Hi everyone, I searched over the forum and didn't see anyone ask this question...What I mean here it is that i have a site name http://domain.com . Question... Should I create a Rewrite rule in .htaccess to redirect all the visitors come from http://domain.com will direct to http://www.domain.com . Meaning Google bot will not crawl the http:// version, but only the http://www version. it will limited the chance to be sandbox or plenty. Do you guys prefer that or Does it matter? Thanks
A 301 redirect (permanently moved) of non www version to www version is good and also important for seo . If you will not redirect then Google may find same content from 2 different url like domain.com/page1 and www.domain.com/page1 and you can be penalize for duplicate content.
1. The sandbox does not exist, it's a myth and you can safely forget about it. 2. The chief reason you need to decide between the root directory and the www. subdomain is (a) to address duplicate content: this is not hugely important these days but still helpful, especially if you have a large site; (b) to ensure that only one version of the URL is displayed in the search results and in the browser (better for branding purposes). 3. It doesn't matter if you go with with the root directory or www. 4. URL canonicalization can be performed in one of the following 3 ways: (a) 301 redirect (already as pointed out, and this is my preferred method and the only one that ensures that the canonical URL is displayed by the browser; or (b) Use canonical links in the <head> sections of your pages; or (c) Use the URL version setting in the Google Webmaster Tools. Additionally, it is best if you use a consistent linking convetion on your site (canonical URLs only). I hope this helps!