It’s a common misconception that older domains are, by their nature, better for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The belief is that older domains are seen as more trustworthy or legitimate by search engines, so they are ranked higher. This myth has been debunked, but it continues to be perpetuated in the domain industry.
Now, that is not to say that older domains don’t typically rank higher by search engines. They do, but it’s because they have higher domain authority, not simply because they are older.
Older Domains Have Built Noteworthy Websites
Because older domains have had more time, they’ve been able to build effective brands with trusted content. To put it simply, once a site is trusted, other sites start to link to it. And once a site gets credible links, its domain authority score goes up. And once domain authority is high enough, the site will rank higher and higher on Google.
There are other factors at play for SEO, but the basic gist is that keeping a site long-term and putting in the effort to produce trusted, legitimate content will yield better search results over time. Simply registering a domain, putting up a shell website, and sitting on it for 15 years won’t help your rankings. In other words, a young site with great content will still probably rank higher than an old site with no content or subpar content.
What Does This Mean for Acquisitions?
When looking to acquire a domain, consider the domain authority rather than the domain age. Remember, the more links that point to a domain, and the more credible the links are, the higher the site will rank. If you acquire a domain with high domain authority, you will get a huge SEO-headstart over your competitors before you even head out the gate. These advantages cannot be understated – however, just remember that high-authority, trusted domains will be more expensive than others.
These are the kinds of considerations we make at Saw.com when assessing our clients’ acquisition strategy. For a free domain consultation, contact us today.
