Forwarding kw rich domains to main domain

[Dan-Lawrence]

Hi

My client has a clutch of kw rich domains that want to point to main domain, apart from being good for promotional reasons is there any seo benefit for doing so (i know there used to be years ago but under impression hasn't been any benefit for a long while)

Most importantly though can any bad come from doing this ?

Best Rgds

Dan

[mihaiaperghis]

Hey Dan,

301 redirecting those domains won't really help you SEO-wise unless they have a good backlink profile to begin with. Even then, it's better to build quality content on those sites, get some good backlinks and then link to your main domain (instead of redirecting). That's basically how brands use micro-sites to promote themselves (Wil Reynolds has a nice video on the advantages and disadvantages of using micro-sites).

Just a cautionary thing: Google has lowered the value of keyword rich EMD domains in September last year.

Hope this helps!

[Dan-Lawrence]

Thanks Mihai

i thought microsites are well out the window these days, unless fully developing as a high quality site (which budget wont allow)

To confirm then, no bad can come from forwarding kw rich domains to main domain ?

cheers

dan

[mihaiaperghis]

It can harm you only if any of the kw rich domains have been previously penalized by Google, in which case 301 redirecting it will likely pass the penalty.

Otherwise, it's just like using the same tactic to redirect typo or vanity domains. Won't harm you, but it won't help you with ranking either, regardless of the domain name or keywords used.

Cheers!

[Dan-Lawrence]

Cool many thanks

[MoosaHemani]

If the domains have a good back link profile then it is always good to 301 redirect the KW Rich domains to the main domain but in my personal experience with one of the BIG website is that too many domains 301 redirecting to the main domain can hurt your rankings.. especially when they have a poor or no link profile.

[Dan-Lawrence]

Many thanks Moosa !