301 and robots.txt

[stef25]

Despite the fact that my files have moved temporarily, i still implemented a 301 redirect because 302 redirects seem to be very bad for SE

I dont really want my temp location to be indexed because the url will be changing again in a few weeks, once my cms is implemented

is there any point denying SE access to the temp folder using robots.txt? what effect would that have on the serps?

[jdMorgan]

302s "are bad for SEO" precisely because they result in the 302 target URL's content being indexed under the originating URL; Malicious webmasters have used this behaviour to 'hijack' content on other sites, making it appear as if it were their own. G and Y have now implemented fixes that take into account whether the target and original domains are the same, and adjust accordingly.

However, since it appears that you want your new content to show under the old URLs until you are ready to switch over, a 302 (or 307) seems to be exactly what you'd want. I'd suggest sticking with the HTTP response code specification [w3.org], rather than trying to implement some complex solution based on the fear and unreasonable doubt you may read here and elsewhere.

You could also use an internal rewrite until you're ready to switch over, giving no hint whatsoever that the *filename* associated with the old *URL* has changed.

If I don't want something indexed, I don't put it on the Web; You can set up a test server on an old PC, or even set up a password-protected subdomain on your existing server for test purposes. This would allow you to build and test the entire site, and then 'throw the switch' all at once, without any complicating intermediate steps.

Jim