Host problem

I need some help rather desperately

[Jane_B]

We've designed a site for a client using our usual host. The site is ready to go live. It transpires that our client has an arrangement with a different host for the site's URL. If we set up the hosting so that anyone looking for the site's URL was sent to our host which would show a different URL when the site came up would this manoeuvering have a negative effect on trying to get results from search engines. I hope I'm making myself clear. I'm very keen for some help here as I struggle with this aspect of the techie side...as you've probably guessed.

[ciml]

Jane, if it's a server side redirect (preferablly HTTP Status 301, "Moved Permenantly" - ask your host) then search engines should follow it, but you might or might not get credit for the link.

Unless you have some kind of duplication (probably not if browsers see a different URL), it doesn't sound as if you'll be penalised.

[mediaspinner]

Hi, I've run into this a couple of times now... once where the registrar the client had chosen was a bargain basement $7.95 a year or something, as long as when they hosted, they would use the registrars host at $50 a month... another where the old domain name could not be released readily thru the loss of the clients old email address and thus the domain transfer verification... both of these worked out eventually, after many hoops, faxes and phone calls. In the short term I just set up temporary URL's and posted the sites, one with a redirect at $50/month until the transfer went thru to the new registrar. I'm not an SEO type, but from what I can tell, it takes weeks to months for a search engine to crawl and for the webmaster to optimize top results based on keywords, anyhow. Like the good writer Douglas Adams once said, "Don't Panic".

[Christian SEO]

From your description it sounds like the first host is re-directing to actual site.

If that's true it's ok for visitors for the most part, but it sucks big-time for search engines, and possibly some directories.

You need to either get the domain transfered to the actual hosting provider, OR have the DNS changed to point directly to the site's actual IP. Contact me directly if this is not clear. It should be easy to fix....

Good luck,
Christian

(edited by: DaveAtIFG at 5:01 pm (utc) on May 27, 2002)

[Jane_B]

Christian: You are right. The first host is redirecting to actual site. I thought it may upset search engines and (some) directories. Thanks for the advice. We'll try to persuade the client to transfer domain. Failing that I shall propose your alternative solution.....after I've had it explained by my techie colleagues.