SEO tidbit – domain age and registration term impact on search results rank

For a some time it has been known that Google’s patents includes factoring the continuous age of a site’s domain name and the remaining term of its registration period. But what is a little more obscure is if Google actually used it, how and what weight they give to it. Some SEO people say not much, others say it is an important factor.

Well it does in fact help in enhancing your search results and here is how. According to a tech staff training reportedly provided by Google to the largest domain register in the US.

1) If a domain is older than 5 years it is given 35 points. If the domain is older than 10 years it is given another 35 points.

2) If a domain has over 5 years remaining in its current registration period it is give an additional 35 points. And if the domain has over 9 years remaining (the max time a domain can be paid for is ten years) it is given another 35 points.

So what this means is there a potential to have as much as 70 additional points for your domain if you want to pay for 10 years of registration. And if you have had your domain for over 5 years you have another advantage over your newer competitors.

Unfortunately, while we know this “ingredient” in Google’s secret formula, no one is telling how mach of the weight these few points make up. So its importance is still open to debate, but it does help and only takes a few easy moments to obtain some of this off-page SEO advantage.

My recommendation … if you can afford it pay your registration as far in advance as is possible and keep your website under your oldest domain name.