Our AI writing assistant, WriteUp, can assist you in easily writing any text. Click here to experience its capabilities.

WWW vs Non WWW: Which is Right from SEO Perspective

View Original View Raw

Summary

This article examines the differences between www and non-www URLs from an SEO perspective. It explains the technical differences between the two, and the pros and cons of using each. It also gives advice on how to use HTTP 301 redirects for www and non-www URLs. From an SEO perspective, www domains have some slight advantages, but the differences are marginal. The article recommends that website owners should consider their website's expected size when choosing which type of URL to use.

Q&As

What are the differences between www and non-www URLs?
The most important difference between www and non-www URLs from a technical perspective is that search engines view them as different entities. Additionally, www URLs give you more control over cookies for your specific www subdomain and are more flexible when it comes to DNS. Non-www URLs are easier to remember and simpler to type and search for, and www is just a prefix that was used in the early years when the internet was first launched.

What are the pros and cons of using a www vs non-www URL?
The pros of using a www URL are that it gives you more control over cookies for your specific www subdomain and is more flexible when it comes to DNS. The cons of using a www URL are that it could become obsolete as most people don’t bother to type www while searching for a website, and Google hides www from the displayed URL in its Chrome browser. The pros of using a non-www URL are that it is easy to remember and simpler to type and search for, and www is just a prefix that was used in the early years when the internet was first launched. The cons of using a non-www URL are that there is no option to restrict cookies just to the root domain, and there are no CNAME records, so you can’t redirect traffic from one server to another.

What are the technical benefits of using a www domain?
The technical benefits of using a www domain are that it gives you more control over cookies for your specific www subdomain and is more flexible when it comes to DNS.

How does Google view www and non-www URLs?
Google views www and non-www URLs as two different websites.

What should be the deciding factor when choosing between a www and non-www URL?
The deciding factor when choosing between a www and non-www URL should be the expected size of the website. If the website is expected to be large, then a www domain should be used. If the website is expected to be small, then a non-www domain should be used.

AI Comments

👍 This is a great article that provides a detailed breakdown of the differences between www and non-www websites from an SEO perspective. It's informative and well-written, making it easy to understand.

👎 This article is too technical and could be simplified for readers who lack technical SEO knowledge. It also could have provided more concrete examples.

AI Discussion

Me: It's about the differences between www and non-www URLs from an SEO perspective. It goes into the pros and cons of each, as well as the technical differences between the two. It also gives a final verdict on which one is better, if at all.

Friend: That's interesting. What are the implications of this article?

Me: Well, basically, the article states that while there are some slight advantages to using www URLs, such as more control over cookies and more flexibility with DNS, the differences are incredibly marginal. Ultimately, it's up to the individual or brand to decide which type of URL to use, depending on the expected size of the website.

Action items

Research the pros and cons of using www and non-www URLs for your website.
Set up a 301 redirect from one version of your URL to the other.
Consider using a separate domain to host your static content to replicate the cookie restriction functionality of a www domain.

Technical terms

WWW: World Wide Web. This is the prefix used in URLs to indicate that the website is part of the global network of websites.
Non-WWW: A "naked" domain, which is a website URL without the www prefix.
SEO: Search Engine Optimization. This is the practice of optimizing a website to improve its visibility in search engine results.
Technical SEO: The practice of optimizing a website from a technical perspective, such as improving page speed, optimizing images, and ensuring that the website is crawlable by search engine bots.
HTTP 301 Redirect: A type of redirect that tells search engines that a page has been permanently moved to a new URL.
Content Delivery Network (CDN): A network of servers that deliver web content to users based on their geographic location.
CNAME Record: A type of DNS record that is used to point a domain or subdomain to another domain name.
Canonical Domain: The domain that is chosen as the "official" domain for a website in the eyes of search engines.