How to Determine the Age and Registration Date of a Domain or Website

The age of a domain and website are crucial metrics for website owners, SEO specialists, and users who value reliability in online resources. These factors help assess how long a site has existed and how authoritative it may be for users and search engines. In this article, we’ll explain how to check the age of a domain and website and clarify the difference between these metrics.

What Are Domain and Website Age?

The age of a domain and the age of a website are distinct parameters.

Domain age is calculated from the date the domain was first registered, marking its existence on the internet.

Website age, on the other hand, refers to when a site was first published on the domain, meaning when the initial active content appeared.

For example, a domain might have been registered in 2015, but a website was only created on it in 2018. In this case, the domain’s age would be counted from 2015, while the website’s age would begin in 2018.

Why Is It Important to Know the Age of the Domain and Website?

Understanding the age of a domain and website is critical because it impacts its reputation in search engines and the trust of users. Older domains and websites often rank higher in search results since they are considered more reliable and authoritative. Additionally, domains with a long history and older websites tend to gain greater trust from users, making them more appealing to potential partners and clients.

How to Check a Domain’s Registration Date?

To find a domain’s registration date use Whois and follow these steps:

1. Go to a website offering Whois lookup services, such as who.is.
2. Enter the domain you’re interested in and click the search button or press Enter.
3. In the retrieved information, locate the «created» field. This will show the date when the domain was first registered.

Once you know the domain’s registration date, calculating its age is simple, subtract the registration date from the current date.

How to Check a Website’s Age?

One of the easiest ways to find out when a website was created is to check its footer. Website owners often include the year of the site’s creation at the bottom of the page. However, this method may not always be accurate, as the date might not have been updated.

If the footer doesn’t provide reliable information, try contacting the website administrator. Reaching out to the admin can give you accurate details about the domain’s registration and the website’s age. You can typically find contact details on pages like «Contact Us» or «About Us».

If neither of these methods yields results, you can use the Wayback Machine. This online archive saves snapshots of websites from different periods. It helps you view how a site appeared in the past and estimate its approximate age. Enter the domain into the search field, click the search button, and after a few seconds, a graph will display the number of saved snapshots by year. The earliest available year indicates the first recorded version.

Conclusion

Now you know how to determine the age of a domain and a website and understand why this information is so valuable. Website age is just one of many factors influencing a site’s reputation on the internet, but it plays a significant role. Keep in mind that older doesn’t always mean better and vice versa. When analyzing any online resource, it’s essential to consider multiple factors, with domain age being just one piece of the puzzle.

FAQ

How is domain age-related to its ranking in search engines?

Domain age is one of the factors search engines use when ranking websites. Generally, older domains have more history and authority in the eyes of search engines. However, it’s not the sole or most important factor. Content quality, backlinks, user experience, and other parameters play a much bigger role.

Can domain age be falsified?

Technically, it’s possible to register a domain and then alter its creation date, but this practice is not recommended. Search engines have sophisticated algorithms to detect such manipulations. Falsifying domain age can also lead to penalties from search engines.

Can a domain’s age be older than a website’s age?

No, a domain’s age cannot be older than a website’s age. A domain must be registered before a website can be created on it, as the domain serves as the website’s address on the internet.

What other information about a domain can be obtained using Whois?

Whois provides various details about a domain, including its registration date, expiration date, last update date, and the name of the registrar. It can also reveal contact information for the domain owner, administrator, and technical support, although this information may be hidden if private registration is used.