Strategy - a new website under my existing domain

[jmorgan]

I currently have a website which has accumulated a decent number of links and PR over the last few years.

I'm now thinking of diversifying into a new area but am planning on using the same domain as the website above. Unfortunately, my current domain does not sound anyway related to the new topic I'm going into. The two topics are under the same broad category but different specific niches (see example below).

The reason I do not want to use a brand new domain for the new website is because I want to leverage the strength of my existing domain without having the go through the tedious exercise of collecting links, building PR, maturing the domain age, etc.

I'm thinking of actually purchasing a new domain (for branding purposes) but the new domain will then immediately 301 redirect to my existing domain.

For example (example only - not the real thing), say I have a website about Europe using the domain eu-example.com and I now plan on diversifying to writing about Asia.

I will then buy a new domain called asia-example.com (so that when I market it I can just tell people to type asia-example.com instead of a full URL).

When folks type asia-example.com into their browser, they then get redirected to something like:
www.eu-example.com/asia/example.html

What do you think of this approach?

[edited by: tedster at 3:52 am (utc) on Feb. 14, 2008]
[edit reason] changed the example domains [/edit]

[Quadrille]

It's do-able, but you won't get the full advantages without serious interlinking, so the possibilities of user confusion are many.

In general, it's usually best to do what's right for visitors first, and worry about SEs afterwards.

And think long term - if the new site takes off, you'll be kicking yourself and feeling forced to set up a new domain for a busy, successful site, with all the risks then, rather than at the beginning, when no-one will notice.