Linking between my own sites?

[dwhite]

Haven't posted on this forum for years, and also I haven't really kept up with the latest "Do's and Don'ts" from the commandments of Google. I'd like to be "white-hat" about it all.

I have a 15 year old site I use for everything; my pictures, software, music, science articles etc., everything.

One of my sub pages (eg: xyz .com/widget/program.htm) has my most popular software.

I'd like to create a new domain to promote this program, whilst keeping the existing page on my original site.

If I do, is it okay to:

1: Link from my old software page to the new site?

2: Link from the new site to my old software page?

3: Do both of the above?

4: Have pretty much the same content (design, text etc.) on the new site as the old page? (It'd almost be a mirror).

5: Have the same software on the new site, but a different webpage design, and alternative writeup/blurb?

6: Automatically redirect users from the old page to the new site?

So I think I've tabulated all the variations. Will I be penalized if I do any of the above, and if so, would it be the old site or the new site that gets penalized? Could I even be penalized if I *don't* link between the sites as Google may look upon them as duplicate content?

Thanks for any insights!

[bwnbwn]

What would you benefit by removing it from your exciting site to a new domain.
I would list why it would be better moved than remain on the old site and positioned in a more favorable area for traffic and or visitors to find on your old domain.

[dwhite]

Excellent question. Number one is that users may prefer a site dedicated to the program, than a subpage one an existing site. It gives a more exclusive feel, and may make it look like less of a 'side project'.

The second reason is that Google itself may give more credit to a domain rather than a subpage? Keyword-wise or otherwise.

[bwnbwn]

#1 Visitors might also see your other products and put more value on your ability to create products they trust.
#2 Hard to beat 15 years of trust.

it might be you test the water with your idea without moving the product from your existing domain. Make it more prominent on the old website, build the other and keep the content original on the new. There are ways you can test this out through PPC and conversations.

Others will come in with more thoughts this is just mine.

[dwhite]

Thanks. In your opinion, do you think it's unsafe to link either way then?

On a separate but related issue, I intend to launch a completely new software, perhaps on a new site. If I link from the old site to the new (and/or vice versa), is that okay in Google's eyes?

We'll call that Question number 7.

[bwnbwn]

dwhite interlinking on your sites is OK I do it all them time, but I do it in a way to benefit the visitor and not my rankings or passing PR. The intent when interlinking is to give your visitor more information on the related subject or a product that is related to your website.

I found it much easier to manage one website than trying to keep up with multiple sites and besides building new pages or products on one website helps increase the traffic to that website. Building new sites split up your available traffic so now you try to funnel traffic away rather than keeping it on your main domain.

Google use to funnel traffic but for the last 8 years G has been doing all they can to keep them on G.

If the software is completely different from your other software it might be a good idea but launching new software what better place can you get exposure than on the main domain.

Advertising it on your old domain then pushing them away to a new domain might not be the best way. IMO.

[piatkow]

I do it in a way to benefit the visitor and not my rankings or passing PR.

Me too. As general advice spend your time concentrating on the visitor experience rather than agonising about trying to game the rankings.

[pshea]

<<If I do, is it okay to:

1: Link from my old software page to the new site? Yes.
2: Link from the new site to my old software page? Yes.
3: Do both of the above? answered.
4: Have pretty much the same content (design, text etc.) on the new site as the old page? (It'd almost be a mirror). No.
5: Have the same software on the new site, but a different webpage design, and alternative writeup/blurb? Eh.
6: Automatically redirect users from the old page to the new site? No.>>

You are asking questions based on the rules of the old planet. We are on a new one now and I feel your pain. There have been so many other environments mixed in to the soup, that dupe content and cross linking are almost the last subjects on which to spend time. You have to look at mobile friendly, responsive, meta property, yadda badda bing.

If you feel it's right to go all in with the new domain, then go all in. Build it all up circa now 2015. The algo will not carry pages around anymore on 'age trust'. Game change.

[kiril19]

If you use different hosting for your site then it is fine I think, but if you use same hosting, then Google knows that...

[lucy24]

If I do, is it okay to:

If you don't {link in any of the following listed ways} what will you do about your existing users who are accustomed to seeing everything in the same place?

Seems like you should go at it from the other side:

First work out what would be best for your human users. Make a specific design. Then think about damage control if you're planning to do anything that Google would utterly hate.

6: Automatically redirect users from the old page to the new site?

Didn't you just get through saying that you were going to keep the old page, and add new stuff? Redirection is for when the identical content has aquired a new URL. You do not want your loyal human users to be staring at their screens "wtf? How'd I get here? Has someone hijacked my browser?"

Personally I wouldn't worry about old and new sites looking alike. Consider that there are (literally) millions of WordPress sites-- to pick a name at random-- and they all look alike and they're all puttering along just fine.

---

And then decide if you're going to be mobile-friendly ;)

[dwhite]

You do not want your loyal human users to be staring at their screens "wtf? How'd I get here? Has someone hijacked my browser?"

You're absolutely right of course, on second thoughts that's a terrible idea.

All of my software is pretty disparate, so I'm not worried about alienating old users, as the software I'm working on is completely different. It's not like old users who like my old software would necessarily come back to my site to check for what else I've done.

I just think a dedicated domain may give more credence and a more pro appearance to the software. Think of all the top programs you use - do any of them come off a page deeper than the home page?

[lucy24]

Think of all the top programs you use - do any of them come off a page deeper than the home page?

Depends how long you've been using them. Seems like most of the good programs I use started out at
www.example.com/directory/subdir/coolstuff/terrificprogram.html
and then one day after years and years when I go to download version 5.4.38 I'm redirected to
www.terrificprogram.com

If that's the situation, then your users should be perfectly happy to get redirected.

[dwhite]

Was the redirection automatic, or did you have to click something? If the former, did it at least give you a countdown, and state where it was going to send you to?

[lucy24]

Each time that I can remember, it was a fully automatic redirect.

Personally I can't stand in-page delayed redirects. Either send me to the new URL or don't. But in the case of software-- typically shareware that Went Big-- the new domain name tends to make it really obvious. If you've been using Hottest Thing Since Sliced Bread for years, and you click on an old bookmark and end up on hottest-thing-since-sliced-bread dot com, you can be pretty confident that's where you wanted to be, even if the name has changed.

It's a question of what you're redirecting. If the user is looking for the page where you download X, or read the official description of X, a redirect is appropriate. But if the user is coming in one step earlier-- say, "page with links to various good software including X, Y and Z" --then a redirect might feel like a hijack if the new page only talks about X.

[dwhite]

For the record, I put it on my existing, well established site, but that may change in the future, and then I might "DoNotIndex" the old site, so Google will only look at the new.

If the user is looking for the page where you download X, or read the official description of X, a redirect is appropriate.

So despite what I said before, maybe it's not such a terrible idea after all? Having said that, I haven't experienced such an automatic redirect in ages. It does look dodgy to the end user...