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The www vs Non-www Debate: Which One is Better for SEO?

www vs non-www - best practices for SEO - Strottner Designs

When you’re setting up a website or considering a redesign, one of the first decisions you’ll need to make is whether to use the “www” prefix in your domain name or go with the cleaner, non-www version. At first glance, this might seem like a small detail. But in reality, it can have important implications for your website’s SEO, user experience, and performance. In this blog post, we’ll break down the differences between www vs non-www in terms of SEO, and provide tips on how to manage this choice to optimize your website.

What’s the Difference Between www vs Non-www?

The difference is simple: it’s the presence or absence of the “www” subdomain. For example:

  • www.example.com – This version includes the “www” prefix.
  • example.com – This is the same site, but without the “www” prefix.

Technically, both versions can point to the same website, but they are treated as separate URLs by search engines. This can lead to confusion in terms of indexing and which version of your site is considered the “canonical” one.  We’ve already written a blog post on Canonical Tags here.

SEO Considerations for www vs Non-www

Does the www matter in my website for seo purposes? From an SEO perspective, the main concern between using www vs non-www is duplicate content. When search engines crawl your site, they may view www.example.com and example.com as two separate sites with identical content. This could hurt your rankings, because search engines might struggle to decide which version to prioritize.

Here’s a closer look at the potential SEO issues:

  1. Duplicate Content: Search engines might index both versions of your site, which can lead to duplicate content penalties. If Googlebot sees two versions of the same content, it could confuse the algorithm, hurting your rankings.
  2. Link Equity Split: If you gain backlinks to both versions of your site, the link equity (the value passed through links) could be split. This means the SEO value you gain from backlinks might be divided between the two versions, rather than consolidated on one.
  3. Crawling and Indexing Confusion: Search engines like Google prefer consistency when crawling and indexing sites. If both the www and non-www versions are accessible, it can create inefficiency in the crawl process, as Googlebot might be unsure which URL to prioritize, leading to crawling inefficiencies.

The Solution: Choose One Version and Redirect the Other

The best SEO practice is to choose one version—either with “www” or without—and make sure the other version redirects to the chosen one. This is usually done using a 301 redirect, a permanent redirect that signals to search engines which version they should index.

For instance, if you opt for www.example.com, you should set up a 301 redirect from example.com to www.example.com. This ensures that all traffic, backlinks, and SEO authority are consolidated into one URL.

Here are the key steps to follow:

  1. Pick Your Preferred Version: Decide whether you want the “www” version or the non-www version as your primary domain.
  2. Set Up 301 Redirects: Use 301 redirects on your web server or through your CMS to automatically redirect users and search engines to your preferred version.
  3. Update Google Search Console: In Google Search Console, set your preferred domain to reflect your choice. This tells Google which version to prioritize in its index.
  4. Check Your Backlinks: If possible, update your backlinks to point to your preferred version of the domain. While 301 redirects will pass link equity, it’s best to have all links pointing to a single version.

Which Version is Better for SEO?

SEO Company in San Antonio - Strottner Designs

In the end, the choice between www and non-www won’t significantly affect your SEO as long as you’re consistent and handle the setup properly. Google doesn’t give a ranking boost to one over the other; what matters is the way you manage the two versions.

However, there are a few reasons you might prefer one over the other:

  • The www Version: The “www” prefix can offer better technical compatibility in certain cases, especially if you’re using subdomains (e.g., blog.example.com or store.example.com). It’s also the more familiar format for many users, especially those who remember the early days of the internet.
  • The Non-www Version: The non-www version tends to look cleaner and is easier to remember. It’s often seen as more modern and minimalist, which is why many brands opt for it, especially for mobile-first or design-focused sites.

Conclusion

In the www vs non-www debate, the most important thing is consistency. Whether you choose the www version or the non-www version, pick one and make sure to implement 301 redirects to funnel all traffic and SEO authority to your preferred version. This will help avoid duplicate content issues, prevent your link equity from being split, and ensure that your website is properly crawled and indexed.

Ultimately, your decision comes down to preference, branding, and technical considerations. Just remember: consistency is key for SEO success. Here at Strottner Designs, we design, cross link, and host with the www version, so for instance, our homepage can be found at https://www.strottner.com and this blog post itself has the www in the URL.

When handled correctly, the www vs non-www choice won’t hurt your site’s rankings, and you’ll be able to focus on what really matters—creating valuable, high-quality content.  Contact us today for a FREE, no obligation consultation for your website design, re-design or digital marketing needs.

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