Introduction

I’ve had this question pop up a few times recently, so I decided to write a blog about it. What is the real difference between websites that have www in their URL and websites that don’t have the www? Well, surprisingly not much. For starters, websites that do not have WWW in them are referred to as "Naked domains."

What are the pros and cons of www vs non-www

WWW Pros

1. Better for DNS.
2. Allows you to set cookies.

WWW cons

1. Longer to type in.
2. WWW could become obsolete in the near future.

Non-WWW Pros

1. Quicker and easier to search.
2. Saves a small amount of data having to type in less.
3. A shoter URL is preferred by Google.
4. If you don't need cookies then you can use a non-WWW.

Non-WWW Cons

1. Can't restict cookies.
2. Dont have CNAME records.
3. Cant' redirect from one server to another.
4. Difficult for CDN's.

What are the effects on SEO?

Absolutely, none. There are no known benefits to choosing WWW versus non-WWW. Even Google says that it doesn't prefer one over the other. The most important thing to consider is that you need to be consistent and stick to one preferred URL. To read more what effects your SEO, read my previous blog post.

Not sure which one to use?

There are many top companies out there that prefer one URL over the other.

With WWW

• https://www.tesla.com
• https://www.nasa.gov
• http://www.nampak.com
• https://www.microsoft.com
• https://www.instagram.com

Without WWW

• https://twitter.com
• https://stock.adobe.com
• http://fontawesome.io
• https://za.pinterest.com
• https://laravel.com

Conclusion

So the general conclusion is that you can choose whatever your preference is as long as it is consistent. If you are looking to grow your website or use cookies then go with a WWW URL. If you are looking at a smaller website then go for a non-WWW. There doesn’t seem to be much of a difference in terms of speed or SEO ranking. Personally, I prefer having the URL with www.

Let me know what you think or what your preference is in the comment section below.