URL and Websites

[C.A.B.s]

Hi All

i have a very general question, does any one know how i can direct the new URL im thinking of setting up to my existing website?

i have decided to get a new URL name / domian name and was wondering if there was a way it could be directed.

Many Thanks
Caroline

[CIDCouriers-dot-com]

Hi Caroline,

The answer really depends on who (or which) company you're going to get the domain from.

A lot will allow you to setup web forwarding, which is just what it says, when you type in the new URL it will be forwarded on to your old URL - some show the new URL in the address bar of the browser, others don't.

A second method may be to set up the DNS records to point to your old website - this basically tells the browser where to look for the site (very easy to get wrong - but don't let that scare you away), a bit like an address book for computers, if you like...

A third method, and probably easiest if you can't do web forwarding, and don't understand DNS records, is to make a new home page with a simple re-direct on it thus sending your visitors to your old site. A word of warning on this option though, I've read that search robots don't take too kindly to redirects and it may not help your rankings very much.

Lastly, you could put a re-direct in an .htaccess file on your new site directing traffic to the old site, again this is if your chosen domain registrar will allow it, again the robots may not like the re-direct.


As an example, I have 4 websites that use a combination of web forwarding and DNS record management.
1) cidcouriers.co.uk - my main site - hosted by a commercial hosting service
2) cid-couriers.co.uk
3) cidcouriers.com
4) g7syw.co.uk - my hobby site, hosted on my own private server

I have web forwarding for sites 2 & 3 pointing to the main site, and DNS records setup to send all the email for all four domains, and traffic for site 4 to my server at my static IP address.

It all sounds very complicated, but it's not, all you need to do is think it through logically, if you decide to re-direct or whatever and you get stuck, give me a shout, I'll try to help you out..

[C.A.B.s]

Hi Rod
thanks for your tips.

I am a novice when it comes to DNS setups ( as never used them). Again i am not sure where my company allows web fowarding, i suppose this will have to be something i will have to look in in detail. my web server is Easily.co.uk in conjunction with tesco.
www.easily.co.uk , i dnt know if you have ever heard of them, but i have just renewed my subscripton with them now for another yr, that way both my domian and web server should run out at same time, from there i can look for something better, and of course use a new URL name.

Since orginally posting this, i have checked out my web address server and the allow Both DNS and Web fowarding.

What i am wondering now is do i a) foward old address to the new one B) forward the new address to the old one

Caroline

[CIDCouriers-dot-com]

Since orginally posting this, i have checked out my web address server and the allow Both DNS and Web fowarding.

What i am wondering now is do i a) foward old address to the new one B) forward the new address to the old one

Caroline

Hi Caroline,

I would suggest, that the easiest of the two options would be web forwarding, as it's most likely that their hosting server is configured for shared hosting and without knowing (either by me or yourself) how they manage it, setting your DNS to point to their server would most probably result in displaying their generic holding page.

What you need to forward....


scenario a:

You have just finished your nice NEW site but want to direct traffic from your OLD site (prevent links breaking, redirect clients etc) to the NEW site.

i.e. you have myoldsite.com already, you buy mynewsite.co.uk and want anybody that types myoldsite.com to see mynewsite.co.uk

Forward the OLD address to the NEW address.



scenario b:

You wish to keep your existing (OLD) site but want to direct traffic from a NEW site (you only want to use a new URL) to the OLD site.

i.e. you buy mynewsite.co.uk, you already have myoldsite.com doing what it says on the tin, and want anybody that types mynewsite.co.uk to see myoldsite.com

Forward the NEW address to the OLD address.


Hope this isn't too confusing for you - I just mixed in .co.uk and .com as examples, it makes no difference if they're both .coms, .co.uk, .net .... whatever

In both cases if you have the option of either framed or non-framed, it shouldn't make any difference to how you site appears, in theory, the only difference is that framed will keep the URL typed into the browser in the address bar, non-framed will show the true URL.

I personally use non-framed forwarding, but then I tend to use both .co.uk and .com URLs everywhere so it's not an issue with me.

Just as a ps,
Looking at your current site, it's good, well laid out, simple design - they're best to have, easy to navigate, I find there's nothing more frustrating than finding the site you want then trying to workout how to navigate your way around it (gets off soapbox...) - a tip I picked up a while ago, lose the flash intro - although a lot of sites are using them and they do look pretty, search bots have a hard time getting past them thus can affect your ranking...

[C.A.B.s]

Hi Rod

Thanks for the info, i shall certainly give that a whirl, im actually just thinking of web fowarding new site www.bookkeeping-to-admin.co.uk to www.carolinesadminbookkeepingservices.co.uk.

The url is alot shorter, and although i like the new domian name, its snazzy and people would probably remember it more than my current one.

i have taken onboard what you said about the flash intro and have deactivated it now.

one more thing what are SEO options and how do you use or set them up any idea, cuz im totally lost on them

Thanks
Caroline

[PaulSimister]

Caroline

I can see that you have succeeded with the forwarding so that is good and it is much better without the Flash introduction.

The new website if it becomes your business name is also much more scaleable when you are so overloaded with clients that you need to find additional resources.

If you give me a call, I have what I think will be an irresistible offer to make to you.

[CIDCouriers-dot-com]

one more thing what are SEO options and how do you use or set them up any idea, cuz im totally lost on them

Hi Caroline,

I'm a bit unsure about SEO options, do you mean how do you optimise - or try to ;) - your site, or are referring to some options that are part of your web forwarding?

[C.A.B.s]

Hi Rod

I am not sure if you are the right person to help me solve the SEO options, i think watto would probably know more on this subject.

They are nothing to do with the Web forwarding at all, its is something to do with the website setting itself.

So please forget i asked about the SEO options.

Thanks again for your help anyway

Caroline

[markc]

The address which you used for browsing and write in the address bar is also called URL. A website address is an example of a URL like: Hotmail or yahoo mail

__________________________________________________ ________


Want to get-on Google's first page and loads of traffic to your website? Hire a SEO Specialist from Ocean Groups seo pecialist (http://oceangroups.org/)

Best Luck.

[thebunk]

You can use a 301 redirect and add the redirect to the .htaccess file of the old website.

[Anthony6]

There are many types of redirection available on the internet. If you want to move your website to new domain or shifting a page then use 301 redirect which is called as permanent redirect. If you are temporary shifting a page or domain then you should use 302 and you can also use the java redirects which are also useful.

[larson]

Hi all,
I am giving you process for redirecting url:

URL redirect Process:
User clicks on link pointing to new friendly URL.
URL request arrives at server and is passed to handler.
Using mod_rewrite, ISAPI_Rewrite, etc. path part from the new URL is internally modified to point to old internal path.
Server calls the code from the old internal server path.
Page is displayed in browser, displaying at the same URL the user request.

301 Redirect Process:
User requests old URL from server (from bookmarks, old SE listing, whatever).
Using mod_rewrite, PHP code, etc. the server sends a 301 response header back to browser with a reference to the new URL.
User requests new URL on server.
Server receives the request and serves the content (either directly, or through a further rewrite).


________________________
time & attendance systems (http://www.timepoint.ie/time-and-attendence-systems/)

[GetSmart]

You can use a 301 redirect and add the redirect to the .htaccess file of the old website.

As thebunk indicated, you can accomplish this using a 301 redirect using Mod_Rewrite/.htaccess IF your site is hosted on a Linux web server.

However, having multiple domains pointing to the same site is generally worthless from an ranking perspective. Sometimes it's useful if you want a vanity URL that's easier than your site's URL to remember... perhaps for print, radio, TV ads.

[jerryshy]

If you want to move your website to new domain or shifting a page then use 301 redirect which is called as permanent redirect. If you are temporary shifting a page or domain then you should use 302 and you can also use the java redirects which are also useful.