• What is the first step in building a highly effective Organic Natural SEO web site?
• Start with SEO domain names...

Our preferred 301 redirect string for multiple domain names and www preferred settings is included in this writing!  This is a usable tip!  We would love to hear your comments! Visit our seo domain name blog on this topic!

SEO needs to walk a fine line to avoid black hat practices and page duplication on the web for each web site. Simple server settings that effect the search outcome can get you black listed.  This is especially true if you have more than one domain name.  Google recommends a 301 Redirect in your .htaccess file, which is the code for a permanent redirect.  Let me explain.

When you set up your web site, you have the option to check the www versus non-www, for the preferred domain name type.  Google recognizes through historical settings, that the www is the primary domain even though the non www is the root domain. Without this redirect, the non-www shows up when you type it in that way.  This is fixed by adding a .htaccess  (UTF-8 type file named (dot) ".htaccess") to your to your web site directory.  This .htaccess file needs to be added by your server administrator in most cases. 

The 301 redirect string is added in your htaccess file to direct it to the www. in this example, to make sure search engines know there is only one web site, so it does not come up two different ways.  This will split your page rank, and also create potential for duplicate pages, which search engines do not like!  Duplicate pages are subject to black list penalties, an action that will remove you from being found!  This can get you banned from Google and Yahoo! We highly recommend the 301 Redirect, which shows a web site location as "moved permanently".

This .htaccess file is always viewed first by search engines, and is utilized to direct traffic to it's proper location, to primarily web site and page locations. HTaccess files are also used to rename php coded page names within a blog directory for example such as word press. It is also used to allow php use within a web site where the type of page code used can be included, as well as keeping a specific page from being found such as confidential information within a web site. An example of this is private sales team information, and many other uses.

What is the difference with the www and non www? What is a root domain vs a sub domain?

The www, or anything before the dot on the domain name is called a sub-domain name, and is recognized as a separately ranking web site. This has separate page rank and will dilute your efforts in inbound links. The 301 redirect will pull all rank to the one you choose. As an example:  www.seodomainnames.com is a sub domain of the "root domain name" seodomainnames.com.  Because of the lack of redirects being used correctly over the years, google has historically preferred the www version.  At the time of internet inception, we all needed to know this was a part of the "world wide web". Google recognizes the non-www as a separate domain, so will have the tendency to delete that version from search if conflicting pages arise.  The www is preferred at this point until we hear differently in SEO practices. The non-www version of any domain name is known as the root domain, in it's purest form.  With the www being preferred at this point, we choose that method.  This can be seen by typing seodomainnames.com in your address bar, and seeing the www appear.  That is the result, grouping all direction to one specific location.  Google, Yahoo, MSN, all use the 301 Redirect command string for their web sites. You can see this with a simple exercise of hand typing all of those search engine names without the www in your address bar and seeing the www appear when the page appears. That is the result of a 301 Redirect. the 301 portion of this command signifies that it is permanent.

With Google account settings that can assist in this identification, there is also a setting in your Google account that can directly tell them that the primary domain is www, and that setting is also recommended to make it as search friendly as possible. 

Don't get caught and black listed with incorrect uses of Multiple Domains! It is easy to do!

Multiple generic domain names can get you black listed and banned from search engines if not correctly used.  With domain name aliases as they are called, they can be added in your server as domain aliases to direct the visitor to your main page.  The following is an example of proper 301 redirect use.

We have SEM Firm.net and choose to employ it as a 301 redirect. SEM Firm stands for Search Engine Marketing Firm. This type of service typically includes pay per click marketing campaigns too. By clicking on the link, you can see it goes to our www version of the home page for this web site. This is the correct redirect to use, and how it appears in your browser too. We may plan on using this domain name as a separate web site in the future. It must contain information about the subject discipline when we are ready to employ this domain name, because good content for every web site is the fundamental rule of all web practices. It is duplicate content that you are avoiding, so don't install a seperate domain with duplicate content manually. That is what we are avoiding with this 301 redirect.

For this example, we have installed a domain alias on this web site, and it also goes through our 301 redirect script (in our htaccess file) to bring up our chosen redirected version, www.SEODomainNames.com, our main web site home page. This alone is not going to help you in your search by doing that alone unless you have a type in domain name. Type in domain names are considered top quality, short, clean, and are naturally thought of as a source for products based on being the top dot com for that product or search. Type in domain names will typically be employed on their own to maximize their effectiveness, realized through the development of a full seo key worded web site with valuable content. Google however has a way of seeing how you are linked with the visible words, and with the effective link placed on this page as a back link of the primary web site, such as company links. The following link: SEM Firm, is the perfect way to link out to sites using keywords in the visible text, and the target in the link background. This method helps search engines identify the subject as it goes to the site you choose. Search Engines recognize this! For inbound data, a Google account shows "what googlebot sees" stats, and this is in the top category, inbound link phrases, and shows how you are linking in to your site and the keywords that are being employed or used for your inbound links to your website. Therefore the visible words you use to link out in these visible link words help your web site, and also helps how your inbound links and web site is viewed.

In summary, permanently redirecting your multiple domain names - alias domain names, or keyword domain names, can indeed help your main web site to be found as a recognized inbound link to the front page of your web site, with highly established keywords through the domain name. The highest and best use, is effort towards an information site about the subject, giving the visitor the information they seek, then finding you through the sponsorship as a predominate link on the new keyword domain web site, the generic domain web site, your multiple domains.

These are White Hat SEO practices in reference to multiple domain names, and setting up the proper 301 redirect codes should be considered prior to even installing the new names on your server. Don't let your multiple domains show multiple sources for the same information! This is a duplicate page penalty! This will get you black listed, considered black hat practices.

Multiple Domain Names and Black Hat Practices, Correctly install your multiple domains

Don't get penalized with your multiple domain names! Don't create duplicate pages with your multiple domains! This can cause you to be banned or black listed from search engines, and get on their black list. That can easily happen. It can take months to be found again after being on a search engine black list, assuming you know, know how to fix it, and be able to notify the search engine. Then it is a web site dead time waiting game. For an internet business (or worse yet, a customer you are building a web site for), this can mean months of no sales, months to have your web site absent from search engines! Be informed about SEO Practices. Good advise can save time, as well as penalty that can put you out of business. Know how to properly use your multiple domain names. For any questions, don't hesitate to email us! We can help you get the best organic and generic domain names, and make sure you properly employ them. There is a lot to SEO. Email us! We can help! We employ Apache, and here is the string that is successful for us. You can contact your server administrator for assistance with the 301redirect.

Options +FollowSymlinks
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www\.yourdomain\.com
RewriteRule ^(.*) http://www.yourdomain.com/$1 [L,R=301]

Thanks for visiting SEODomainNames.com! We hope our tips helped. If you would like assistance acquiring or utilizing your domains correctly, be sure and email us!

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