more reliable. Moreover, older domains demonstrate stability and trustworthiness.

How Can I Improve My Domain’s Reputation Despite its Age?

There are different ways to improve your old domain’s reputation. Here, we have listed a handful of tips to improve your domain’s reputation: To enhance reputation, regardless of domain age: