Site's backlinks actually point to another URL - how?? Options

[wanderer]

Can anyone enlighten me as to how this is being done? Two URL's, both with the same content, showing the same backlinks and PR on the toolbar. No redirection from one URL to the other. Backlinks to second site actually contain the first's URL - how are they doing this?

www.pvdd.com
backlinks:
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navc...2Epvdd%2Ecom%2F

www.pleasant.ca
backlinks:
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navc...leasant%2Eca%2F

[Grumpus]

Looks like there are two domains pointing to the same host/site. Google has identified them as the same site so only one is going to show in your SERPS, but both domains are used. This is fairly new, but I seem to remember a discussion about it (though I don't remember where) earlier this past summer or so.

G.

[wanderer]

The reason I'm interested is because the site is hosted in the US. The benefit to what they've done is that the .ca domain is well-placed in the Canada only Google results. It ranks well in those results because it shares the PR which is actually attributable to the .com.

Seems like a very neat & clean way to have a new .ca share or benefit from the work that has gone into an established .com, which is hosted in the US and therefore won't appear in Canada only results. No splitting of PR & links between two domains. Means one doesn't have to talk the client into moving their content to a .ca and redirecting the .com, or changing their host from a US provider to a Canadian one.

I'd really like to know how this can be done, if anyone knows. Also if this is considered by the SE's to be a form of spam and therefore risky.

I found this information. Sounds like it might be the trick, though this appears to be specific to Cobalt?

[digitalpoint]

No, it's not specific to a Cobalt RaQ... the Cobalt servers simply use Apache, so anything running Apache would be the same.

- Shawn

[DianeV]

Directing two domains to one website on an Apache server should be much less complex than those instructions, and without the necessity to utilize mod_rewrite. I'm guessing they're set out that way due to configuration of the Cobalt RaQ.

There are a few threads around here that explain (more or less) how to permanently redirect a second domain name to the first via the Apache server's configuration file (httpd.conf).

If your web host does this kind of thing, I'd just ask them to do it.

If, on the other hand, you've got an account that allows you to play with domain redirecting, email addresses for different domains, etc., here's where I query the syntax for permanently redirecting one domain to another (I should note that, if you're not familiar with .conf files, this may be confusing):
http://www.cre8asiteforums.com/viewtopic.p...=httpd+conf+301

[wanderer]

But is this redirecting? When url A is permanently redirected to url B, doesn't typing url A in the browser address bar result in url B replacing url A when the redirect takes place? In the case of a permanent redirect, wouldn't a check of backlinks on url A show as 0 if all of the links are to url B? This is not what is happening in this particular case.

Sorry if I'm being obtuse, but this stuff is a little beyond my experience.