Wrong domain being indexed

[nickhas]

When we originally started up our new company, we used the company name as the domain. However, we decided that it was too long and instead used something shorter. Then, we decided that was no good and finally settled on a domain for the long term. This was all in about a month's time.

The problem is that I set up a Google sitemap with the very first domain so Google immediately indexed that. Now, whenever someone searches our company name or anything else that we rank for, Google is returning the first domain name that we registered. Even if you search the current domain name, it still returns the old one.

I've since deleted the first sitemap and built the new one with the proper domain name.

How can I get Google to stop returning the old domain? It all goes to the same place, but I want to build a consistent domain so potential clients don't start getting confused.

It should be noted that these are both set up as addon domain names using shared hosting from an account I set up for a separate, primary business site.

Thanks.

[Feydakin]

You need to 301 redirect all of the old pages under the old domains to the new pages on the new domain.. Just turning them off isn't enough.. Turning them off will eventually work over time, but the fast, and right, way to do it is 301 redirects from old to new..

[incrediblehelp]

Right Feydakin, just set up a 301 redirect an the search engines will eventually pick it up. Also get yourself set up in Google Webmaster Tools as well.

[bj]

Fedaykin is right. 301 each and every page into its corresponding new location. There's probably a clever way to do this using mod-rewrite if you're on apache and can use htaccess.

[nickhas]

Thanks to Feydakin as I took his/her advice over the weekend and thanks to the others for confirmation.

For the record, I am set up with Google Webmaster tools. That's the first thing I did was change the sitemap I had submitted but I hadn't noticed a change in the index after a month.

[nickhas]

I have a follow up question.

I redirected the home page just fine.

Now when I try to redirect the subfolders and pages, I get an error message.

You cannot redirect faq.php to http://domainname.com/faq.php as will cause a redirection loop because /home/firstequ/public_html/amg/faq.php is at the same place as /home/firstequ/public_html/amg/faq.php.

Both my domains are associated with the same location as both are being used as addon domains.

If this can't be done, how do I ultimately get Google to recognize all these pages with the domain I really want?

[bj]

If you pointed the new domain name at the same directory as the old domain name, then this would be logical. I don't think you have to do anything else as long as you are now submitting the new sitemap with the full new urls as the links (absolute links rather than relative ones.)

[nickhas]

Thanks for the reply. My host suggested to re-associate the original domain with a different folder and then apply the 301 redirects so they aren't stuck in the loop.

I've had the new domain name associated with the same folder for over a month and I'm thinking it shouldn't take that long to reindex everything when Google says it last accessed my home page on May 8.

I'm guessing doing what my host provider suggested could only help speed up the process.

[bj]

Yeah, I'd say that's a good call.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes. I don't much work with add-on domains, but I'm sure there are a lot of people on here who do, so the info on what works (as well as what didn't!) will be helpful.

[nickhas]

I don't much work with add-on domains

Just curious, are add-on domains detrimental to my SEO success? I've studied up on SEO a lot and this is my first attempt to really implement it.

We're admittedly shoe-stringing this project in the beginning so that's my reason for using an add-on domain.

Thanks again for your attention and I'll be sure to report back.

[activeco]

Originally Posted by nickhas

My host suggested to re-associate the original domain with a different folder and then apply the 301 redirects so they aren't stuck in the loop.

It only means that you probably implemented the redirection in a wrong way.
What platform/server are your domains on?

[nickhas]

All the redirects have been applied now after I associated the original domain with a different folder. I think everything is settled for now. I'll have to wait and see what Google does.