Well, you can build quite a reputation with the SEs in a year! Don't do a redirect though, if the bots see it for a while, you will see that PR and the good Google results go down the tubes. (Maybe something you can do in the last 3 months or so to devalue the old site if you will be competing with your old partner ;) )
The best thing you can do is put your new domain on a different server with a different class c (aaa.bbb.CCC.ddd) and link to your new site from your old site's homepage, preferably at the top.
Don't just make a duplicate of the old site at the new URL either... the bots will sniff out the duplication and you won't get good results.
There are several site analysis tools out there that will give you an idea about what you have to do with the new site's content / links to beat the old site.
Stick to WebmasterWorld, absorb the info, and you should be cleaning up in the SERPs, and beating your ex-partner in a year!
GOOD LUCK!
"The best thing you can do is put your new domain on a different server with a different class c (aaa.bbb.CCC.ddd) and link to your new site from your old site's homepage, preferably at the top. "
Do you have a reference I could read relative to the "class"?
All advice is appreciated!
A long time ago I read about that here and in other SEO publications. I think it might actually be a misnomer. I've done some Googleing and can't come up with a matching definition. Here's how it was broken down before...
aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd
The CCC being different usually means that the site is located at a different host. If a link comes from a different host, Google thinks that it must be a valid link, not a link farm.
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm sure that's the way I read it here a long time ago.
I think links from different class C IPs are probably the best bet.
So I'm not the only one here talking about IP Class C's.
