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The new domain we are going to use will essentially offer the same services and products but it will be a completely different site. The old domain (which we still own) is still listed pretty strongly for it's keywords and I'd like to change the DNS server to point to the new domain so we can make use of the traffic coming through.
Before doing so though I thought it'd be best to get some good advice on how the SE's view this? Is it considered bad practice or can we get away with it?
bingy
By pointing two domains at the same site (and doing nothing else) you may set yourself up for a duplicate content penalty.
This can be avoided by redirecting from your old domain to your new domain using a 301-Moved Permanently redirect, and by updating as many of your incoming links as possible to link to the new domain.
I have used this technique in the past with much success. However, some here have reported problems, and suggest using a meta-refresh redirect instead.
If you do decide to actually change the DNS, then you should put in place a mechanism on the server to detect the old domain and either perform a 301-redirect locally, or treat the old site as a separate site for search engine purposes, and disallow them from spidering it. A lot of your options depend on what you plan as the final disposition of the old domain. Much can be done to preserve the traffic and PageRank of an old domain if you take the time to do things in the right order and allow enough time for search engines to figure out that your site has moved.
A site search for "moving site", "new domain", and similar phrases here on WebmasterWorld will turn up many threads on this subject.
HTH,
Jim
bingy
