Domain age has emerged an extremely important aspect of search engine optimisation (SEO) - the fourth most important factor according to a recent SEOmoz.org poll of SEO experts to determine the most influential components of successful SEO. In their assessment they defined domain age as not the date of original registration of the domain, but rather the launch of indexable content seen by the search engines. This can change if a domain switches ownership.
The longer your domain has been online the better. Credibility and trust are perhaps the two most important attributes a website can present as credentials for top search ranking. That a site has been nurtured and maintained for a lengthy period of time enabling it to establish a credible reputation syncs nicely with search engine algorithms that assess the value of your site. The logic of the policy is consistent with the search engine drive for relevance and other aspects of quality site development that they like to see.
Through foresight, planning, patience and the application of a well-organised online marketing strategy it's perfectly possible to create Top 3 Authority, with strategic planning and time playing integral roles. Time is a blade, all you need is a little…time.
Age matters to the algorithm, authority and search engine trust are earned. Using the embedded affinity of maturing content and links over time establishes search engine trust. Content often evolves breadth and depth, serving to reinforce themes with link accruing weight.
Authority sites enjoy accelerated spider intimacy, are indexed quickly and repeatedly add weight to relevance scores. Potentially they can rank higher with less effort.
Authority sites often receive links from other authority sites. Useful content flags your site as attention-worthy and other authority sites become magnetically attracted.
Sometimes, through links and content, a site will have generated sufficient authority for youth to not prevent it achieving high ranking. There are other instances when although content is strong, other supporting factors haven't kicked in to really deliver high search returns. In this instance domain age could make all the difference visibility-wise.
Considered meta information, titles, topic centred content, strong internal linking, first rate coding alongside all of the other essential 'on-page' SEO techniques are now essential aspects of professional, successful SEO and can be addressed directly. With 'off-page' factors such as inbound links and external anchor text there is less control, though a good deal of SEO work can be applied. That an SEO criterion exists that's totally un-manipulable yet can still reflect a strong element of authenticity in a site is manna from heaven as far as the search engines (particularly Google) are concerned.
Domain age can't be fixed. A domain's age is it's age. There's no virtual birth certificate for the Black Hats to virtually Tippex and con the engines into believing a domain possess more authority than it really does.
It's impossible to scam, spam or spin the search engine in the long run. Simply by fact that your site has been indexed for a reasonable length of time strongly suggests that:
a) the site hasn't been subjected to Black Hat SEO practices and de-listed and:
b) that the domain is no fly-by-night operation, the impression being that the investment in it has been made over a lengthy period with a long-term view and that the domain is being treated seriously.
Spammers will probably own numerous domains, register them for one year, do their damage, and get out of town, or 'Churn and burn' as it's sometimes referred to. By checking the WHOIS directories, it's not difficult for the engine ranking algorithms to find out how long a domain has been registered. If your domain is recognised as having been registered for less than a year, although they may not necessarily think you're a spammer they will regard you suspiciously, unsure whether you're 'for real'. Only time can establish your genuine credentials in the eyes of the search engine algorithms.
Domain age is just one part of the complex relevance assessments that are continually being carried out on all sites. As new and innovative thinking and technology are applied it's likely that the relative influence of each factor will ebb and flow. Freshness, for example, describes how many recently created or changed pages are included in a search result, and is at the centre of constant debate and research. It's a particular point of interest for Google, who pose the question as to whether it is it better to provide new information or to display pages that have stood the test of time and are more likely to be of higher quality. Until now, Google has preferred pages old enough to attract others to link to them, with this preference reflected in the superior rankings of older sites. This opinion is backed up by other SEO professionals, who see old age as having a positive influence on SEO - their 'maturing like fine wine' line.
What might contribute in the future to domain age remaining an important SEO 'signal' is Google's relevance research, which is looking increasingly at the history of how pages have changed over time and at data patterns uncovered in the trillions of searches that Google has handled over the years. Increasingly, Google is using signals that come from its history of what individual users have searched for in the past, in order to offer results that reflect each person's interests. "Google sees all links going to a page and how the content is changing on the page over time," says Amit Singhal, a Google Fellow and master of the Google algorithms. "The data we have is pushing state of the art."
At SEO Consult we have a rich reserve of aged domains that can be deployed to add weight to client projects. Contact us now for more information or to discuss your requirements in greater detail.
