Redirect or Not?

[Welshsparky]

Hi all

New here and I'm hoping one of you can advise me of the best course of action.

My dilemma:

I run a reasonably successful website with a .co.uk extension. This site has a Google PR of 3 and gets around 2500 visitors per day.

I have managed to buy the .com extension off the domain owner, but he has let it lapse from a PR5 to a lowly PR1. I am keen to use the .com but unsure of what the effects would be on my rankings in doing so.

Really need some advise on this one.

Thanks
Steve

 

[SkinnerW]

I believe logical choice would be redirect your new .com domain to the existing .co.uk

And welcome to the UKWW by the way!

 

[temi]

Welcome to UK WW Welshsparky, for a UK business, .com is "glamorous" but .co.uk make business sense. Please read smagain's post about why one use use .co.uk domain for UK businesses, you could lose traffic switching from .co.uk to .com rather than the other way round.

 

[Welshsparky]

Hi SkinnerW and Temi

The reason I am in a dilemma is 40% of my traffic comes from the US, 30% from UK, 20% from India and the rest is split up all over the place.

As I don't sell anything, the site is an article directory, I figured it might be better to use the .com

However, I don't want to lose my traffic so I guess it's better to redirect the .com?

Cheers
Steve

 

[Bagi Zoltán]

Steve if you would redirect your existing co.uk domain to the com using 301 permanent redirect you will experience improvement in your traffic since the relevance of the separate websites can be summarized..

 

[OldWelshGuy]

Set up a 301 redirect match from one to the other and you will be good to go. any request for any page on one version, will be delivered to the other version exact same page, not the home page. Smooth as silk and with minimum search engine upset.

 

[xhan]

If your sites already set up as a .co.uk I'd 301 redirect the .com to .co.uk, people dont like change

 

[smeagain]

There is an alternative but this is purely my opinion and will be shot down by many of our resident experts.
I would host the .com on a USA located server and duplicate the site completely. Leave the existing .co.uk as it is and if not already, consider putting it on a UK located server. I don't mean parking redirecting but completely duplicate a second site.

The old days when there was a duplication penalty have gone. What exists now is a "Duplication Filter". The effect would then be (IMO) for the appropriate site to be returned in the SERPs with the normally applied Geo Bias. USA serchers would get the .com returned and the UK searcher would get the UK returned in the SERPs. The other part of the jigsaw would be to elicit USA sites to link to the .com version and UK sites link to the .co.uk one.

Best of both worlds. I would do it this way, but there will be many chokibg on their beer as they resd this.

 

[bochgoch]

If your sites already set up as a .co.uk I'd 301 redirect the .com to .co.uk

That would be my choice also.

 

[Welshsparky]

Sugar!

Everyone is saying something different!

Thankyou so much for your responses though. I think I'll redirect the .com to the .co.uk

bochgoch would you be interested in a home page link exchange? Although my site is hosted in the USA, I personally am from Cardiff.

The site is a general article directory that is rising fast on Alexa, lots of traffic coming in, more and more each day.

Steve

 

[Welshsparky]

Well its done, carried out some research and have now redirected the .com to .co.uk

Thanks for your help everyone. Especially xhan cos she's cute!

Steve

 

[xhan]

Well its done, carried out some research and have now redirected the .com to .co.uk

Thanks for your help everyone. Especially xhan cos she's cute!

Steve

haha thanks steve



Temi - I think you've found a new promotional tool - me!!

 

[rhyswynne]

Temi - I think you've found a new promotional tool - me!!

Oh dear...

Oh, and Welshsparky - I know for a fact that xhan loves the Welsh!

 

[OldWelshGuy]

She might not after Saturday when the mighty Osprey Welsh team break the 20 year hoodo and bring home a broken second hand chariot

 

[xhan]

Oh dear...

Oh, and Welshsparky - I know for a fact that xhan loves the Welsh!

lol nowt to do with your welshness deary but more to do with your pagerank! haha

She might not after Saturday when the mighty Osprey Welsh team break the 20 year hoodo and bring home a broken second hand chariot

I dont do sports lol (is it sports! :S!)

 

[temi]

rhyswynne[/B] ;46560]
Temi - I think you've found a new promotional tool - me!!

Completely agree with you Rhys, you have introduced quite a few new members. I just wish DP will extend your ban so that I will not lose you to them once your ban there expires

 

[rhyswynne]

Haha. I doubt I will tbh , I'd be lying if I say I'd never ever post there again, but all posts will be me selling things. This forum you have one thing that is lost on that forum...conversation

 

[xhan]

Haha. I doubt I will tbh , I'd be lying if I say I'd never ever post there again, but all posts will be me selling things. This forum you have one thing that is lost on that forum...conversation

banned? you? goody two shoes Rhys?! I'm in shock! I used to be the naughty one!

 

[OldWelshGuy]

Banned forom Dp LOL I was one of the founding members of Dp.