Buying an old domain name, now what?

[rjjj111]

I am buying an old domain, 8 plus years old. I am planning on putting a (new) website on it. The old domain already has backlinks, which bring some traffic to the site already. I thought of redirecting the traffic coming to it, to another existing website I already have.

How is the best way to do this?

Any things I need to be careful of, when changing this domain?

Keeping old pages? Any concerns about Google, etc.....


Please help me out.............thanks.

[Webnauts]

Did the old site have the same theme you have now?

[rjjj111]

yes............

[Webnauts]

Then do 301 redirects to the new relevant pages.

[rjjj111]

do i need to get the exact page names out there now, and put a 301 redirect each page name?

do i need to make a copy of the page, as it is now?

any other issues i need to be aware of?

thanks.............

[Webnauts]

Originally Posted by rjjj111

do i need to get the exact page names out there now, and put a 301 redirect each page name?

If I understood you right, yes.

Originally Posted by rjjj111

do i need to make a copy of the page, as it is now?

I don't understand.

[rjjj111]

beside do 301 redirects.......


anything else i need to be concerned about, it moving and building a new site on an old domain?

[incrediblehelp]

Well if the domain is changing ownership expect those backlinks to be reset.

[rjjj111]

incrediblehelp, now, i am lost. BUT that may be a good thing to find out now.

i thought backlinks were websites having links point back to your site.

what are backlinks then? if they are reset, how big of a deal is it?

please let me know...........thanks.

[activeco]

Incrediblehelp means the links will (probably) not count anymore in search engine's ranking algorithm, at least not in Google and he is right.
Your links will however still bring the traffic.

[rjjj111]

any way to get around this issue and STILL have the backlinks count after switching the ownership of the domain?

[incrediblehelp]

Originally Posted by rjjj111

any way to get around this issue and STILL have the backlinks count after switching the ownership of the domain?

Leave the ownership details the same in the whois.

[activeco]

However when you use 301 to the new domain you take the same risk.
Cloaking in this case would be black hat, so you'll have to be very inventive in order to stay clean and competitive.

[rjjj111]

how best to view, what this domain is worth?

backlinks, etc.......


how can i best judge the real value of this old domain?

any tests or tools i can run on it?

[activeco]

Traffic data is the best parameter.
Check thoroughly domain's longer time statistics; quantity, quality, origin and destination of traffic and this alone should answer most of your questions.