301 Question

[Chiefbobo]

Hi guys,

A quick question. Do I need to index my old domain before getting the benefits of a 301 or can I just go ahead and 301 and it will get the same effect anyway?

Thanks!

 

[Deleted member 994306]

indexing the site makes it visible to Google, so if your planning to use a 301 redirect it is important that Google should know that your old domain exists. only then it is beneficial to use 301.

 

[SirLouen]

If you are simply doing a domain switch, is even better that you put both domains in webmasters tools before they close that tool.

 

[Chiefbobo]

It's a simple 301 with nothing dodgy...purely for branding purposes rather than any SEO benefit!

The reason I ask is the new domain name is of course not indexed and the old one obviously is..

 

[AngelSeo]

Its better to be indexed (the old one).

 

[Meerkatt]

Its better to be indexed (the old one).

But I thought they de-index sites without content?

 

[AngelSeo]

But I thought they de-index sites without content?

Not really. As long as there are active nameservers the domain can sit for years indexed.

 

[andrea badawi]

domain age is an important SEO factor for your Google ranking. Among the hundreds of weighting factors that Google considers in determining how to rank search engine results is the age of your domain in other words, how long that domain has been around.
It’s worth noting that domain age isn’t referring just to how long you have owned a given domain name, but instead how long it has been since Google first indexed that domain, or saw a link to the domain. Because of this many companies purchase “aged” domains that have been around for a while for the extra bit of Google oomph.

 

[drstew]

Hi guys,

A quick question. Do I need to index my old domain before getting the benefits of a 301 or can I just go ahead and 301 and it will get the same effect anyway?

Thanks!

YES!

Rebuild the old site with its original URL structures. Make sure it all gets indexed like a normal site. Then 301 to similar URL's from the old to the new via htaccess configuration.

 

[tiiberius]

Yes. If you want to take this to the next level, make the whole website like then redirect individual pages not just whole homepage to homepage.

 

[Blindend]

In the past I tested with indexing and without indexing. Best results were with indexed.