“I want to merge old domains into one. How should I do this? Do I redirect? And can you explain keywords and SEO very plainly?”
If the old sites get very little fame, then I would just start anew. If you are going to close one, the other, or both…then there will be no redirect or .htaccess file to work with.
If it is only a case of being a financial burden, then I can give you the name of a hosting company that gives you unlimited free domains hosted, after you purchase just one…Dreamhost. Then you can leave everything the way it is and utilize the .htaccess file. Send them to the new domain and hopefully, there are no guarantees – keep your ranking and SERP stats.
Acronyms (this article)
SEO = Search Engine Optimization (optimisation in UK)
SERP = Search Engine Result Page
SERPs = Search Engine Results Pages
SEs =Â Search Engines
IIT’s = Internet Information Technologies
Aroma, taste-testing and the meal.
As far as keywords and SEO…your homepage should contain your whole site’s topic terms – trying to incorporate them into the page’s text, as much as possible. Then each and every other page on your site should contain the keywords FOR THAT PAGE. The SEs get a taste of your site on the homepage and then get hungry for more. Then they go – and expect, to see the whole enchilada on the following pages. The aroma is the SERPs…the taste-testing is your homepage…the meal is on your pages.
The webmaster has total control over the recipe by doing the research. I actually utilize my husband’s impatience and ask him to go find this or that without instruction. I study the words he chooses and where he clicks, etc. Then I can ‘tweak’ where needed.
I think people get too caught up in manipulating the past. Do it right. There are reports of SEs finding quality SEO built pages in days and ranking them well. You won’t end up with a mess that you will have to deal with in the future advancement of IIT’s. Look into your crystal ball. Plan ahead. Go natural.
I hope this helps a bit…um…I think I just made myself hungry.
Bj. deCastro, Realism Artist and Webmaster