Changing domain name of a site

[dabb]

I've found a much better domain name for one of my sites and am wondering what the best way to switch over is as far as search engine ranking goes. The sites main page is PR3 and most of the subpages are anywhere from PR0-PR2 so I don't want to loose that. However, my site doesn't come up on any page at all when doing related keyword searches on Google because there are thousands of related sites. The new domain name is a very frequently entered three word search term (yes, in quotes all together) which I think will help the chances of my site showing up in google searches for that term.

Should I simply register the new domain name and point it to the existing site? However I'm guessing that Google won't reindex an indentical site with a different domain name. What's the best way to achieve what I'm trying to do?

Thanks!

 

[Boston_JM]

i would sugest using a 301 redirct.

 

[OptimaDomains]

Like Jim said, do a 301 redirect from your old domain to your new one. You won't be able to retain your old PR because it's considered a new site to the search engines. You'll mostlikely have to wait for the next PR update to get a PR.

I did this myself, and it's basically like building traffic for a new site. It'll take a lot of work to rebuild link popularity for your new domain. Also, it has been in my experience that older websites/domains do better when it comes to search rankings. However, by doing a 301, you can at least continue to receive traffic from your old domain.

 

[Amnezia]

if you use 301s the link popularity transfers to the new domain in google so don't worry about losing links

 

[softgroups]

Well I used a few times 301 redirects, and ... Juice didn't passed....

Well I used a few times 301 redirects, and ... Juice didn't passed....

Well I used a few times 301 redirects, and ... Juice didn't passed....

 

[hostingfun]

yep - 301 redirects are the way to go :]