If you need to change the URL of a page as it is shown in search engine results, we recommended that you use a server-side 301 redirect. This is the best way to ensure that users and search engines are directed to the correct page. The 301 status code means that a page has permanently moved to a new location. 301 redirects are particularly useful in the following circumstances: You've moved your site to a new domain, and you want to make the transition as seamless as possible. People access your site through several different URLs. If, for example, your home page can be reached in multiple ways - for instance, http://example.com/home, http://home.example.com, or http://www.example.com - it's a good idea to pick one of those URLs as your preferred (canonical) destination, and use 301 redirects to send traffic from the other URLs to your preferred URL. You can also use Webmaster Tools to set your preferred domain. You're merging two websites and want to make sure that links to outdated URLs are redirected to the correct pages.
Permanent 301 Permanent 301 redirects are just as they sound. They are permanent redirects from an old URL to a new one. These redirects tell the search engines that the old location is to be removed from their index and replaced with the new location. Using 301 redirects is the most search engine friendly way to redirect traffic and engines, and far out weighs that of various JavaScript and Meta refresh redirects. Temporary 302 Temporary 302 redirects are also as they sound; temporary. Here you are telling the search engines to read and use the content on the new page, but to keep checking the original URL first as it will ultimately be reestablished. Source: http://www.stepforth.com/blog/2008/redirects-permanent-301-vs-temporary-302/
I've always been able to access any of the domains I am responsible for with or without the www. But I was taught early on to choose which you prefer and set one up. 301 permanent redirect so that I was using the one I prefer 1 and 1 and BH in the first one requires you to do this through the file. Htaccess and gave instructions on how to do it.
where is the option in webmaster, where we can see the merging of this two websites.Then what about offpage activity. If i want to do offpage activity on my site then which domain should i use.