Alexa Rank is a metric that measures a website's popularity and traffic, with lower numbers indicating higher rankings. It's calculated based on the number of users who visit a site, as well as the number of pages viewed.
Google PageRank, on the other hand, is a measure of a website's importance, with higher numbers indicating greater authority. It's calculated based on the number and quality of links pointing to a site.
Domain age is a simple yet effective metric that indicates how long a website has been around. A longer domain age can be a good indicator of a site's credibility and trustworthiness.
Checking and Analyzing
To check your domain age, you can use tools like Wayback Machine, which provides an overview of when and how often a website has been crawled.
This information can give you an idea of what the domain has been used for over time, and you can even access archived versions of each crawl.
Wayback Machine's archived versions can be a valuable resource for understanding your domain's history and potential changes in its usage over time.
How to Check My Alexa Rank
To check your Alexa rank, you can use the Alexa website or tool.
Alexa is a website that provides information on the traffic and ranking of other websites, including yours.
The Alexa tool allows you to see your website's global rank, which is based on how many people visit your site and how often they visit.
You can also use the Wayback Machine to see how your website's traffic and ranking have changed over time.
However, keep in mind that Alexa's rankings are not always 100% accurate, so it's always a good idea to cross-check with other tools and metrics.
Analyzing Website Potential
To get an idea of a website's age, you can use tools like Wayback Machine, which gives you an overview of when and how often a website has been crawled.
The Wayback Machine also allows you to access archived versions of each crawl, giving you an idea of what the domain has been used for over time.
Google PageRank is a more complex measure of a website's importance, considering the number and quality of links pointing to a website and the quality of the website's content.
A high PageRank indicates that a website is an authority on its subject matter or topic, but it's not a metric that's often used in SEO strategy planning and reports.
A good Alexa Rank is a good indication of how popular a website is, but it's independent of Google, so there is no direct correlation between Google Rankings and Alexa Rankings.
To see if your website has been indexed by Google, use the search modifier 'site:' when searching on Google.
Here's a rough estimate of how long it takes to achieve certain SEO milestones:
- Crawled: within hours of setting up Google Search Console and submitting the website
- Indexed: within days of being crawled
- Ranking for branded phrases: within two weeks of indexing
- Ranking for low-competition long-tail phrases: within a month
- Ranking for high competition phrases: at least 3 years of SEO effort
SEO and Rankings
Using an older domain can be advantageous, as it may have an established online profile, user loyalty, and web content developed over many years.
Google has probably crawled an older domain many times, making it more trustworthy, especially if the website has external links.
Google PageRank is a measure of a website's importance, considering the number and quality of links pointing to it and the quality of its content.
A high PageRank indicates a website is an authority on its subject matter or topic.
You can check your site's Google PageRank, but it's rarely mentioned in SEO strategy planning and reports.
A new website can be crawled by Google within hours if you set up Google Search Console and submit it.
Indexing should happen within days of crawling, as long as there are no issues.
To see if your website has been indexed, use the search modifier 'site:' when searching on Google.
A website is ranked on Google if it shows up on any search results page, even if it's not on the first page.
Branded searches, specific phrases that directly relate to your company's name or products, can rank within two weeks of indexing.
Low-competition long-tail phrases, such as "Mexican restaurant on Main Street in Stockton, California", can rank within a month.
However, high-competition phrases, like "Nike running shoes", require significant effort over a long time, at least 3 years, to rank.
Alexa rank is a good indicator of how popular a website is, but it's independent of Google, so there's no direct correlation between Google Rankings and Alexa Rankings.
Here's a rough estimate of how long it takes to rank for different types of search phrases:
- Branded searches: 2 weeks
- Low-competition long-tail phrases: 1 month
- High-competition phrases: at least 3 years
Red Flags and Risks
Red flags are everywhere, but they're not always easy to spot. Cybersquatters register numerous domains each year, waiting to make a quick profit by selling them.
Be cautious of domains with a dubious history, as they may have been used by scammers, flagged by law enforcement, or banned by Google for breaching their standards. This can lead to a major uphill SEO battle.
Use tools like Ahrefs.com to do a backlink audit and see who is linking to the website. If there are shady domains linking to it, stay away from purchasing that domain.
Purchasing Risks
Cybersquatters register numerous domains each year in the hope to make money by selling them.
There are plenty of domains out there that have never been attached to a website at all but are instead waiting to be bought and utilised.
Domains with a dubious history attached can be a major risk, having been used by scammers, flagged by law enforcement, or banned by Google for breaching their standards.
You should do your due diligence on what the domain was used for previously, and determine if you feel the domain may have ever been penalized by Google.
Chances are you could be in for a major uphill SEO battle if the website did previously have a penalty.
Use tools like Ahrefs.com to do a backlink audit and see who is linking to the website, and stay away from purchasing that domain if there are shady domains linking to it.
The Wayback Machine can be used to see what the previous website looked like that was on the domain, and if the website focused on the same topic you plan to focus on, that will make a big difference in your potential success.
Getting a bad domain, even if it has age, can set you back more than a brand new domain would.
The Claim
The Claim is a common misconception that can lead to unnecessary risks. Domain age is not a direct ranking factor for Google.
Google considers the length of time a domain has been in its index, not just the registration date. This means that even if you registered a domain years ago, it won't automatically get a boost in search rankings.
Here's a simple example to illustrate this point: if you registered two domains, one in 2010 and the other in 2020, and neither has been used to publish content, Google will still consider the older domain as "stronger" just because of its registration date.
This can be a red flag if you're considering buying an older domain, as its age alone may not guarantee better search rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is domain age a ranking factor?
Domain age itself is not a direct ranking factor, but an older domain can have an advantage due to accumulated backlinks and content.
Is Alexa rank still used?
No, Alexa rank is no longer available as Amazon discontinued its production on May 1st, 2022. Users are now seeking alternative tools to track website rankings and traffic.
Does Google still use PageRank?
Yes, Google still uses PageRank as a ranking signal, although it's not a publicly accessible metric. According to Google's Senior Webmaster Trends Analyst, John Mueller, PageRank remains an important factor in their algorithms.
Sources
- https://www.energise.co.nz/blog/google/domain-name-age-google-ranking/
- https://leapoutdigital.com/domain-age-alexa-rank-and-google-pagerank-old-and-faded-seo-benchmarking-metrics/
- https://www.searchenginejournal.com/ranking-factors/domain-age/
- https://delante.co/does-domain-age-affect-seo-analysis/
- https://www.outerboxdesign.com/search-marketing/seo-tips/domain-name-age-seo-importance
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