Hello, I would appreciate some advice. We have a .de domain that was purchased a year ago but an unfinished website was put on it for some reason. We now have a new website and are wondering whether to use the old domain or buy a new one.
The concern with using the old domain is that its reputation among search engines may be negatively impacted by the poor quality of the previous website that has been hanging there for a year.
If we decide to buy a new domain, we are unsure which zone is better - .com or .org. Would the choice of zone affect the ease of site promotion?
Thank you in advance.
The issue with the old domain is that it already has indexed pages on search engines, such as website.de/index.html. If new pages are created but with different names, the old pages will remain but robots won't be able to enter them and they will result in a 404 error.
To address this, either redirect from these pages or wait until search engines remove them from the index entirely. If there are numerous such pages, the entire site may not reflect well. Google dislikes this while Yandex is more tolerant due to its sluggishness. However, it's unclear how Yandex would react.
For a new site, a new domain is recommended. If you're concerned about the age of the domain name, consider purchasing one that has never had a website on it and isn't highlighted in search engine results for its age.
You've got this .de domain that's been sitting there with a not-so-great website for about a year. And now you've got a fresh, shiny new website, but you're worried about whether to stick with the old domain or start fresh with a new one.
1. Reputation of the Old Domain:
First off, search engines, especially Google, are pretty good at understanding the context. If the old website was really bad - like slow, unresponsive, or full of errors - it might have affected the domain's SEO reputation to some extent. But here's the thing, if the site was just unfinished but not like totally broken, then the impact might not be as bad as you think. You can actually work on improving the site's SEO by updating it with quality content, improving the site speed, and making sure it's mobile-friendly. Google appreciates effort and changes, and it'll start reassessing the site once it notices the new changes.
2. If You Go for a New Domain:
Now, if you decide to get a new domain, the choice between .com and .org depends a bit on what your site is about. Generally, .com is the go-to for commercial entities and businesses. It's widely recognized and trusted by users. .org, on the other hand, is traditionally used by non-profits and organizations, though that's not a strict rule anymore. If your website is a business or e-commerce site, .com would probably be the better choice. But if your site is more about community, education, or some sort of non-profit, then .org might actually give you a bit of a credibility boost in that area.
3. Ease of Promotion:
In terms of promotion, the domain zone (like .com or .org) doesn't directly affect your SEO or how easily you can promote the site. What matters more is the content on your site, the user experience, and how well you do your SEO. That being said, users might be more likely to remember a .com domain because it's so common. And there's a slight psychological advantage to that because people tend to trust .com domains more, but it's really minor in the grand scheme of things.
If your old .de domain has some decent backlinks or any sort of online presence already, it might be worth keeping it and just improving the site itself. If it's really a disaster and you think starting fresh would be easier, then go for a new domain. But don't stress too much about the extension - just pick what makes the most sense for your brand.
Remember to redirect the old domain to the new one if you decide to switch. That way, any traffic still going to the old site won't be lost, and you might keep some of the SEO juice too.
A year of a half-baked site likely tanked its SEO mojo with zero link juice and a trashy footprint. Don't waste your grind on a dead horse; ditch it for a shiny new domain before you're stuck in a penalty sandbox.
As for .com or .org, are you even serious? .com is the kingpin of TLDs - global, legit, and screams "I'm not messing around." .org is for charities or wannabe do-gooders; it's a snooze for promo unless you're saving whales. Stop overthinking and buy a .com before some domain squatter flips it for a fortune.