i could've sworn i read some blog somewhere that Google likes to see that a domain is registered into the future for a length of time vs. one that's going to expire next year presuming they prefer to index something that's more likely to be around more than a year. i just renewed a new domain for 10 years. if the site fails or not, i got the 8 year extension for only $60.
a year by year extension shows lack of confidence and lack of commitment - a domain name registration way into the future shows solid long time commitment. long time commitment is an essential factor for true and lasting success. and YES I have seen similar statement somewhere in SEO blogs or news about G's preference for long time site registration. it all would make sense.
I wouldnt go crazy and pay it up for the next twenty years or anything like that but will always go for 2 years at least and also set to auto renew if it is available.
I just renewed a domain for one of my sites today and saw a bump in SE rank from #14 to #6. Could be a coincidence, your results may vary...
I read about this on websitegrader.com, by the way. Punch in your url and they analyze your site & give some good tips for improvement.
Interesting I had not heard that before, I might renew a domain a few years in advance and see what happens though I would differ on this making sense, as would it not benefit the domain registerys more to have people renewing for short periods of time as this generates them more money, though I do not know of the major search engines being connected to domain registrys but, just a thought.