Forum Moderators: Robert Charlton & goodroi
I recently took charge of a site that currently has 2 domains pointing to it - www.companyname.co.uk and www.companyname.net. After a site revamp a few weeks ago G has pretty much spidered the new .net "version" and partially spidered the .co.uk version. I realise there's a potential duplicate content problem here, even though G shows pages from both versions in the rankings at the same time (does this indicate there isn't a problem?). My client now says to trash the .net domain. How should I go about this? Should I use the URL removal tool first, then "switch off" that domain on the server? OR simply switch off the domain and let Google work it all out? I haven't had to deal with this before so any advice is welcome.
Another factor here is that there are some backlinks out there for the .net domain, not all of which I'll be able to change immediately to .co.uk . How do I cover my back so as not to lose out on PR in the short term?
Thanks in advance
"switch off" that domain on the server
IMHO you should set up a global redirect on the .net so that a request for any page on the .net domain returns a "301 Moved Permanently" redirect to the relevant .co.uk page.
This is as much 'switching off' as I would do.
edit: it seems foolsgold can type faster than i can ;-)
Choose one domain - the .co.uk if you are aiming at a UK audience; consider the .net if you are looking wider. Seek the .com, too.
If you cannot get the .com, and things are really pretty new, there may be little to lose (and much to gain) by getting a .com name that you can also get the .net and .co.uk. - If you do not have the .com, then you are providing free marketing and referrals to whoever does have it.
Anyway, select your domain: www.domain.suffix
Set up a 301 redirect from domain.suffix to www.domain.suffix
Set up a 301 redirect from domain.suffix2 to www.domain.suffix
Set up a 301 redirect from www.domain.suffix2 to www.domain.suffix
In other words, 301 from every domain (+/- www) to www.chosen-domain.chosensuffix
remove all content from the old domains.
Put all your content at www.chosen-domain.suffix, and get some directory listings; where possible, get links to olddomains.suffix to www.chosen-domain.chosensuffix
But think very seriously about the .com issue NOW; changing later will be much harder and more expensive.
[edited by: Quadrille at 11:29 am (utc) on Aug. 18, 2006]
If you cannot get the .com, and things are really pretty new, there may be little to lose (and much to gain) by getting a .com name that you can also get the .net and .co.uk. - If you do not have the .com, then you are providing free marketing and referrals to whoever does have it.
What? Since when is this true? Please explain.
Unfortunately the site has been around for some time. I've simply revamped it.
Choose one domain - the .co.uk if you are aiming at a UK audience; consider the .net if you are looking wider.
Hadn't thought about this. Does .net really have the edge over .co.uk for searches on "the web"?
what ever you do .. do not point the two to the same IP. the dupe content penalties will kill you in the long run.
OK so I pinged the two and yes, they are pointing to the same IP address. What do I tell my hosting provider to do then? Sorry for the noobish question...
Another issue here is that the site is on a Windows (gasps all round) server so doing htaccess isn't an option.
What? Since when is this true? Please explain.
.com domains have always had an advantage: write-ins, the human memory, and most browsers always assume .com, unless told otherwise. If people search for 'domain name', they'll be looking for a .com
Unfortunately the site has been around for some time. I've simply revamped it.
Then don't worry; the advnatages of change are outweighed by the disadvantages.
Hadn't thought about this. Does .net really have the edge over .co.uk for searches on "the web"?
Yes; most non-uk people would think it was a local site; .net, .org, .com are the truly international. It depends on your site and your niche, to some extent, but it's often bad news to be seen as a 'local' site.
OK so I pinged the two and yes, they are pointing to the same IP address. What do I tell my hosting provider to do then? Sorry for the noobish question...Another issue here is that the site is on a Windows (gasps all round) server so doing htaccess isn't an option.
You still need the permanent redirect; the process is different, the result is the same - search for windows 301 code - I'm sure there's many threads that have included advice for windows servers.
Some may advise you to consider changing servers - but unlikely for this problem alone.
Every page on the .net should redirect to the same page on the .co.uk
But make sure it's not changing:
olddomain.foo/page.html --> newdomain.foo/
olddomain.foo/something.html --> newdomain.foo/
i.e. the bit after the domain name should be kept
Ok thanks people.
What will happen next will be that the www pages on the correct domain will become better indexed. They may well rank higher too. Make sure that every page has a unique title tag and unique meta description.
The redirected URLs will turn into supplemental results, and will continue to hang around in the SERPs for about a year. They will absolutely NOT be a problem as far "duplicate content" goes, as Google will already know about the redirect by then. If someone should ever click on one of those Supplemental Results in the SERPs then your site-wide 301 redirect will deliver the vistor to the correct page on the correct domain.
Your measure of success is how well the correct domain is indexed, and how the pages rank. Do not be distracted by Supplemental Results for redirected URLs. Google holds on to those for about a year. There is nothing you can do to amend them. Where they rank, they still send you visitors. Eventually Google cleans them up; at their own pace.
Regards
set up a redirect but without issuing a 301 code
If they don't send a 301 Moved Permanently status code, it's the wrong kind of redirect.
