Google Says Private Registration Won't Hurt Your Search Rankings

September 6th, 2008 | 1,696 Views RSS Feed

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The Private Domain Registration & Google Dilemma – Is it A Boon Or A Bane?

The Search Engine Roundtable scoop has drawn our attention towards the fix situation that is faced by the majority of online marketers regrading the registration process of their domain names. Jim Boykin's Blog post is still very pertinent in this context today as the number of web scammers trying to make money out of the domain name scam seems to be ever increasing.

The dilemma between leaving one's domain name exposed with all the identifying information or getting it privately registered is causing considerable worry, as many feel that private registration of domain names will have a negative impact on their search engine rankings. Google, however, negates this assumption, affirming that it won't.

The Search Engine Roundtable post quotes,

"According to JohnMu, it typically doesn't impact rankings, so you need not worry if you are already implementing it. However, if you're a business, why would you hide your identifying information? What does that say about your company? What happens if your web site gets hacked and there's no obvious or working contact form on your site? It'll be hard to get reached by Google or someone else who stumbles upon your site in that case. Thus, while it's a hassle at times to have to worry about your identifying information, losing your rankings altogether due to intrusions can be a lot more costly to your business".

"Also, JohnMu suggests that you list valid contact information in your domain. This is actually required by the ICANN, not by Google".

The best way to secure yourself from the risk of losing your domain name entirely would essentially be by updating your domain name with all the recent and valid information.

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Comments

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526711 Responses2008-09-06+10%3A39%3A03Navneet+Kaushal to “Google Says Private Registration Won't Hurt Your Search Rankings”

Vygantas Says:
September 6th, 2008 at 06:25
Yes, that just doesn't make any sense. I am wondering if anyone at all thought that it affects rankings ;o
Singapore SEO Says:
September 6th, 2008 at 11:37
I do agree that if you are running a business, naturally you should include visible contact details on your whois records. This decision should not have any associations with SEO value, it is the business's credibility in sharing its corporate contact details.
Overture SEO Says:
September 6th, 2008 at 15:49
It costs extra to get private registration. I would think the only ones to purchase it would be adult and gaming sites.
Vygantas Says:
September 7th, 2008 at 01:39
It doesn't in lotosus.com
Niche Traffic Tips Says:
September 7th, 2008 at 03:37
With the recent ssurge in incidence of website hacking, i think private domain registrations is something that is to be seriously considered.

Yes it costs a little more money but any good online marketer can recoup the cost within a few days
Ahsan Says:
September 8th, 2008 at 01:15
Private registration is a blessing for those who want to post politically critical content on their sites. It gives them a lot of safety. Those living in USA will know this.
Lenen Says:
September 8th, 2008 at 06:17
Why would anyone think a private registration influenced rankings? If you run a legitimate business, you should never hide your contact information.
Peter Monroe Says:
September 8th, 2008 at 10:37
While I see no issue with being relatively anonymous on the web, I also would rather see contact detail on a website if, in fact, I were going to purchase something from them. Not having contact details makes me untrustful.
Andy Bush Says:
April 5th, 2009 at 16:26
I buy private domain registration at http://www.yohost.org Very good service and I did not notice that the rankings of my websites in google are hurt.
Dale Knight Says:
April 27th, 2009 at 13:04
I always choose offshore private registration for my domains. Check out this regustry:
http://yohost.org/domain-registration-private.html
Sell My Number Plate Says:
January 23rd, 2010 at 16:09
Got to agree with this, especially with China's recent attacks on Google Gmail Accounts! I'm glad it doesn't hurt rankings, but I also don't see any reason for private registration to be honest, as has been said, any legitimate business shouldn't feel the need to hide behind a website.