The difference between a WWW and non-WWW domain

Some domains begin with WWW, while others don't. Most people who notice this start comparing the two. Which is better for SEO: a domain with WWW or one without? If you're starting a new website, should you choose a domain with WWW or without? We'll MONA Media share the comparison of the two domain types below. We hope the differences, pros and cons help you plan the best direction for your website.

What is WWW?

Ever wondered what the www in the domains of every website means? It stands for the three English words “world wide web”. The term refers to the system of web pages on the global internet: documents stored and transmitted over the world wide web, a vast system run by servers.

This server system stores content, images, audio, video and more. Each file of information is held in a URL. As the internet grew, many websites dropped www from their domains. Even so, if you add www to those URLs, you still reach the page you're looking for.

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The difference between domains with and without WWW

Domains with and without www differ in some basic ways: in appearance, in how Google identifies them, and in part in technical setup. We'll walk you through the differences below.

Differences in appearance

In appearance, the two differ in a basic way. Specifically:

A domain with www displays like this:

• https://www.domain.vn
• https://www.domain.vn

A domain without www displays in this format:

• https://domain.vn
• https://domain.vn

With a www domain it's easier to add subdomains. Say your domain is www.abc123.vn. You can take mgs.abc123.vn as a subdomain, and it's easy to tell the subdomain from the main domain.

Differences in how Google identifies them

Google's algorithms currently treat the http:// and http://www forms of a domain as two different websites. So whether you want www or not, you have to settle it from the start. Adding or removing it later causes trouble, and doing so also greatly affects your SEO rankings.

Technical differences

A domain without www is often called a naked domain. Domains with www can act as a hostname. With a non-www domain it is harder to attach subdomains. A domain with www makes it easier to create subdomains.

However, searching for websites without typing www is now the more popular habit. So many SEOs and administrators are removing www from their domains.

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Pros and cons of WWW and non-WWW

Having WWW or not comes with different pros and cons. We'll walk you through the advantages and disadvantages of both domain formats.

Pros and cons of a domain with WWW

• This is the most common way to name a domain today. It makes it easier to set cookies for your specific www subdomain.
• You can control cookie use precisely for each domain.
• Having www also makes subdomains more flexible. Distributing content and creating sub-sites is usually easier to recognize and manage.

On the downside, www can make a domain feel outdated. It looks old and long-established. Sophisticated people who know websites well will notice this.

Pros and cons of domains without www

• Domains without www are easy to remember and type. Users find them more easily, which can bring in more traffic than sites with www.
• A domain without www is the modern trend. You drop 4 unneeded characters and may save 4 bytes of data in hosting bandwidth.
• Websites today also tend not to need to restrict their cookies. So non-www domains have the advantage.
• Notably, a domain without www has no CNAME record. You can redirect traffic from one server to another more easily. When traffic is heavy and bandwidth runs into trouble, it is easier to distribute content.

No downside has been seen so far for domains without www. Only people who restrict cookies to the root domain would notice one.

So which type of domain should you choose?

Which is better: a domain with or without WWW? Is this your final question when building a website and setting up your domain? From an SEO angle, a domain with www has a slight edge over one without. But the edge is not large. Better user experience performance still comes from domains without www.

Although a www domain can create many subdomains, you can still use a separate domain to hold content if your domain has no www. For SEO the two differ, but not by much. You can choose either format based on your preference and how you plan to grow your website.

For a large website, choose a domain with www. For a small domain, www is unnecessary. We have analyzed the meaning, differences, pros and cons of the two. Based on your purpose and this information, you can pick the version that suits you.

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TAKE A LOOK domain registration service at MONA Media – a provider of reputable, professional domains and leading in the market. If you're unsure which domain to choose, or you already own a domain and want to transfer your domain to MONA as your provider, then CONTACT US with us. The experts at MONA are always ready to help ADVISE and ANSWER all your questions 24/7.

Tips for choosing a domain with or without WWW

Whether to choose a domain with or without www is each person's call. Still, keep these 3 points in mind.

• Choose the www or non-www form from the start. Changing later takes a lot of time and technical work, and the SEO results you have already built will be affected.
• Once you've chosen with or without www, let Google and other search engines know your choice.
• Stay consistent and use the domain you chose. This keeps your internal and external links consistent. A change would break your earlier links completely. Think carefully about which format to choose.

Domains with and without www from an SEO point of view have no big difference. Technically, a domain with www improves site performance. A domain without www is easier to remember and reach and improves user experience.

If you still have questions about domains with and without www that this article hasn't fully answered, please contact MONA Media. We specialize in web design, and take responsibility for hosting, domains, SEO services with a guarantee… With years of experience, we can advise you better on whether your website domain should have www or not.

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• Hotline: 1900 636 648
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