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Best way to use an additional domain name

by pushkadesign
6 replies
Hi

I've had a blog site for a couple of years that promotes an e-book product. Over time, it has evolved more into a forum and is gaining popularity with more people registering and posting.

So to build on this, I registered a new domain containing my main keyword and the word 'forum'. I think people might be searching for that, and the domain was available.

Now I'm trying to figure out the best way to use this new domain...

1) Set up a landing page at the new domain, with some copy and a link to my main site

or

2) Just redirect the new domain to my main site. But does Google ever notice this?

Any suggestions welcomed - thanks!

Jason
#additional #domain #domain name #forum #landing page #redirect
  • Profile picture of the author jwm2
    If it was me, i'd make the new domain a webpage, seo it the best you can (with relevant keywords) and then blast it with some decent backlinks. That should at least make it relevant and work in your favor instead of just being a redirection to your existing domain. Put an anchor text link to it in the footer of your forum and that should help it out as well.
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  • Profile picture of the author vstar00
    yeah if you want this site to rank in google you will need to build the site with content and backlinks. You can create content on the site but have a static front page directing people to your forum.
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    • Profile picture of the author jwm2
      Originally Posted by vstar00 View Post

      yeah if you want this site to rank in google you will need to build the site with content and backlinks. You can create content on the site but have a static front page directing people to your forum.
      +1 Exactly.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nickolie0990
    Well, if you only "think" people are searching for it, then that isn't a good start. I don't like to take guess work. If you are redirecting it, make sure it is a 301 redirect, that way Google and the other search engines will know what kind of redirection it is.

    But if you don't have any clue on what to do with the domain, then I would just use it as a redirect.
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    • Profile picture of the author chrisscott
      What I've understood is that your main site become kind of a forum now so you used forum word in your new domain name so that if some one searches forum with your site name then gets it.

      Ok fine nice thinking in my opinion, now question is how to use your new domain well I think you should use it as domain redirection or domain forwarding.

      So if some one searches it using word forum then automatically go to your main site without having to go first on a page of new site.
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      • Profile picture of the author pushkadesign
        Hey thanks everyone for the advice.

        Originally Posted by chrisscott View Post

        What I've understood is that your main site become kind of a forum now so you used forum word in your new domain name so that if some one searches forum with your site name then gets it.
        Yep that's exactly it. My forum site domain name is just subjecttitle.com, so my new domain is subjecttitleforum.com, if you see what I mean.

        Nickolie0990 is right - I probably should research this and see just how much potential value the new domain has. So I guess doing a 301 redirect to my main site won't do any harm while I work on this?

        I just wasn't clear whether domain redirects are still worth doing - ie. whether Google indexes them at all - but it sounds like they are!

        Cheers,
        Jason
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