To WWW or Not to WWW: Which is Better for Your Website?

One of the common questions that webmasters and website owners face is whether to use a www or a non-www prefix for their domain name. For example, should you use www.example.com or example.com for your website? Does it make any difference in terms of SEO, usability, and performance? In this article, we will explore the pros and cons of using www or non-www for your website, and help you decide which one is better for your situation.

What is WWW and Non-WWW?

WWW stands for World Wide Web, which is the system of interlinked hypertext documents that can be accessed via the Internet. WWW is also used as a subdomain for many websites, such as www.example.com. A subdomain is a prefix that is added before the main domain name, and can be used to separate different sections or services of a website. For example, blog.example.com or shop.example.com are subdomains of example.com.

Non-WWW, on the other hand, is the root domain name without any subdomain prefix, such as example.com. Non-WWW is also known as a naked domain or a bare domain, as it does not have any additional characters before the main domain name.

Pros and Cons of WWW and Non-WWW

There are advantages and disadvantages of using WWW or Non-WWW for your website, depending on various factors such as technical, aesthetic, and practical aspects. Here are some of the pros and cons of each option:

Pros of WWW:
  • WWW is more technically accurate and consistent, as it indicates that the website is part of the World Wide Web, and distinguishes it from other protocols such as mail or FTP.
  • WWW allows more flexibility and control over the DNS settings of the website, as it can be configured using a CNAME record, which can be updated and changed instantly, unlike an A record, which is fixed and can take longer to propagate.
  • WWW can prevent cookie and storage issues, as a cookie, sessionStorage, or localStorage value set for a WWW domain is not shared with other subdomains. This can improve the security and performance of the website, as it reduces the risk of data leakage and unnecessary data transmission.
  • WWW is more compatible and reliable with some applications and services, such as email clients and word processors, which automatically transform text to links. WWW can also avoid some potential conflicts and errors with some web servers and browsers.
Cons of WWW:
  • WWW is more verbose and redundant, as it adds three extra characters to the domain name, which can make it longer and harder to remember, type, and fit in smaller interfaces.
  • WWW is less fashionable and modern, as many new and popular websites, especially those targeting tech-savvy audiences, are opting to drop the WWW prefix and use a non-WWW domain name.
Pros of Non-WWW:
  • Non-WWW is more concise and simple, as it removes three unnecessary characters from the domain name, which can make it shorter and easier to remember, type, and fit in smaller interfaces.
  • Non-WWW is more trendy and stylish, as many new and popular websites, especially those targeting tech-savvy audiences, are opting to use a non-WWW domain name and follow the web fashion.
Cons of Non-WWW:
  • Non-WWW is less technically accurate and consistent, as it does not indicate that the website is part of the World Wide Web, and does not distinguish it from other protocols such as mail or FTP.
  • Non-WWW allows less flexibility and control over the DNS settings of the website, as it requires an A record, which is fixed and can take longer to propagate, unlike a CNAME record, which can be updated and changed instantly.
  • Non-WWW can cause cookie and storage issues, as a cookie, sessionStorage, or localStorage value set for a non-WWW domain is shared with all subdomains. This can affect the security and performance of the website, as it increases the risk of data leakage and unnecessary data transmission.
  • Non-WWW is less compatible and reliable with some applications and services, such as email clients and word processors, which automatically transform text to links. Non-WWW can also encounter some potential conflicts and errors with some web servers and browsers.

Which One is Better for Your Website?

There is no definitive answer to which one is better for your website, as it depends on your personal preference, your target audience, your website's purpose, and your technical requirements. However, here are some general guidelines to help you decide:

  • If you have a simple and static website, with no subdomains, no cookies, and no storage, you can use either WWW or Non-WWW, as it does not make much difference in terms of technical aspects. You can choose based on your aesthetic and practical preferences, such as whether you want a shorter or a longer domain name, or whether you want to follow the web fashion or not.
  • If you have a complex and dynamic website, with subdomains, cookies, and storage, you may want to use WWW, as it can give you more flexibility and control over the DNS settings, and prevent cookie and storage issues. You can also use WWW if you want to be more technically accurate and consistent, and avoid some potential compatibility and reliability issues with some applications and services.
  • If you have a hybrid website, with some subdomains, some cookies, and some storage, you may want to use Non-WWW, as it can give you a shorter and simpler domain name, and follow the web fashion. You can also use Non-WWW if you want to be more concise and simple, and avoid some potential verbosity and redundancy issues with some applications and services.

However, regardless of which option you choose, the most important thing is to be consistent and decisive. Choose one version of your website's address, either with or without WWW, and use it everywhere. The other version should redirect to the one you use, using a 301 permanent redirect. This will ensure that Google and other search engines only see one version of your website, and avoid any duplicate content or ranking issues. You can also set your preferred domain in Google Search Console, which will tell Google which version of your website you want to appear in the search results.

Conclusion

In conclusion, using WWW or non-WWW for your website is a matter of personal choice, depending on various factors such as technical, aesthetic, and practical aspects. There are pros and cons of each option, and you should weigh them carefully before making a decision. However, once you make a decision, you should stick to it and be consistent, and use a 301 redirect and Google Search Console to tell Google and other search engines which version of your website you want to use. This way, you can optimize your website's performance, usability, and SEO.