Multi-domain, same site

[consciouspnm]

As a follow up to a previous thread, I want to point another domain name at a specific sub section of my main site, so for marketing purposes, the customer doesn't have to follow links or use an long URL.

How can I stop google trying to index the new domain name and then finding duplicate content? robots.txt doesn't seem to be able to exclude domains.

[leehack]

You can use robots.txt or add a META TAG specifiying that SE's are not to spider the site/page, both acceptable as far as I know. Details on the web, can't remember it exactly, but it has 'nofollow' in there somewhere and it's definitely a META TAG.

[consciouspnm]

I looked at the nofollow tags, but as there is only one site, there is only one robots.txt and I don't want any pages excluded from www.homeautomation-direct.com and there are no references to the new domain anywhere on HAD.

[leehack]

A META TAG can be page specific though, not necessarlily site specific.

[consciouspnm]

But I want all the pages on the main site indexing...

[leehack]

Don't put the meta tag on the pages you want indexing then. Imagine the meta tag is a universal key and you have 10 doors you could lock, you only want to lock three of the ten doors though, so walk up to the doors and just lock those three. The others will remain open then.

[Duncan Rounding]

Won't a permanent redirect in htaccess do just this?

[Webfaced]

Permanent redirect would be best since this will tell G that the site it is looking for has moved permanantly; this is the correct way of doing things from a user's perspective.

As with anything SEO related, try to think logically and imagine it in terms of a shop on a busy highstreet. Whilst a post-it note stuck to the door of the shop will redirect a shopper elsewhere, it could blow away a week later causing confusion. If a few of the shops in the highstreet do other silly things, the highstreet becomes a confusing and less appealing place for a shopper and they will go elsewhere. In contrast, a wooden sign screwed permantly to the outside will be clearer and shows that it is a permanent move. It is this sort of logic that G uses to provide it's users with better results.

Also, and potentially vital to you if these other domains have any value themselves, G will take any PR / TR that the domain it was originally looking for has and apply this to the new site, making it a more relevant result for a user.

[consciouspnm]

I think you've all missed the point. I still want to be able to use both domain names. One is short and can be stamped on pens for example, the other is the main site. The short one still points to deep content in the main site, I just don't want google indexing it as a new domain and finding duplicate content.

At the moment I've got an HTTP redirect anyway so none of this may matter?

Short domain: www.energymonitors-direct.co.uk

Redirects to: www.homeautomation-direct.com/shop/Energy_saving.html

[Webfaced]

I think you've all missed the point... At the moment I've got an HTTP redirect anyway so none of this may matter?

We get it!

You want to keep all your domains live, you want them all to point to one site, you just dont want a SE to look at each domain and say, "Hold on, this cheeky chappy is duplicating content... off to the sandbox with him!"

Your HTTP redirect (depending on it's value) will work fine, however, as we have said, a permanant redirect on all but the 'official' domain to the 'official' domain will tell the SEs that the content is not duplicate and in fact the original site has moved.

This is better practice and works for humans and spiders alike!

In short...
What you have in place already is ok.
A permanant redirect would be better.

[RuralWeb]

a permanant redirect on all but the 'official' domain to the 'official' domain will tell the SEs that the content is not duplicate and in fact the original site has used.

Rubbish IMO....

[consciouspnm]

Rubbish IMO....

Are you saying that a 301 redirect is not the solution or I don't actually have to do anything?

[Webfaced]

Rubbish IMO....

If you do a Google search for "301 redirect transfer page rank" there are enough articles on there for me to be comfortable with what I have said.

[RuralWeb]

301s do not relate to what the op is trying to do here.

[RuralWeb]

Just add <META NAME="ROBOTS" CONTENT="NOINDEX"> to the pages you dont want indexed.