Marketing Tip: The 301 Redirect

If you're looking for a marketing spark the 301 redirect may be just the thing.

What's a 301 Redirect you ask?

A 301 redirect is Google's preferred method of transferring one site to another. Google hates duplicate content. If you have two domain names with the same content, both are headed for obscurity. They'll drop out of Google permanently. The Google preferred method is to have one main site and use a 301 redirect to send the second site to the first. This is how Google wants it done.

How does that apply to my site?

If your site is languishing it is because no one is searching for your domain name (if check your current domain name at Google you will see you do indeed come up). Here's an example. We have a client called Wunsch Farms. They own WunschFarms.com. The problem is no one searches for Wunsch Farms. So the site sits with no traffic.

Wunsch Farms sells cherries and apples. We bought CherriesAndApples.com. Since people DO search for cherries and apples we put the Wunsch Farms site there (renamed it). Now they enjoy a steady flow of new customers to the site - all the people searching on Google for cherries and apples.

So not to lose the existing traffic from WunschFarms.com we used a 301 redirect to send users from WunschFarms.com to CherriesAndApplies.com. Users are happy because they can still find the site. They don't even now they've been forwarded to a new site. Google is happy because there is no duplicate content AND we're using a 301 redirect like they told us to. Most of all, the client is happy because they now have a steady flow of customers wanting to buy what they sell. It's a win-win-win.

With preplanning we were able to create a marketing campaign that brings in customers. We used the existing site so no work was involved. It was done in a Google friendly way. You still come up under your business name. Best of all, you get the prospects from your new high traffic domain name.