Thread: Exact match domain, .com and .org, and 301 redirect problem

I have a site based on an exact match domain (EMD) that is a .org domain. I built the site a while back and built links for it over time and now its starting to rank well for the exact match query.

Recently, I've been able to acquire the EMD .com domain. Now my question is, would it be better to just do a 301 redirect of the .com domain to the existing .org one? Or should I transfer the site over to the .com domain and then do 301 redirects for all the individual pages of the .org to the new .com domain so that all the link juice is preserved?

I guess a third option would be to let it be and not use the .com domain, but I think the .com is stronger than the .org and will allow the site to rank higher in the long run.

Opinions are going to vary on this topic.

301 redirects no longer preserve and pass all of the link juice that they once did with Google. If you have invested a lot of time and effort into link building, then you are probably better off staying with the .org domain and 301 redirecting the .com domain. You will lose link juice and PR with a 301 redirect, but it is your best alternative if you need to change the focus to the .com.

A .com does not have any ability to rank higher than a .org domain. .com, .net and .org can all rank equally well. The advantage with a .com is that this is the first version of a domain that people remember.

If you asked the same question about 6 months ago I would have said to go ahead and redirect the .org to the .com and move the site to the .com.

But that has changed. From what I'm seeing, I'm seeing evidence that suggests that Google is no longer passing full "link juice" and PR, etc. through 301 redirects. So, I actually am now recommending that you transition much more slowly to the new .com domain, rather than set up 301.

I would tend to start a completely new site on the .com, with different content, on a new web host. Then link from the .org to the .com site. I would also wait until you are getting more traffic on the .com before taking down the .org. Or you might just want to leave both sites up.

Originally Posted by bhartzer

If you asked the same question about 6 months ago I would have said to go ahead and redirect the .org to the .com and move the site to the .com.

But that has changed. From what I'm seeing, I'm seeing evidence that suggests that Google is no longer passing full "link juice" and PR, etc. through 301 redirects. So, I actually am now recommending that you transition much more slowly to the new .com domain, rather than set up 301.

I would tend to start a completely new site on the .com, with different content, on a new web host. Then link from the .org to the .com site. I would also wait until you are getting more traffic on the .com before taking down the .org. Or you might just want to leave both sites up.

Question about the thing you say:
If the OP would use the same Adsense publisher id on both of the sites, would Google treating the websites differently because they are actually from the same owner (even though they're on different servers etc)?

Greetz

Originally Posted by bhartzer

I would tend to start a completely new site on the .com, with different content, on a new web host. Then link from the .org to the .com site. I would also wait until you are getting more traffic on the .com before taking down the .org. Or you might just want to leave both sites up.

Well creating an entirely new site with different content isn't really an option I would like to pursue.

So, which would you recommend of the three remaining possible options?

You will lose some PR with a 301 redirect. So the question is how much you have to lose as opposed to gain. The .com will have more value if you plan to sell the site in the future. Which may make it worthwhile to move the site from the .org