Redirect

jonsimons · 02-04-2004, 10:52 AM

Hi,

I want my old site truckfixmotorsport.co.uk to redirect to my newer site - gopeds-online.co.uk...

both of these sites are indexed by google... If i make a redirect from truckfix to gopeds-online then will google punish me for having two sites with the same content?

Jazzee · 02-04-2004, 11:12 AM

I think you can use a 301 redirect and it will be ok.

jonsimons · 02-04-2004, 12:22 PM

k thanks Jazzee!!

Jazzee · 02-04-2004, 12:28 PM

Might want to get a second opinion, though. I'm wrong more often than not

compar · 02-04-2004, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jazzee

Might want to get a second opinion, though. I'm wrong more often than not

I can't believe that.

In any case on this one you are right.

digitalpoint · 02-04-2004, 01:05 PM

Yes... a 301 is exactly what you want.

- Shawn

Jazzee · 02-04-2004, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by compar

In any case on this one you are right.

Whoo Hooo

jonsimons · 02-04-2004, 02:02 PM

soz but how do you do a 301 again? I tried this in the htaccess file but it didn't seem to work?

redirect 301 /. http://www.gopeds-online.co.uk

(the truckfix site is in my root directory)

dave conz · 02-04-2004, 02:17 PM

Try:
redirect 301 / http://www.gopeds-online.co.uk/

When you've done this, do a check for a deep page in your old domain and see if it redirects to the correct new page. I harbour a sneaking suspicion that it may be more complicated than this. Let us know what happens.

jonsimons · 02-04-2004, 02:53 PM

i tried that... came up with the error - "Redirection limit for url exceeded...." Is that my host that can't handle the redirect? surely not?

In my contol panel from my host.. it gives me the option to redirect truckfix to gopeds-online... i can do this easily.. but will it be as good as a 301 redirect? for google etc

leeppp222 · 02-04-2004, 02:53 PM

On the subject of re-directs I have a similar question:

I have 1 site on 2 different domains. The 1st one is free space from my ISP - which i used when setting up my new site. About 6 months back I purchased a new domain but have my site running on both the old and new (hope that makes sense).

Obviously, I now need to make the new domain my main site but the problem I have is that even though the PR of my free space is lower, the ranking in Google are better...

So, how do I solve this problem? I have had both sites running for about 7 months but thought I better sort this before I was penalised for duplicate content. At the same time, I don't want to just stop running the older domain - especially as a lot of my customers come from the good results!

Thanks for any help

Gede · 02-04-2004, 05:33 PM

When I moved, I didn't take any chances. I put up the new domain, and tried to find all links to the old place of the site, asked to change them, and put on every old page a simple message with the new location. No redirects.

Worked fine

leeppp222 · 02-05-2004, 04:58 AM

I have had my site on 2 different domains for about 6-7 months now. My newer domain has sightly different content (not much though). If I was going to be penalized for duplicated content wouldn't it have happened by now?

One of the sites is a .co.uk and the other is a .net - when searching on google it only ever shows one of them in the results and never both.

Grumpus · 02-06-2004, 03:02 PM

Jon, just point your old site DNS to the new site and work all your redirects locally if possible. No reason to even have the old server up and running anymore. This way also, if anything gets through on the old domain for whatever bizarro reason, it's all located on the new server with the new content anyway and it won't look like you've gone awol.

G.

compar · 02-06-2004, 03:52 PM

Quote:

just point your old site DNS to the new site

And how specifically are you recommending he does that?

hatchet · 02-06-2004, 07:45 PM

With the domain registrar.. update the DNS?

jonsimons · 02-07-2004, 04:44 AM

sorry im lost??

Both sites are on the same hosting package?

jonsimons · 02-12-2004, 10:11 AM

I have phoned my hosting company.. the redirect method that i can use is a 'meta redirect'... is this ok to use with google?

Tenyque · 02-12-2004, 11:14 AM

By using a meta redirect you are essentially serving the spiders a blank page or existing page with a redirection code on it. By serving up blank pages there stands a chance that Google will index them as such, leaving you with your existing link popularity but no content (and no rankings). By serving up existing pages with this redirection code you still have the duplication problem you have now, perhaps won't transfer any link popularity Google thinks this old mirror has, and probably won't transfer the site quickly and cleanly (in a way that preserves rankings).

That being said it is possible to use meta redirects as they suggest to redirect to a new file and have the old pages not be indexed, using a 0 timing. But I, like the others, urge to push for a 301 - a 301 from an old file to a new file is usually accepted as the least possible confusing way to tell a spider to move onto a new file, or shut down a mirror. It is usually quick, transfers link popularity (which means usually transferring any positions), and, debatably, is the way your supposed to do things like this from a web site administration level.

I, Brian · 02-12-2004, 11:36 AM

Hi Tenyque, and welcome to the forums.