WWW vs. Non-WWW Sites: Which Is Better for SEO?

In the early days of the internet, the www prefix was necessary for web pages, but people now rarely use it when referring to sites. Is there a search engine optimization advantage when choosing a www vs. non-www website?

Learn the differences between the two and which one you need for optimal online visibility. 

WWW vs. Non-WWW: What Are the Technical Differences?

The www prefix serves as a subdomain for a website. As a result, a search engine sees a page with “www.” as technically different from a non-www page with the same root (or “second-level”) domain while crawling your site. 

For example, www.bkacontent.com is not the same as bkacontent.com, at least according to Google. Think of the www as any other subdomain prefix. It operates in the same way that “news.example.com” is different from “shop.example.com” or “example.com.”

Non-www domains are sometimes called “naked” domains because they lack that traditional prefix. They gained popularity as web users began searching for sites without using www.

What Are the Pros and Cons of WWW and Non-WWW Domains?

Take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of www vs. non-www sites.

WWW Domains

A www site is technically better for pages that have high loads of traffic, especially millions of views. The main reason is that this subdomain makes it easier to set up a content delivery network. 

CDNs can improve site performance, speed, and security. They also give you more control over any additional subdomains. In particular, setting and controlling cookies is easier with CDNs.

Domains with www do use slightly more bandwidth, but not enough to make a real difference. Also, Google generally prefers shorter and simpler URLs, and adding the prefix does lengthen your URL.

Non-WWW Domains

From a branding and user experience perspective, non-www sites are better. It’s become somewhat comical or old-fashioned to refer to a site with the www in everyday conversation. 

However, without a www site, you initially lose many of the technical advantages it offers. While these might not matter for a small site with minimal traffic, a domain with plans for lots of traffic might end up with a poorer user experience.

You can use workarounds to regain many of those technical benefits. For example, you can host static content on a separate domain to manage cookies, and CDNs now offer more options that can work with non-www sites. Still, these extra steps can become cumbersome, particularly for high-traffic domains with a lot of content to manage.

Is It Better To Use WWW or Non-WWW Sites for SEO?

For small and mid-sized businesses, there is only a slight SEO advantage for using www over non-www sites. What matters most is that you stay consistent and index the correct site with search engines. 

If your site performs well as a non-www domain, you can stick with it. Deciding to switch or use both www and non-www sites could confuse your users, so if you do, you need to be sure you’re communicating with your audience and search engines about which content matters.

How Do You Use Both WWW and Non-WWW Sites?

Many companies want the best of both worlds, especially those that started with www sites. If you want to start using www and non-www pages, you need to let the web browser know which is the preferred version of your site. Duplicate content hurts your SEO and drops your page rank, so you can’t just create new web pages and send your audience to them.

One way to solve this problem is with a 301 redirect. In this case, when someone enters the www prefix, the browser will automatically send the user to the preferred non-www version. Just be sure you’re using the 301 redirect and not the 302. The 301 is permanent, while 302 is temporary. Importantly, 301 redirects transfer PageRank metrics to the preferred site. 

Sometimes, setting up a 301 redirect is difficult. (If this is the case, your CMS may be an outdated system.) In these situations, you can use a canonical tag to show Google the preferred web page so you don’t get penalized.

Get a Data-Driven SEO Strategy for WWW and Non-WWW Sites

The technical matters of SEO can quickly make your head spin if they’re not your specialty. Add to that the constant content creation that’s essential to a successful digital marketing strategy, and you may just be at your wits’ end.

Take care of all your SEO needs by working with BKA Content. We can help you weigh the impact of www vs. non-www for SEO with an audit of your site. Then, we’ll assist you with crafting a full strategy that will help you get greater visibility online.