You may have come across sites that do not use “www” prefixes, instead opting for non-www while browsing the internet or optimizing websites.
URLs beginning with www:
- https://www.example.com
- http://www.example.com
URLs without the www:
- https://example.com
- http://example.com
Is it important whether a site uses www or non-www URLs, and is there an SEO benefit to using one over the other?
Let’s go exploring. Before we get into the specifics, let’s define www and non-www.
What is the difference between www and non-www?
The terms “www” and “non-www” are frequently used to simply describe whether or not a URL contains “www.”
The World Wide Web (WWW) refers to the vast collection of textual documents and multimedia files accessible via the Internet.
The name server converts the URL or web address into an IP address, which your browser connects to in order to serve the webpage.
When the Internet first became popular, all websites began with the letter www. However, due to changes in user behavior, an increasing number of websites began to use non-www domains several years ago.
A non-www domain is also known as a “naked” URL.
Is it better to use www or non-www for SEO?
From an SEO standpoint, it doesn’t really matter which one you use, but there are a few advantages and disadvantages to each.
If the non-www version of your site is the preferred version, the www domain should not be indexed.
Take, for example, Frontier Communications. This domain can be accessed at https://frontier.com, which is acceptable.
When you enter www.frontier.com, it automatically redirects to the preferred version, https://frontier.com.
If Frontier indexed both versions, there could be a duplicate content issue and link equity could be spread across both versions.
That’s a big no-no, but thankfully, that’s not the case.
The www version has significantly fewer backlinks, referring domains, and organic traffic. This is due to the fact that it is being redirected to a non-www domain.
Frontier stayed with one version, which was the correct decision.
If you want to use both, make sure to use 301 redirects to the preferred version rather than 302 redirects.
This is because 302 redirects, unlike 301s, do not transfer PageRank to the redirected domain/page.
Extreme sports website extreme.com set up a 302 redirect from the non-www version to the www version. As a result, they are likely to have lost some traffic and link authority.
Extreme.com should have used 301 redirects instead.
When you set up redirects, the user experience is seamless. Google and other search engines will recognize the preferred domain and distribute link authority accordingly, regardless of what they type to reach your site.
Read Top 4 Reasons Why You Must Not Miss Out on Local SEO.
Which one should I go with?
Either one is correct.
It’s possible that www domains will become obsolete in the future because most people don’t bother typing them in when looking for a website.
It is becoming more common for “www” to be hidden by default not only on desktops but also in mobile browsers such as Google Chrome, which has some wondering if it will be obsolete in the future.
Once you’ve decided which one to use, make sure that all of your sitemap URLs and internal links use your preferred version, and that your backlinks, if you can control them, are consistent as well.
Is it possible to use both non-www and www?
Although it is technically possible to use both non-www and www in your domain, it is not recommended.
In fact, Google will recognize this as two distinct sites.
If you have both versions indexed, you’ll have to set up and maintain both sites in Google Search Console, deal with duplicate content issues, and split your link equity between the two domains.
This has the potential to harm your search engine rankings, so pick one and stick with it.
My personal preference is to use www because it is used by the majority of sites, and when sites link to you, they usually link to the www version or simply type in the domain name.
If you need both sites indexed for technical reasons, such as your CMS’s inability to set up 301 redirects, you can use canonical tags.
A canonical tag is an HTML tag that helps websites avoid duplicate content by indicating to Google the “canonical” or “preferred” version of a webpage or domain.
You’re telling Google, “I know I have a duplicate version with the non-www site, so I have canonical tags pointing to the www version on the non-www site.”
It’s important to note that Google considers canonicals to be recommendations rather than instructions. As a result, both website versions may continue to be indexed.
The Benefits and Drawbacks of www and Non-www
While either non-www or www can be used, there are some advantages and disadvantages to using one over the other, which are discussed further below.
This can assist you in deciding which one to use:
| Pros | Cons | |
| www | For years, it has been considered a standard. | It takes longer to type, and most people do not include the www when announcing it in broadcasts. It is possible that modern users will disregard it. |
| www | You can set cookies for your specific www subdomain. It’s also less difficult to set up a CDN. | Increases the amount of space in the address bar. (Google now hides it unless you click on the URL.) |
| non-www | It’s a brief domain. | There is no option to limit cookies to the root domain only. |
| non-www | It’s less difficult to say and pronounce. | It will be more difficult to get a CDN to work because you will be unable to set a CNAME record for your root/naked domain without interfering with other services such as FTP and Mail. |
Final Thoughts
Use whichever version is best for your company, goals, and objectives. Keep in mind that, as mentioned in the table above, the www version is better suited for technical purposes, and your needs may change in the future as the site and business grow.
If you’re starting a new website, you’ll have to choose between the two.
If you already have a well-established website, stick with it and don’t change anything.
Redirects should be used only when absolutely necessary. When they are used, Google will take some time to crawl and index the changes, and some visibility may be lost as a result.
If both versions are indexed, ensure that your 301 redirects to the preferred version with the most traffic, links, and authority. Continue to optimize and create content to ensure your brand’s online success.
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