Google’s search advocate John Mueller answers whether your domain extension will affect SEO, and other questions related to the search impact of domain selection.
These questions are answered in the latest installment of the Ask Googlebot video series on YouTube.
Mueller solves the problems related to the comparison between .com and other domain extensions, gTLD and ccTLD, www and non-www.
Below are all the questions answered in the video, as well as Mueller’s complete response.
Are .Com domain names better?
The first problem is one of the most common, especially among people who register a domain for the first time.
Is the .com domain better than other domains?
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The person who submitted the question also asked if a newer extension, such as the .space domain, can be used.
Mueller said:
“Of course, go. In terms of SEO, the newer top-level domains (TLDs) are equivalent to other generic top-level domains, such as .com. Choose what you like, and now there are many options.”
WWW or non-WWW domain?
Use a better World Wide Web or Non-www Version of the domain name?
Mueller said:
“You can use whatever you like. Google’s system does not have any preference. Sometimes there are technical reasons for using one or the other, but usually it’s just a matter of your personal preference.”
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Rel=Canonical on different domain types
Can it be used rel=norm Link elements across different TLDs? For example, gTLD (generic top-level domain) and ccTLD (country code top-level domain).
Mueller said:
“Yes, you can do this. rel=canonical link elements are not limited to the same domain name.”
Country-specific domain name extensions for global websites
Can ccTLD be used on global websites?
Mueller said:
“The answer is yes. Although the country code domain name helps our system to geolocate the country, it still allows global visibility.
The only restriction is that you can’t specify another country for geographic targeting. For example, if you have a .fr website for France, you can use it globally. But you won’t be able to explicitly geolocate users in Brazil. “
Check out the full video from Google below:
Featured image: Taken from YouTube.com/GoogleSearchCentral, January 2022.
