URL Age In Days reports how old the result URL is, in days, using a WHOIS-derived age supplied for that URL. It is an observation of history, not something you can manufacture — and a value of 0 can mean either a brand-new URL or simply unavailable age data.
| Factor ID | RG-URL-002 |
|---|---|
| Family | Off-Page URL History |
| Measurement | API-provided days (integer) |
| Measured zone | Exact result URL |
What it measures
This factor reports the URL age in days supplied for the result. The implementation describes the value as WHOIS-derived, so it reflects the recorded history of the specific result URL rather than any on-page content. Older URLs return larger day counts; newly seen or undated URLs return 0.
How RankGear measures it
RankGear reads the optional SearchResult.urlAgeDays integer for each result and returns it directly. When that field is absent, the factor returns 0 — so a missing value and a genuinely new URL both surface as the same number.
| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0 | A new URL, or age data was not available from the provider. |
| > 0 | The number of days of recorded history for the exact result URL. |
How to optimize it
Treat this as an observation, not a target. Age itself cannot be created without time. The practical work is preservation: keep stable, useful URLs live, and migrate them only when genuinely necessary — and when you do migrate, carry the history forward with correct 301 redirects, canonical tags, updated internal links, and refreshed sitemaps so the URL’s lineage stays intact.
Important considerations
- A value of 0 can mean a new URL or unavailable age data — do not read it as a definitive “zero days old.”
- Domain registration age and a specific page URL’s history are not always the same concept; this factor measures the result URL.
- Provider methods and historical coverage can vary, so the same URL may be dated differently across sources or over time.
- Do not keep poor content or architecture merely to preserve an age value.
- This is a prioritization signal that relates to position within a measured result set; a higher age does not cause a page to rank and guarantees nothing.
Related factors
Part of the Factors reference · how RankGear measures · glossary.