When building a website, one of the decisions you'll face is whether to use a "www" or non-www version of your URL. For example, should your site be www.example.com or just example.com? While it may seem like a small detail, the choice can impact how search engines and users interact with your site. Here's what you need to know.
What's the Difference Between WWW and Non-WWW?
Technically, there’s no huge difference between the two versions. Both will lead users to your website, but search engines treat them as separate URLs. This can lead to some issues if not handled properly.
Why It Matters: Duplicate Content & SEO
If both the www and non-www versions of your site are live without proper redirection, search engines will see them as two different sites with the same content. This is called "duplicate content," which can harm your SEO because search engines might penalize your site for having identical pages across multiple URLs.
Also, any links pointing to your site will be split between the two versions. This means that the authority or "link juice" from those backlinks gets divided, which could lower your overall ranking in search results.
What to Consider When Choosing
Here are some points to think about before deciding:
- Brand Consistency: Choose the version that best fits your brand identity and is easy for your users to remember.
- SEO Impact: Ensure that only one version is indexed by search engines to avoid duplicate content issues.
- User Experience: Consistency is key. Users shouldn't be redirected back and forth between the www and non-www versions as it can create confusion.
What If You Need to Switch?
If you've already chosen one version and decide to switch (for example, from non-www to www), there are some important steps to follow to avoid hurting your SEO:
- 301 Redirects: Set up permanent 301 redirects from the old version to the new one. This ensures that both users and search engines are automatically directed to the correct URL.
- Internal Links: Update your internal links to match the new URL structure. Keeping internal links consistent helps reinforce the correct version to search engines.
- Sitemap: Update your XML sitemap to include the new URLs and submit it to search engines, so they can crawl and index your site properly.
- Robots.txt: Double-check that your robots.txt file allows search engines to crawl the correct version of your website.
- Search Console: Keep an eye on your website’s performance in Google Search Console. If you notice any issues like a drop in traffic, investigate and make adjustments.
- Content & User Experience: Maintain high-quality content and ensure your site loads quickly, is mobile-friendly, and is easy to navigate. This will help keep your rankings stable during the switch.
Conclusion: Consistency is Key
Whether you choose www or non-www doesn’t matter as much as being consistent. Pick one, redirect the other, and make sure all of your links and SEO efforts focus on a single version. This will help prevent any confusion for both users and search engines, and it will ensure your website performs well in search results.
