9 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
9 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

new Website Choices

by Paul Tovey
8 replies
  • SEO
    • |
Hello All,

I currently have a high ranking, poorly designed website on a terrible host.

Would it be better for me to:
A) Buy a new domain, host, website and start my online development again.
b) Buy new hosting, get a better design and re-direct the domain name to my new host.

I'm a little stuck on what to do, how long with the negative effects take to wear off from an SEO perspective?
#choices #website
  • Profile picture of the author AndyX
    b) Buy new hosting, get a better design and re-direct the domain name to my new host.

    I'm a little stuck on what to do, how long with the negative effects take to wear off from an SEO perspective?
    personally I'd go with option B as a new domain will take longer to achieve the same or better ranking than a site that already ranks, no matter how bad the design is.

    go with the content you already have but improve on it over time by adding more relevant content to the new design.

    what negative effects do you refer to?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8218101].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Paul Tovey
      Hello Andy, thanks for your reply.

      Here's where it gets a little in-depth.
      Option B sounds better however, this domain is registered for one year.

      If I was to buy a new domain, I would register it for 10 years. I know this Google says domain duration doesn't matter, but I don't think that's exactly true.

      As for penalties, i'm going to be changing my website design completely and i'm sure this will have some negative effects on my overall SEO, at least temporarily.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8218136].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author AndyX
        what's to stop you registering the current domain for 10 years, nothing!

        like I said if you change the design but keep the current content and add more relevant content to it over time the negative impact will be kept to a minimum.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8218154].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author kpmedia
    What's wrong with the old domain?
    I'd also pick B.
    Just to be clear, you're not "redirecting" anything -- just migrating.
    Signature
    FAQ: Need a Site5/Arvixe/Hostgator alternative? And who is EIG?
    Reviews:     Need a good VPS, dedicated server, or unlimited host? (This is NOT a fake "top 10" list!)
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8221817].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Hansons
    These days domain names are very risky, you may not know if a domain name is penalized or not, so I would say that start freshly, please consider these too:

    Domain name -> Godaddy
    Hosting -> HostGator
    CMS -> Wordpress
    Signature

    Is your website Hacked? Try -> www.sitebeak.com
    Is Google Analytics installed Properly? Test -> www.GAtective.com
    Impersonal Google search? Check -> www.impersonal.me

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8221946].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author erica6
    [DELETED]
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8223140].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Dave Cassidy
      If the site is high-ranking then you certainly don't want to 'change' the domain name. This would simply be a new, different site and you'll be starting the ranking 'game' again, from the beginning.

      If you know what you are doing then you can move the site to a new host very easily with minimal disruption. This would be the first thing to do if the existing host is not up to the job of hosting your site properly.

      Having done that, you can change the design but keep the content essentially the same, as AndyX said. Ranking should not be affected by this. If you are unhappy with the content then you can change it (improve it) gradually over time. Changing the whole lot all at once would not be a good idea.

      In summary, make the changes that won't adversely affect ranking now and make the other changes slowly. If it's ranking well now, don't throw that away.

      Dave
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8223172].message }}

Trending Topics