Which site to promote

[mitch294]

I have a site on 123-reg. It has the [www...] and non www versions. Unfortunately, the very basic site template of that site does not permit a proper re-direct from one site to the other, so I am left with the dreaded mirror site problem. Not good, but anyway. Which version should I promote? I started by promoting the www. version for linking purposes, but the non www. version seems to have taken over in the rankings, and the www. version has dropped off the radar.

Am I aloud to mention the website here, or is it strictly forbidden? Do I need to resbumit all of my links but without the www. wording, as the linking structure relates to what is effectively a different address? I'm worried that if I don't deal with this soon, then the wbesite will drop down the rankings!
Thanks!

[tedster]

You can open a Google Webmaster Tools account and choose which version you want to see in the search results.

You can also use the rel=canonical link tag in the head area of the html. Both of these actions, while not as foolproof as a 301 redirect, will usually be treated as a redirect for ranking purposes.

[mitch294]

Sadly,
I cannot do either of these with a 123-reg website as it is a plug and play website; I don't have access to the source code and although I can add html script, I cannot add it to the header area.

For the same reason, I am not able to properly register with Webmaster Tools, as without that ability, I cannot prove that the website is mine!

I am currently in the process of coding my own new website and I am having a crash course in html coding at the moment. I am having great fun with that right now; it's like learning a foreign language! I suspect that everything you say will be able to happen once my new esbite is complete?
Cheers,
Mitch