Different domains, same content

Am I asking for trouble?

[themoff]

Hi everyone,
I've been running my website with its current domain for two years now, and it is a very well known web address within the intended audience. However, when I chose it, I didn't know a thing about SEO, and hence it is c**p in terms of keywords etc.
I have bought a couple of domains, for two reasons:
- They are good in terms of keywords
- One of them is a .co.uk. My site is based in the UK, but it is a .net so gets left of some of the engines that I could otherwise list better in.

My question is this: If I submit these two domains (which currently redirect to a page within my website) to the engines, is it going to be seen as spamming? I guess in a way it is, but basically am I playing with fire in doing so? The alternative is to split part of my website away and host it under one of the new domains, so avoiding any possibility of spamming, but potentially losing existing visitors because of an address change. I know I can set up redirects etc, but the site title is also the URL, and it is very well known - I'm concerned that it ain't broke but I'm trying to fix it.

Also, if I submit one of the new domains to a single engine, to test the water, will it propogate amongst all the others, and therefore get me in trouble, if indeed it is seen as a no-no?

Thoughts?

Cheers, Robin

[drbill]

Hi Robin,

Why not create a small site on these domains to keep out of the hot water. Small site with good spider content and then link back to the site that is known so well..?

Doing this will give you more chance of getting other listings and will enable you to try new things with thes enew domains with out messing with the current listing you have.. I have seen spider follow a redirect better than a browser..

My 2 cents Any body got change :o)

[ggrot]

drbill's idea will also get you some link pop.

[grnidone]

More than one domain with the same content is not a good idea.

The good Dr is right: make two other sites and link them to the better one.

Or, you can use the different domains for different subsections of your site. That works well too.

-G

[caine]

Another alternative is using the various domains as pods of a overall strategy, or spliting them by languages, though i do completley agree with -G, that duplicate sites are bad news.

Editors for instance in the ODP, delete them, which slowly will affect consequent listings in other SE's, and you could be very unfortunate and find that your well known site is one of them stripped.