Hi, I'm contemplating a site move from it's current domain - designshack.co.uk - to designshack.net. It started off as a UK based site, but simply isn't any more and I've had some feedback that the localized domain gives the wrong impression. Just a couple of questions: 1) Is it worth it? Will I see an improvement in international google.com rankings, or will it come at a high cost in terms of pagerank, backlinks etc. 2) What's the best way to do it? Just re-direct the whole site using a 301 .htaccess? Thanks for the advice
well it doesnt matter .co.uk or .net its on how easy u want ur site to be remembered 2) Ya thats the best way
Is it likely to have a negative effect on search engine rankings etc - i.e. will all the links to my site seem worthless as they point to the .co.uk domain?
Yes. The backlinks will be worthless and you will have to build your serp position from the beginning. However if your site is getting good traffic, it shouldn't be so catastrophic. You can make a redirect to .net. You won't loose whole your traffic this way. .net is easier to remember and sounds more professional than co.uk. It might be a good thing in a longer run but if you want to do it, be prepared to spend next 3-6 months or more getting your position in search engines back. Also if your site is monetized, be prepared that your income will fall down and you'll have to slowly restore it.