advice Question about re-directing an exact match domain – Need help ASAP!

[New2Domaining]

I suggested to an end user that directing an exact match domain for their industry to their existing website could be useful (which I have done lots of times without pushback). This end user replied that they heard that Google frowns upon domains that redirect and asked if I have any research about search engines and how they look at redirecting. I don’t. Can anyone help explain the benefits of owning an awesome exact match domain in addition to an existing website and how Google will view this? Credible article links would be awesome if possible?


Thanks in advance.

 

[Kuffy]

A lot depends on how you forward the traffic.

I used to alias names ( which is effectively re-directing), but I've started to use names to pre-qualify the traffic, and only forward relevant surfers. For example, if you have a sales site that only ships to the UK, then Chinese traffic ( for example ), is probably not useful, so you can send it to a chinese site. If you add some content, and let the surfer pre-qualify himself, then this is even better.

 

[New2Domaining]

Thanks for replying @Kuffy! I’m really out of my depth with this topic so forgive me if what I say doesn’t make sense. The end user’s goal is to maximize Google authority for their existing website. The end user is concerned that redirecting all traffic that goes to the exact match domain to their existing website will result in some type of Google penalty for their existing website. If no content is built on the exact match domain (nothing at all), is this a valid concern?

If the end user wants to keep using their existing website, how do they get value from acquiring this exact match domain without building a separate website for the exact match domain?

The exact match domain in question describes their business, not a subset of it. I can PM you the domain if it would be useful for you to explain this to me.

 

[Asfas1000]

Perhaps finding some examples of big brands could help.

For instance

Book.com and Books.com ===> BarnesAndNoble.com

 

[Kuffy]

Matt Cutts of Google has put some vids on You Tube - watch out for the dates though.

They are short and to the point, and I think they are worth watching.

 

[enlytend]

Is fine, as long as you aren't redirecting dozens of them. Use a 301 (permanent) redirect and you can take advantage of the type ins for the emd without affecting your primary domain or risking it being seen as a "doorway page." Oh - and make sure the link profile isn't full of spam or you'll forward those bad links there too - that wouldn't be good.

 

[Asfas1000]

Is fine, as long as you aren't redirecting dozens of them.

Can't help wondering what happens with websites that kinda need this sort of redirection ? Like Brandbucket, Brandroot etc ? They should have thousands of such 301 redirects !!!

 

[New2Domaining]

Thanks to everyone, your comments helped a lot! Feel free to continue adding more comments which will help even more.

Books.com redirects to BarnesAndNoble.com and Diapers.com redirects to a specific search on Amazon.com, does anyone have more examples like these that might be even more relevant to small businesses?

 

[New2Domaining]

I also found the article below, does anyone have more credible articles we can refer to?


Google's Gary Illyes confirmed that any 301, 302, 3xx redirect does not lose any PageRank value:

https://searchengineland.com/google-no-pagerank-dilution-using-301-302-30x-redirects-anymore-254608

 

[Smiles76]

What you have to be mindful of is the anchor text percentage of the exact match domain. The anchor text is also transferred during a 301 redirect. For instance, if the exact match domain is coffeeshop.com and 50% of the anchor text is "coffee shop" that will be transferred to the other domain which could lead to an anchor text over-optimization penalty.

 

[New2Domaining]

I imagine the exact match domain being useful for offline marketing mediums like business cards, TV & radio commercials and other advertising methods to drive direct traffic to the exact match domain (which will forward to the existing website).

I can also see it being useful for paid search engine advertising. Can someone with experience with Google Ads say whether it would be possible to use the UNDEVELOPED exact match domain in a paid ad? I ask because the exact match domain is more likely to generate clicks than the end user’s existing website url but I don’t know if Google would permit (like) their users to click on a domain that forwards to a different domain.

SEO is not something I am very knowledgeable about, would anchor text be an issue in the Google ads situation described above? Can other people describe practical uses / benefits associated with owning an exact match domain aside from any type-in traffic it might receive and the ability to develop it?

 

[enlytend]

I also found the article below, does anyone have more credible articles we can refer to?


Google's Gary Illyes confirmed that any 301, 302, 3xx redirect does not lose any PageRank value:

https://searchengineland.com/google-no-pagerank-dilution-using-301-302-30x-redirects-anymore-254608

What Google says and what happens in real life is not always the same. They have also implied that 302s are treated like 301s. Not.

I can't speak for all ad platforms, but you couldn't use an undeveloped domain in AdWords. Your display domain must match the final destination.

What was said about anchor text goes hand in hand with what I said spammy links. If the domain has a crap link profile - bad links, spammy anchor text, etc. - you will pass that along. Though these days google deprecates more than they penalize.

 

[Kuffy]

This is a meta refresh page I knocked up quickly for LateHotelDeals.com in my Fox Foo structure.
The name redirects to a mini-site built in a sub-directory on Fox Foo. This concept is still a work in progress, so it needs a lot of tidying, but the redirect page works. When I get the chance, I'll look at the web stats, and do a bit of filtering.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Late hotel deals</title>
   <!-- HTML meta refresh URL redirection -->
   <meta http-equiv="refresh"
   content="0; url=https://foxfoo.com/late-hotel-deals/">
</head>
<body>
   <p>Please wait while we transfer you to out new server at -
   <a href="https://foxfoo.com/late-hotel-deals/">Fox Foo</a></p>
</body>
</html>

 

[New2Domaining]

Happy New Year NamePros!!

I am far from super tech savvy (I will work to improve on that this year) so SEO and Google authority matters related to domain purchasing decisions can easily stump me at this point. I would love to get some perspectives on some / any of the questions below from the NamePros community:


· What is the difference between forwarding and redirecting traffic from an SEO / Google perspective (changing name servers VS. 301 / 302 redirect)? What are the pros and cons of both?

· Assuming there is no significant type-in traffic for a domain, how would you describe the benefits of purchasing a great exact match domain for an end user? How could they use it?

· Assume that the exact match domain I am selling is familiar and appealing to the end user (extremely relevant to their core business). Their first thought is “It would be great to own this keyword domain!” but that reaction is soon dampened by the thought “I already have a domain around which I am trying to build Google authority, so how can spending money for this extra domain make economic sense for my business and not dilute my brand and Google authority?

· How would you say existing businesses should view exact match domains?

· How can existing businesses who are not interested in changing their brand name extract value from a great exact match domain without developing the domain into website or webpage? What about with development?