I'm looking to buy a website, but the domain name is horrible, no keywords, no meaning, just numbers and characters. The owner said he bought it 4 years ago because it had a PR6, but now it is PR1. Although it does have many backlinks to it. If I register my own domain and 301 redirect this current domain with all the backlinks, will I lose SEO and or referral traffic? And what is the best way to go about redirecting a domain so that my new domain keeps all the old backlinks redirecting to the new domain/directory? Thanks a bunch!
Maybe you can make a redirect page at the high-traffic domain to link to your site. Some people know how to make a redirect page.
301 re-direct is indeed the best way to divert traffic from an established site to a new one... without any significant damage! Regards, RightMan
You should know how to write the best redirection rule for your site. You will only lose some search traffic at the beginning (for the first 1-3 months) but your gain will be much more in the long term if you choose a good domain for your site. Your referral traffic from the current backlinks will be redirected to your new domain. There will be no lost in your referral traffic as long as all of the backlinks stay where they are. Changing the domain is a very good idea in your case. Domain name is so critical for a site. Your site revenue might be tripled even more by just changing its domain.