Old host won't take old site down

still appears in the index but how to remove?

[lorax]

Client moved site and cancelled old hosting account before I could place a 301 redirect on it. Now when someone does a search for the company name some of the old files come up. Old host won't respond and I can't see a way to ask Google to remove the pages. Should this be considered stolen content at this point or is there another way?

[jd01]

Do you mean they changed domain names or just hosting?

If the domain was changed, who is the old domain registered to?
(If it's your client has the old domain registered, re-host it (anywhere), and put a redirect on it.)

Justin

[Marcia]

I remember several years ago having a problem with a moved site (same domain name). I put up a link to the site at the new location by IP number and it got sorted out that way. If I remember right (it's been quite a while) it turned up first by the new IP in the index after putting that link up, but then got put right in no time so I took the IP number link down.

I once also did that (linked by IP number) for a member's site here who had a problem moving from some second rate name based hosting to her own IP - that also got straightened out. That was around 2002-2003 the latest.

[jomaxx]

I don't see how the word "stolen" could conceivably apply, but a letter from a lawyer threatening bad consequences might get results.

[lorax]

THanks for the responses. Allow me to be a bit more clear. The old developer used links which included IP addresses instead of the domain so naturally, Google indexed the IP versions of those destination pages.

The site was moved from that host and dev team to a brand new host. I came into the game after the site had been moved so I didn't get a chance to put a 301 redirect on the old site and let it do it's magic.

Re: stolen content. At some point it will be considered stolen content because they refuse to take it down. I agree with you about the attempts to get them to take it down via C&D from a lawyer though.

[g1smd]

>> I put up a link to the site at the new location by IP number and it got sorted out that way. If I remember right (it's been quite a while) it turned up first by the new IP in the index after putting that link up, but then got put right in no time so I took the IP number link down. <<

Today, that would cause more problems than it could ever solve. That "fix" is creating a Duplicate Content problem.

The new site should catch all non-canonical requests (non-www access, alternative domains, alternative TLDs, direct IP address access, folder access on main domain when using virtual hosting, etc) and 301 redirect them all to the canonical form, site-wide.

[Marcia]

>>301 redirect them all to the canonical form, site-wide.

How does that work with the duplicate pages that are still up at the old location if there's no longer access to them?

[jd01]

Who are you dealing with when you contact them?

If you are just sending e-mail (or contacting via 'trouble ticket') you might want to call, and ask for a supervisor, then let them know you do not want the IP Address taken off line, all you really want / need them to do is delete the content currently associated with the IP Address, so it will not cause your new site issues.

Deleting content is easy. Taking a single IP Address 'off-line' might be more difficult. I would make sure someone 'in charge' knows what you need and why. (It's fairly easy to tell someone to 'upload' the standard 'hosting' page to the directory associated with IP Address Num.Num.Num.Num and that's really all you need them to do.)

Justin

Added:
It's their IP Address: They might have a fairly good argument about how you left the content on their IP Address, so you gave it to them... (or there's a glitch in their system.) I would try to be nice.

[lorax]

Thanks Justin,
We have tried to be nice. This particular host/dev team has been particularly non-responsive. Thus the client's desire to move. According to the client, it took weeks to get a simple edit to the site completed. When I asked for log files she told me they didn't have any for her. We're talking a real fly-by-night operation here. All that being said, I think it worth my calling them directly myself. Perhaps if they have someone who sounds knowledgable then they might cooperate. But just in case, I've instructed the client to contact her lawyer to draw up a cease and desist request.

[lorax]

Update. The old host has added a redirect but the server response code is 302 and not 301. We're getting closer. ;)

[g1smd]

The 302 is bad news. You need it to be a 301 (as you know).

This note was for those that didn't know.

[Robert Charlton]

I may not be understanding the situation correctly, but, as I think I understand it, there's no way they can afford to give you a 301 from the IP number unless you pay them for the IP account.

Why don't you just pay them for the account on this IP for 6 months or so, set up your 301 on the account, do what you can to get rid of existing links elsewhere, and then phase the account out properly and get rid of the dupe content.

[lorax]

>> there's no way they can afford to give you a 301 from the IP number unless you pay them for the IP account

Not sure I follow you here. The IP addy is theirs and they can use for another website at anytime - in fact, I wish they would!

[bwnbwn]

lorax
Why don't u request to host a site on that IP this may be the quickest fix of all then just add a site moved here and redirect them to the newsite...

[lorax]

Good idea, I may have to!

[Robert Charlton]

Why don't u request to host a site on that IP this may be the quickest fix of all then just add a site moved here and redirect them to the newsite...

Or, if their server setup allows it, use that IP just as a place to set up a 301 to the site (and domain name) at the new IP.

[bwnbwn]

Or, if their server setup allows it, use that IP just as a place to set up a 301 to the site (and domain name) at the new IP.

Better idea

[lorax]

>> 301

that's where I was headed