My site has to be down for up to 72 hrs in the next week or so. Switching to a new host. Does that mean I will be starting from scratch with rankings etc?
3 days? Naaaaaa, I wouldn't think so! The bots are going to come and look for you repeatedly if the site is down, maybe you'll loose a few positions temporarily, but everything goes back as it was only a few days in advance. Do the bots visit you very often? You could try with the "revisit after 3 days" meta.
When I move a site I put up on new host, change DNS, and put up redirect on old host. That way I never experience any down time. Shannon
UCA---My homepage gets hit by google everyday... the inside pages every week/ everyother. I dont think MSN comes by that much anymore, but i am really not sure. The cache dates are about 10 days old. One of the many reasons I am moving servers is b/c I get daily reports every week or so from my hosting company. They still haven't answered a ? about httaccess (for the co-op network) from around New Years. In the "real world" I have a relationship with them also...yikes Shannon...thanks for the tip re: redirect. I just found directions for it...
ROAR, I still believe nothing serious would happen anyway for 3 days, Google knows that happens and comes back for a while before considering the site dead. Of course follow the advice given to you, as it makes your positions safe, but I'm sure you'll be fine anyway. I don't know how long it takes before a site (or a page) is considered dead and to be taken off the database, but a lot longer than a few days, I'm sure.
There are several ways to redirect. I think knowledgeable individuals will tell you to put up a 301 redirect. I have not done a 301 but would attempt to do so in the futue. 301 info here: ***http://www.tamingthebeast.net/articles3/spiders-301-redirect.htm*** In light of your problem with your host this may not be an option. How about you knowledgeable individuals jumping in here. Shannon
Are supposed to let the old web-hosting group know that you have moved your site? I didnt tell them...and I just noticed that changes dont seem to be taking...
I generally tell my host when I move a site and ask them not to charge my credit card for another year. They typically come back and ask for the reason and I am only too happy to tell them. After all, I would not move if I was satisfied. Shannon
If you just switch hosting companies, but your domain stays the same, there's no need to redirect anything. 1. Set up a new site first. If you have to access this website by domain name (e.g. you have a virtual website), either use local DNS server or simply modify your hosts file to point to the new location; 2. If you are changing the DNS server as well, setup your new DNS server to point to the correct addresses (e.g. www -> the web server address); 3. Switch your DNS record at the registrar to point to the new DNS server 4. Give it at least a day or two for the DNS system to pick up your changes (DNS servers may cache addresses for some time and some people may hit your old address for at least a few hours). 5. Say goodbye to your old hosting company. J.D.
You are probably right there, but I have had links set up to my ip address, not domain name. With redirect in place you can avoid potential duplicate content penalty. Shannon
3 days should not be a problem. You may loose a few visitors but that should be the worst of it. If you can do the redirect, you'll be much better off then change the dns once the new site is up.