Every second person wants to know about the difference between WWW vs Non-WWW. People want to know about it because of the sole reason SEO and whether it is beneficial to change the URL. In this article, we will learn which is better WWW or non-WWW from the perspective of WordPress SEO.
Before starting, if you are an owner of a small scale business then for you there is not much difference between WWW and non- WWW. This purely depends upon your personal preference. Surely, there is a technical difference that we will discuss further. If confused then you can also take guidance from WordPress Website Design Company as they will let you know which is right for you.
SEO Advantage of WWW vs Non-WWW
You are not having an SEO benefit if you select one over others. According to Google, it’s all about your preference. The important thing is to remain consistent with the one you are choosing for your website.
It states that not change the URL of the website to add or remove WWW. You can tell Google about your choice and then don’t change it. You have to go on the Google Webmaster Tools account and select your website. If your website is not registered with the Google Webmaster tools, then go for it not.
After this, go on the Gear that will appear on the top right corner and then go on the website settings.
When you are on the website settings, simply select the domain you prefer.
However, if you are using the Yoast plug-in for the WordPress SEO then they will set the URL automatically in the website header that will let Google know about the preference. This is all that you have to do.
WWW vs Non-WWW – Technical Difference
When you add WWW as your URL then it will work as a hostname and will assist in flexibility with the DNS. Along with it, it also has access to block the restricted cookies that appear while using several subdomains.
And, when you are using non – WWW then it is stated as naked domains that don’t provide any technical benefit.
When the use of the internet started then it only accepted the WWW URLs that work like subdomain. After some time, users start searching for the websites online without typing the URL “WWW”. The webmaster has noted it and after this, lots of websites have eliminated WWW.
Practically, there is no benefit that you can get over another. It is just a matter of your brand or personal choice. But technically, there is just a minute difference between them that has been discussed above.
Even if there is no difference between them than to the search engine consider both as a different entity.
Advantages and Disadvantages of WWW vs Non-WWW
After, you know about the minor difference between both WWW vs Non-WWW. Now, let’s discuss the pros and cons of both URLs.
Advantage of WWW
This was the only URL that was used by the websites back in that time. This is famous and some people might think of the non – WWW websites as the fake one.
The other advantage that you have is that it will restrict the cookies for the specific subdomain. You might be thinking about how cookies work? Now, let’s assume that you have a website named www.abc.com and when you add the cookies than it goes through several subdomains. So, for suppose if you have the subdomain named x.www.abc.com and z.www.abc.com then they will pass the cookies from both the subdomains.
When you add WWW URL then you have the option to restrict the cookies to your main domains so that there are no other cookies that have to be passed through other subdomains. So, it is advisable that if your website has several subdomains than use the WWW URL so that you can block the cookies.
Another advantage of using WWW for the website is that when you have the subdomains with WWW then they become more flexible with the DNS. This will provide you the way to use the Content Delivery Network without any problem.
Disadvantages of WWW
The only disadvantage that you face with WWW Domains is that your website can be obsolete as most of the people don’t bother typing WWW while searching for the website online.
Advantage of Non – WWW
Non – WWW domain website is much easier to find as you just have to type the website name. This is great if you want to attract direct traffic towards your website.
Along with this, people don’t type WWW while searching for the website online. There might be a time when the WWW domain will be eliminated entirely and the non-WWW will be the only website. However, WWW is the only prefix that is added before your website name apart from it there is no other benefit.
If you don’t use WWW then it will save four characters of spaces and will also save your four bytes of data.
And, if restricting the cookies is not your priority then you should definitely opt for the non – WWW URL.
Disadvantages of Non-WWW
When it comes to the non–WWW domains then there are not many disadvantages with it. But, there is a lack of the advantages that are provided through the WWW domains.
In case, you are opting for the non – a WWW domain then there is no other way that you can restrict the cookies to root the domains. And, it will not be an issue if your subdomains comprise of the hosting images on the same root domain.
Along with it, the non – WWW domains don’t include the CNAME records that will not direct you from one to another server. This is the useful function when your server is overloaded and you want to direct all your traffic to another server. It will not be convenient for the content delivery network to access the non – WWW domains.
When you have the website with the WWW domain then it does have inherent benefit and the non – WWW domains don’t have. However, the advantage is only of use when you have a large website that contains multiple subdomains. If your website is small then it doesn’t matter which domain you use and you can easily use the non – WWW domain.
Which is Better – WWW or Non–WWW?
When talking from the perspective of SEO then there is an advantage of WWW vs Non-WWW and it also improves the performance of the website slightly.
If the performance of your website is improved than it will also have an impact on the performance of the user using the website. Your website will improve the performance from the perspective of SEO.
Therefore, if your website has a WWW domain then it will have a positive and indirect impact on SEO. Although, the impact is not much significant and there will be no major effect of the non – WWW domain.
Also, you can replicate the benefit of the WWW domain with the non-WWW domain through working around. You can do it by using the separate domain for hosting the static content. With this, you can use the function of cookie restriction of a WWW domain not much compulsory.
So, when you are using the non – WWW domain then you can use the function to get the same advantage as that of the WWW domain.
Final Thoughts
If your business is having a large website or you wish to grow your website in the near future then it is recommended to choose the WWW domain. So, that you don’t have to add much complexity to your name and you can also get the technical advantage over it. You can also hire WordPress developer who can guide you to make your WWW Domain website.
But, if you are not having a large website then there is no need for the WWW domain. It is your personal or brand preference whether you want a WWW or non – WWW domain. Practically, there is not much difference between both of them.
Conclusion
The result of WWW vs Non-WWW question is that there is not much of a difference between both of them. But if you go deep then WWW has a bit of technical advantage over the non – WWW websites as it leads to improvement of the performance. Along with it, it can only be beneficial if you have a large website that includes multiple servers and domains.
With the perspective of SEO, the difference is not much but only a little advantage one can get with the WWW websites. So, according to the size of your website you should determine whether you want the WWW or non – WWW website.
But still, if you are confused then it is advisable that you should take guidance from the web design experts. They will guide you properly.
Author’s Bio
Name: Gaurav Saraswat
Designation: SEO Executive
Social Media: Facebook | Linkedin | Twitter
Gaurav Saraswat serves as an Seo executive at leading WordPress Development Company Techno Softwares, You can Hire WordPress Developer from Techno Softwares.