The domain age holds a lot of significance when it comes to SEO, and unfortunately, a new website can’t just overstate its age no matter what it does.
It is no surprise that if age is the key consideration, older websites will thrive online, and Google is very particular about these matters.
To have a level playing field, Google will always rank older and newer domains the same way.
So, which of the two domains is best? But, first, let’s walk you through the aged domain vs. new domain debate.
History Speaks Volumes
Domain testing was a common practice back in the 2000s. It allowed buyers to purchase a domain and take it for a test run, or more relevant with its name, sort of like wine tasting.
They could see if the domain worked for them and had to decide within the grace period. If they chose not to use the domain within this period, they got their money back, yes, a full refund!
Many businesses abused this practice by starting sites and researching if they worked well in that domain. If not, they would take a refund.
But Google wouldn’t take such abuse. It filed a patent back in 2005 so that domain age matters only for the first few weeks. Since a site was new, domain testers wouldn’t get too much information on it through the Google search console.
ICANN isn’t falling behind Google. They have made domain refunding more expensive and difficult for buyers now by implementing transaction fees.
Say Hello To Common Sense
Wisdom tells us that an older domain is far better than a new one, right? An older domain indeed holds a high value, and many businesses go round to find ways to evaluate the estimated value of an expired domain.
Frequently, links navigate online business owners to the same core website as a part of a private Blog Network. Google highly discourages this practice and is quick to demote any use of such Private Blog Networks. So, people use links to redirect traffic to their websites and even purchase a domain.
But to do this, the old domain must meet two essential criteria.
It should have a recent expiry date to ensure it didn’t sit as an idle website for too long, without any traffic. If this is the case, then it is arguable if the domain holds any value to begin with.
Also, bear in mind the old domain has acted as a host for a well-received website. By that, we mean the website should accumulate value through worthy links and multiple ranking signals.
Incoming Traffic Ahead!
Buying an older domain can be beneficial for online business owners because they already have incoming traffic. Let’s face it; an aged domain had more time to establish authority among other domains with strong backlinks.
You need backlinks for your new online business to flourish and gain recognition and get an excellent response to SEO.
If you consider an aged domain, half the work would already be in place thanks to the old owner.
Another factor is domain registration. Old domains have been registered for a longer period. It benefits SEO because search engines would rank them better as they have received traffic previously as well.
Such a good rank is difficult to be achieved when dealing with a new domain, especially when you’re a startup online business owner.
If you want your website to receive a high rank within a matter of days, using Domain Coasters can do wonders
Readability is Important
Just as a username is vital to your social media profile, a domain name is essential for user readability. Since many businesses have moved to the digital world, finding a suitable domain name for a small online business setup has become difficult.
You don’t want an overly complicated domain name your users keep forgetting. Remember, the goal is to enhance recognition and encourage customers to revisit your website. To ensure this, try to go for an older domain with an easy-to-read name that is accessible.
There are many older domains with easy names. Some might not even have too much value attached to them, so you can build them up from scratch for yourself and just keep their name.
A Way Out of the TLD Problem
Many new domains try to go around the TLD (top-level domain) problem by choosing ‘.net’ instead of ‘.com.’
Since a ‘.com’ is the most common TLD compared to ‘.net’ or ‘.site,’ many people run after it.
A whopping majority of users make mistakes such as typing two TLDs together, for example, ‘.net.com,’ which is useless. It won’t redirect the user anywhere and tell them that the web page is inaccessible or temporarily down.
To avoid this problem, sticking to an older domain for your new online business can help generate more traffic and help you reach the masses easily. However, understand that a problem with a domain TLD is the last thing you want as a new online business owner.
.com Is Considered to be Innate!
Many users don’t understand that ‘.com’ isn’t the only TLD; hence, there is a lot of value attached. It is considered innate for the internet.
So if you’re looking for an expired domain name that ends with a ‘.com,’ chances are that you will find one easily because people have been around the idea of it being innate for years.
It will redirect traffic and help you get started as an online firm faster than expected. Minting money won’t be much of a challenge when these links from an aged domain are paired with your product and expertise!
Relevance
Also, one thing that is crucial is that an aged domain is only relevant if the new website being attached to the domain is about the same topic. For instance, Google won't pass any link juice to a aged domain with backlinks to a dog site that is now being used as a weight-loss site.
Aged Domains
Pros
- There is the potential to avoid the ”sandbox” period that Google and other search engines force new sites to go through.
- If you are sticking within the same niche or topic as the original website was about, chances are pretty big that you can use a lot of the old and existing content for your own purposes.
- The same can be said for old links. Links are of course very important for the overall ranking of your site, so being able to keep a lot of the existing links is a big deal.
- If the domain already has a lot of traffic, then that is traffic that is likely to transfer over to you. In other words, buying a used or aged domain can help you avoid a lot of the startup troubles commonly associated with new websites.
Cons
- There may be issues related to indexing and ranking that the old domain already suffered from, in which case you will need to resolve those issues.
- You also just don’t get to create your own brand and name, as it already exists, at least partially so.
New Domains
Pros
- You get to create your own name, brand, and identity, something that may be crucial to the overall success of your business.
- You will have no existing problems or issues to deal with, such as ranking and indexing issues, as well as issues regarding broken links.
- This really lets you build up everything from scratch, just the way you want it to be.
- Because you are creating something new, you also don’t have to worry about inheriting bad publicity and a bad reputation.
Cons
- There is no chance of using any existing content or links for your own purposes. Everything needs to be built from scratch.
- You will have to work much harder in terms of branding, marketing, and public awareness. If you start fresh, nobody is going to know who you are.
- If you start from scratch, you have to make all of the decisions yourself, and if you don’t know what you are doing, this can be very detrimental to the overall result.
- You will likely end up spending a lot of money on backlinks and SEO.
FAQs
How Does Google Determine Domain Age?
Google considers the first time the domain was discovered and the date the first link was attached to the domain website, which is usually the same.
How Impactful is Domain Age?
Domain age does contribute to the SEO factor. The older, the better. However, now the age only matters for the first few weeks of the website’s existence. Otherwise, the difference doesn’t matter to a great degree unless specifications are considered.
What Should I Do With an Aged Domain for Maximum SEO Benefit?
If backlinks are already attached to the aged domain, you can create related content to incorporate it into your website.
However, make sure they don’t seem irrelevant to your online business and consider the niche. Conduct quality checks on the backlinks as well to ensure they add value to your domain.
Recommendations
To make your life easier, we have some online sites to help you find suitable expired domains for your online business.
Domain Coasters
If you want your website to receive a high rank within a matter of days, using Domain Coasters can do wonders. It provides users with some of the best-expired domains to kick-start their online business setup.
Pros
- It has a vast domain inventory
- It provides you with backlinks to the domain
- Ensures a high niche relevance
- Provides Google indexed domains to avoid any additional costs
Cons
- Some of the domains are connected with PBNs, which are discouraged by Google
What We Like
Over 300 domains re-added every month to provide users a variety.
Domcop
Are you looking for cheap domains? Well, look no further because Domcop comes with cheap expired domains. Since it values authority, the domain has authority websites for your benefit!
Pros
- Provides a list of expired domains within seconds
- Cheap way to find domains
- Buy the latest and most comprehensive metrics to provide information
Cons
- No free trials available
- Only a 2-day money-back guarantee
What We Like
Comes with new features for user feedback and provides the latest metrics for information.
SERP Domains
Brandable aged domains with a strong authority of backlinks are a dream come true with SERP Domains.
Pros
- Domains with strong backlink data
- Inventory of domains are available
- Niche-relevant domains
Cons
- It doesn’t provide vital metrics
What We Like
The backlink data allows you to maximize your SEO.
Conclusion
With this information, you can reach a desirable conclusion for your online business. You have the choice to either go for a new domain and start everything from scratch or go ahead with an expired domain and make the changes you want while benefiting from its previous traffic.
With both choices having their own pros and cons, the final decision lies with you. You can search for any domain you want on the websites mentioned above. These are highly recommended and among the most used websites in the online world. So rest assured that you will be able to find the domain of your choice.
