There are many factors which can affect the search engine rank of a website. One of these determining factors is the domain name. There are several factors occurring behind the scenes with the domain name which can have a significant effect on a websites ability to rank well with the search engines.
For example let’s assume your website has been live for a period of 6 months or more and you assume for whatever reason that you can get a higher search engine ranking if you were using a particular keyword in your domain name instead of your current domain name. As a result you rush out and purchase keyword1.co.uk, keyword2.co.uk and keyword3.co.uk.
From the search engines perspective there is a good way and a harmful method to assign these additional domains to your website. Opting for the detrimental method can cause a significant problem in terms of a website’s organic ranking which can result from duplicate content and trust. Duplicate content occurs when identical or very similar content is placed on two separate websites. If similar content is identified on two separate domains Google will discount the domain it has less history and trust with.
There are a number of common methods available to point multiple domain names to your web server. These methods include:
- Domain Mirroring
- Domain Cloaking
- Domain Alias
- Domain Redirecting
Domain mirroring or Domain masking is sometimes called a pointer domain. When viewed in a browser it looks like the domain but it is simply a mask overlaying the real domain name and its content.
Domain cloaking typically uses an iframe or embedded frameset to display the content of one website within another website.
Domain redirecting also often called URL redirecting requires all traffic that travels through the new domain name to be redirected to the original main domain name. This can also be a domain redirected to a subdirectory of the main domain. Domain redirecting is different from domain mirroring and domain cloaking because users visiting the new domain are automatically redirected to the original domain and the domain name changed in the address bar accordingly.
Conclusion
To prevent confusion, it’s better to change the brand to better reflect the keyword-rich domain name. This could be as simple as updating your logo.
The technical procedure for redirecting domain names must be done so that search engines do not become confused as to what you are trying to achieve. If not you risk alerting a duplicate content filter which forces the search engines to accept only one domain with that exact content. However the biggest risk is tripping an alarm with the search engines that you are trying to trick them into giving you a better rank.
If you use any other method to redirect a domain other than domain redirecting, you are likely to be disappointed with the resulting ranking positions. Domain mirroring and domain cloaking simply confuse search engines because they see the same content under a different domain name. Google then selects one of the domain names to display that content and leaves the others out of the search results. Google chooses which domain to rank, with the decision out of your control.
The more serious issue with domain mirroring and cloaking is the probability that the search engines suspect you are trying to manipulate their rankings by suddenly using keywords in additional domain names. The ultimate result is either loss of whatever good ranking you did originally have or your site is banned from Google altogether!
