How Does Domain Registration Time Length affect your Search Engine Optimization? Will it improve the ranking or hurt it? Well, Google will never stop looking for ways on how to weed up the spammers from legitimate websites. It holds true that one of the ways Google defines "legitimate" good site verses the "illegitimate" spammy site, from how committed a website in terms of its registration length.
The theory behind this is that when a person has registered their site for a longer period, at least 5 to 10 years, this gives the implication that they are serious and legitimate. While, if a person just registered the domain for only six months or a year, this will give the impression that the user will only be using the site for short-term purposes. Since Google's ultimate goal is to provide users with the best possible results, it would not make sense to them to display a website that may only be online for under a year.
Does a longer registration time actually help SEO?
There are more than several items that help or hurt a website's SEO online ranking. A lengthy registration time will help in a positive way, but it will not be the only factor considered when ranking your site.
What if my site expires? Can someone else "steal" it?
YES. While we are discussing domain length, remember to mark your calendar whenever the domain may expire or when you should renew for a longer term. Competitors easily can check when your domain expires and could be watching for a chance to register it and take it into their custody.
Remember, domain registration period is only one factor out of many that Google considers when ranking your website.
