Businesses interested in establishing an Internet presence must consider Search Engine Optimization practices in order to achieve high rankings for their websites. Yet, regardless of the level of professionalism exhibited or the strategic use of keyword phrases within the page content, new sites entering the online arena are likely to experience a delay in online visibility as the Google search engine takes time to evaluate their legitimacy. The acquisition of an aged domain name has long been considered the key to sidestepping this system, but there are many factors that exert influence on a domain’s value and the website’s overall position.
The Importance of Domain Age
Search engines use domain age and other considerations to evaluate a website and determine whether it is genuine or created for spamming purposes. Rather than providing valuable content to consumers, spammers specifically design websites and doorway pages to manipulate SEO by rapidly multiplying the number of inbound links. These types of sites owners tend to acquire and dispose of domains frequently, forcing search engine developers to be more critical of newer domains.
New websites with new domain names are most disadvantaged by this system because there is a limited backlink history to validate the site’s reputation. Registering with an aged domain name is one way to increase page rank, especially if the domain’s backlink profile contains inbound traffic from reputable sites with related content. The quality of inbound links is far more important than domain age, the value of which may be negated due to unethical use in the past. A matured, recognized website with a new domain could effectively retain a high page rank based on its content and backlink record.
Avoiding Poorly Aged Domains
Obtaining an aged domain does improve the chances of ranking higher in search results, but the domain in question is only of value to the owner if its Internet presence has been correctly maintained for the duration of its existence. Buying an old domain means inheriting any negative associations as well.
Research the name before purchasing it in order to avoid “parked” or blacklisted domains. Parked domains are created and left inactive for several years, a practice that is frowned upon and causes the domain to be ignored by search engines. On the other hand, names excluded from the domain index have been blacklisted because of past offenses or overlooked due to low activity.
What to Consider
In general, the age of a domain is not as crucial as how it is used, and owners of new websites can find ethical methods of reducing the sandbox period. In the past, Google’s patent relating to SEO practices indicated that the length of registration is another factor considered in the calculation of a website’s validity. Unlike link farms and junk pages, site owners with a serious interest in expanding their Internet personality typically pay in advance to register a domain for several years.
Ultimately, the value of an aged domain in SEO is largely influenced by the legitimacy of inbound links, the activity level, and the use of questionable methods for bypassing the sandbox. An old domain with a long list of flaws is far more harmful than a brand new one, so site owners should focus more energy towards building a trustworthy brand that will quickly climb up the search engine ladder.