TL;DR: Google’s guidance doesn’t say either version ranks better. What matters is that your site answers on one version only, with the other permanently redirected to it. If your site already works on one version, leave it alone. If it loads on both, fixing that is the job.
Does it matter whether I use www?
Google’s documentation doesn’t say that either version ranks better. Its guidance on duplicate URLs gives a www address as one of several ways a page might be reached, and tells you to pick one as your canonical URL and use redirects to send traffic from the others to it. It does not compare the two versions for rankings.
So treat it as a branding and practicality choice. Some businesses like the shorter address without www, others prefer how www looks. Google’s guidance gives no sign that either helps or hurts rankings.
Which one should I pick?
For most businesses, we recommend keeping whichever version your site already uses. Google’s guidance gives no reason to expect a switch to help, and it turns a tidy-up into a site move, which is more work and more risk than it is worth.
On a new site, either is fine. Pick the one you prefer, then ask your host or developer to confirm your setup supports it and can redirect the other version cleanly. If it can’t, that is a good reason to pick the other one.
Why a site that loads on both versions is the real problem
https://www.example.com/page and https://example.com/page are different addresses. If both load the same page, Google has to work out which one to show. Google says choosing a canonical URL helps it consolidate the signals it has for each address, makes it easier for you to get consolidated metrics for a piece of content, and avoids spending crawling time on duplicate pages. If you don’t choose, Google will pick one for you, and it may not be the one you would have chosen. Google says most sites will be fine if you don’t choose, but choosing removes the guesswork and keeps your reporting in one place.
There are three main ways to tell Google which address you prefer. Google calls redirects and rel=”canonical” tags strong signals, and a sitemap entry a weak one. We would start with the redirect, because it also takes visitors to the right place, and use canonical tags and your sitemap to back it up.
How to check which version your site uses
Type your address into a browser in each of the ways below, then repeat with an inner page such as a blog post. In every case, you should end up on the same final address.
| What to test | What you want to see | What a problem looks like |
| Your homepage with and without www | Both end up on the same address | Both load, each on its own address |
| Each of those as http:// and https:// | All four end up on the same https address | One or more loads without redirecting |
| An inner page with and without www | Both end up on the same address as the homepage test | The homepage redirects but other pages do not |
| A few pages in Search Console’s URL Inspection tool | The Google-selected canonical is the version you chose | Google has picked the version you redirect away from |
Browsers may try https first, or switch http to https for sites that have asked them to (known as HSTS), which can hide a missing server redirect, so treat a clean result as a good sign rather than proof. To be certain, ask your developer or SEO to check what each address returns: it should be a permanent redirect (a 301 or 308) straight to your chosen address. In URL Inspection, the Google-selected canonical field shows which address Google chose for a page it has indexed.
When a client launched a new website, the developers dropped the www. from the URL but didn’t redirect the old version. Our technical audit and Google Search Console data showed that about half the crawl budget was going to the wrong URLs, because the whole site was duplicated. The internal links still pointed to the www. version too, so users who arrived on the correct site were sent to the wrong one as soon as they clicked a link. We updated every internal link across the site, added redirects, and ran repeated checks to make sure every link worked. – Jamie Stowe, Senior SEO Account Manager
Top Tip: Test an inner page, not just your homepage. Add or remove the www on the address of a blog post or service page and see where you land. A redirect rule that only covers the homepage leaves every other page loading on both versions, and a homepage-only check will miss it.
How to set the redirect safely
- Choose your version and confirm your host supports it, as above.
- Set up permanent server-side redirects from the other version to the matching page on your chosen version, not to the homepage. For site moves, Google recommends server-side permanent redirects where technically possible, and says a permanent redirect shows the new target in search results, while a temporary one shows the source page.
- Send each address straight to the final one in a single step, including the move to https, rather than through a chain of redirects. That is our recommendation rather than a Google requirement.
- Update everything you control to the chosen version: internal links, canonical tags, your sitemap, and profiles such as Google Business Profile and social accounts. Our guide to formatting URLs for SEO covers the HTTPS and canonical side in more detail.
- Make sure Search Console covers every version. A Domain property covers www, non-www, other subdomains and both http and https, but needs DNS verification. A URL-prefix property covers only the exact address you enter, so each version and each protocol needs its own. Google also says to verify all variants of the old and new sites when you move a site.
Google says you don’t need its Change of Address tool when switching between www and non-www on the same domain.
What if I want to switch an established site?
Treat it as a site move. Google says a small to medium-sized site can take a few weeks for most pages to move and larger sites take longer, and that redirects should stay in place for as long as possible, generally at least a year. We can’t promise a switch won’t move anything, so we would only do it for a clear reason, such as a rebrand or a platform change.
Common mistakes
- Redirecting every page to the homepage. Each page should go to its equivalent on the chosen version. Our guide to 301 redirects covers when a redirect is the right call and what to avoid.
- Using a temporary redirect, which Google says shows the source page in search results rather than the target.
- Sending mixed signals, such as redirecting to the non-www version while canonical tags or the sitemap still list the www one.
- Taking the redirects out after a few weeks. Google suggests keeping them for at least a year.
- Using a URL-prefix property for only one version in Search Console, so you can’t see what is happening on the other.
When a site loads on both www. and non-www., users usually can’t tell the difference. That makes the problem easy to miss, and it can stop contact forms and other features from working properly. Google may also crawl both versions, which wastes crawl budget and creates duplicate content and cannibalisation.
Choosing www. or non-www. only matters for branding, but you need to pick one and stick with it. Redirect every page on the other version, then crawl your internal links with a tool like Screaming Frog and fix any that are wrong. Check your social profiles and Google Business Profile as well, because they’re often where the wrong links come from. – Jamie Stowe, Senior SEO Account Manager
FAQs
Will switching between www and non-www hurt my rankings?
We can’t promise it won’t, which is why we only recommend switching for a clear reason. Redirect every page to its equivalent and allow a few weeks for most pages to move, as covered above.
Do I need to tell Google I have switched?
Not with the Change of Address tool, which Google says you don’t need for a www to non-www switch on the same domain. Do make sure Search Console covers every version and your redirects are live.
How Wildcat Handles This
A site answering on both versions is the kind of problem a technical SEO audit is there to find. Our technical SEO service starts with an audit early in a campaign to gauge the health of your website, and our guide to technical SEO audits covers redirects, canonical tags and URL checks.
Our service page notes that how a redirect is set up depends on your CMS, and that the server itself is usually the most efficient place to add one. If you would like us to look at which version your site serves, you can book a free consultation with our team.
Jamie Stowe
Senior SEO Account Manager
