SEO 101: Domain Age & Website Updates

Does your older website enjoy a high ranking? Perhaps your website is a beneficiary of domain age--the age of an active and accessible website. 

We know domain age influences ranking--usually in a positive way, unless the data is "stale," as Matt Cutts, Google's old Webmaster, notes in this vintage SEO video (which is still relevant). In this video, Cutts answers the question: "How does Google determine domain age, and is it important for ranking?"

"The difference between a domain that's six-months-old versus one year old is not that big at all," Cutts says.

Of course, this is not the same as saying the difference between a domain that's six-months-old and six-years-old is not that big at all. In terms of SEO, the latter, older domain will have had more time to build page and domain "authority" and backlinks. Yet, even beyond SEO optimization, many SEO experts believe domain age is essential.

In his list of 200 Google Ranking Factors, Brian Dean of Backlinko cites domain age first, yet he adds the Cutts quote above, and notes, "In other words, they do use domain age…but it's not very important."

Neil Patel, on the other hand, cites domain age as one of the top reasons sites rank high on Google when they are not optimized:

"Most of the sites that rank high are at least a few years old. Sure, most of these older sites have more backlinks and content as they have been around for longer, but not all of them. What I've noticed is that if you take a brand new website, build tons of relevant links, and add high-quality content, you still won't get as much search traffic as older sites will."

Based on our observations at SEO Sparta, we agree with Patel's assessment: older sites often rank high, with or without good SEO. We've noticed this trend is especially true for our local SEO clients in the Philadelphia area: Like your good old neighborhood store, age explains a great deal of a business's popularity. So, even without ongoing SEO optimization, a site can maintain a high ranking in industries with little competition.

Of course, it is best not to rest on your laurels. A previous optimization campaign might've boosted you to the first page. Without change, though, your website will appear "stale" to Google.

In fact, without change, you essentially create an opening for a new, optimized website to take your place--and perhaps your profits.

How to Update Your Website

Age matters--but age is not enough. If you enjoy a high ranking in a highly competitive industry, you must evolve to face new competition. In the end, content is much more important than age. In this way, it is possible for a new site to beat a site that has benefited from domain age.

For websites old and new, the goal is clear: To maintain a high ranking, you must create dynamic content. 

Read: "How to Build an Optimized Website: Content"

In practice, however, change is not merely about creating dynamic content. Change can also be about refreshing old content and updating your website's data.

Refreshing Old Content 

Even older websites with good traffic, which rank high with a variety of links, can suffer from a decrease in the factors that had once inspired a high ranking--like great content.

As Erin Everhart notes at Search Engine Land: "That old content is probably still ranking well, but it's outdated — technology has changed, new information has been presented, or there's a better way to accomplish the same task."

The key for any website is to find pages that rank well, or once ranked well, and refresh the content in a way that increases the page's current relevance.

To do so, we suggest optimizing for new keywords and re-promoting. 

Updating Your Website's Data

As Matt Cutts says, a "finished" website is a "stale" website.

A fast, appealing site is a great beginning. However, too many small businesses stop at the beginning. Over time, a website that does not update its website data risks losing traffic and rankings.

To meet the demands of today's browser, you must improve your content and your website's underlying structure. A static site will falter. A dynamic site will maintain rankings and increase traffic.

An SEO Company That Understands The Importance of Change: SEO Sparta

To build a useful, fully-optimized website, you need a web development company that understands SEO. SEO Sparta is a rare company that offers a host of SEO and marketing professionals to optimize your website. Call today to learn how you can improve your website's performance: 215-900-9398. 

(Cover Photo Credit)

If you are interested in transforming your website into a money-making tool or are interested in exploring opportunities to outperform your competition, we encourage you to contact SEO SPARTA.

We combine traditional marketing methods and organic SEO--emphasizing natural website optimization--to design thoughtful, inspiring, and effective marketing campaigns.

Contact us