From time to time, users ask us about the differences between site URLs with the www prefix and URLs that do not include www.
People usually want to know which is better for SEO purposes in search engines, and whether they should change their site address accordingly.
In this article we will help you understand the differences between a site address with www and one without www, and which is better for the SEO of your WordPress site.
Before we begin: for the average user and small business owner, there is no difference between the two types of addresses mentioned above; it is purely a personal preference.
It is true that there is a technical difference between them, which we will expand on later in the article, but for most people it is not significant at all.
Website URL with WWW vs. website URL without WWW – SEO advantages
There are no SEO advantages when considering either of the two options. Google also states that the choice depends on your preference.
It is important that you stay consistent with the method you choose once you launch your site.
In other words, to change your site's URL in order to add or remove the www.
You can let Google know about your personal preference and they will respect it.
How do you let Google know your personal preference?
The first option is to log in to yourGoogle Webmaster Tools (Google's webmaster tool) and click on your site.
If you have not yet added your site to Google Webmaster tools, now is the time to start.
Next, click the gear icon at the top right corner of the screen and select Site Settings.
On the site settings screen, simply choose the preferred domain.
Alternatively,
If you are using the plugin WordPress SEO by Yoast, it will automatically set a canonical URL in the header of your site, which will let Google know about your personal choice.
That is all you need to do.
Before you even think of asking – yes, we use www on the uPress site, but that was our personal preference.
This does not mean it is the right or the more recommended way. It is just a personal choice.
Technical differences between an address with WWW and an address without WWW
When you add www to your site's address, it acts as a hostname,
something that can help with DNS flexibility, with the ability to restrict cookies when using multiple subdomains, and more,
whereas URLs without www are also treated as naked domains, which have no technical advantage.
We hope we succeeded in explaining in this article the differences between a site address with WWW and a site address without WWW.
