2 different domain names - redirect questions

[snoopy5]

Please start with posting #7

https://xenforo.com/community/threa...names-redirect-questions.127201/#post-1139998


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Hi,

I currently have a forum with domainname 1.

This forum has many subforums. I am thinking of using a different domainname 2 to link directly to one of the subforums.

If I would do this, would I get punished by google because 2 different domainnames link to the same softwareinstallation?

 

[Mr Lucky]

Hi,

I currently have a forum with domainname 1.

This forum has many subforums. I am thinking of using a different domainname 2 to link directly to one of the subforums.

If I would do this, would I get punished by google because 2 different domain names link to the same softwareinstallation?

I'm not sure punished is the correct word, but if the same content is available under two different domains then it is duplicate content which may well harm your search engine positions as they will be competing.

 

[Mr Lucky]

However xenforo may well punish you:

Each License may run one instance of the Software, accessible via one URL. Any attempt to circumvent this limitation is prohibited and will result in the License being revoked.

 

[Mr Lucky]

I'm not sure punished is the correct word, but if the same content is available under two different domains then it is duplicate content which may well harm your search engine positions as they will be competing.

Come to think of it if the rel=canonical on domain 2 was linking to domain 1 it would be OK.

But the para from the licence agreement quoted in the above post is the main issue.

 

[snoopy5]

I am thinking more of a 301 redirect.

 

[Mr Lucky]

I don't quite understand what you are doing then (or why?).

So both domains have a xenforo installation, but using the same database?


But then, you don't intend redirect everything (in which case you wouldn't need a separate installation, just the redirects) as you say you'd link domain 2 only to a subforum. So what happens to the rest of the forums on domain 2 - that would be duplicate content and against the forum licence.

 

[snoopy5]

No, it is kind of complicated. Over the years I used for the same forum and same domainname 3 different softwares. Always importing from one to the other if the support of that forum software was getting worse.

So 15 years ago, I used the software "discus". Then I switched around 10 years ago with that forum and domain name to vb. And then in 2012 I switched to XF.

For the last switch I also chnaged domainname. I have 301 redirects from the old domainame to the new one with the XF software. That all works well.

But I see still links on old websites, which are from my first forum software and I am looking for a way to redirect those old links to the new location of the forum. Otherwise these links would lead nowhere which is kind of not attractive.

I even do not know whether this nis technically possible, because it is the same domain name as the 301 redirect from vb to XF. Only after the domain name there is an additional "/discus/messages/4/12345" (numbers depend on the threads).

It will be impossible to get a one by one direction to the correct thread. But it would be nice that this very old link somehow finds its way to the newest domainname of that forum - even if it would be only the landing page/index/homepage.

Maybe I am too romantic and it is not worth the effort. But I do not like to see old links to my forum which still exists, only the old links are a dead end.

Does this makes sense for you?

 

[Mr Lucky]

Does this makes sense for you?

Yes, instead of the global redirect (given that the old domain had vbulletin not xenforo) all you need is the redirection script for the version of vbulletin you were using, and use it on.

https://xenforo.com/community/resources/categories/redirection-scripts.2/


Not sure about discus though. If you have any links from those then I would just do manual 301s for the most important.

 

[snoopy5]

mmmhhh...

there seems to be one thing in common with old discus links. The original link looks like this:

"mydomainname.com/discus/messages/4/26201.html"

And if I click on this, it even tries to get to the correct forum, only the end of the URL is not correct. It leads to:

"mydomainname.comdiscus"

So I need a solution that convert this just to "mydomainname.com" so without the word "discus" at the end or to mydomainname.com/newsubforum

Is that technically possible? If yes how?

 

[Mr Lucky]

Is that technically possible? If yes how?

I'm sure that can be done, and there are some experts here who may be able to help.

I would edit your tile or repost asking about the redirection aspect as that is what is relevant here, not the SEO of duplicated content as there is no duplicate content published.

 

[snoopy5]

I'm sure that can be done, and there are some experts here who may be able to help.

I would edit your tile or repost asking about the redirection aspect as that is what is relevant here, not the SEO of duplicated content as there is no duplicate content published.

I chnaged that now, thanks. I even did not know that we are allowed to change then title...