Can you nofollow a URL?

[RiceMedia]

Hey Moz Community,

My questions sounds pretty simple but unfortunately, it isn't. I have a domain name (we'll use example.com for this) http://example.com which 301 re-directs to http://www.example.com. http://example.com has bad links pointing to it and http://www.example.com does not. So essentially, I want to stop negative influences from http://example.com being passed on to http://www.example.com. A 302 re-direct sounds like it would work in theory but is this the best way to go about this?

Just so you know, we have completed a reconsideration request a long time ago but I think the bad links are still negatively affecting the website as it does not rank for it's own name which is bizarre.

Actual Question:

How do I re-direct http://example.com to http://www.example.com without passing on the negative SEO attached to http://example.com?

Thanks in advance!

[Cyrus-Shepard]

Looks like a lot of good information from folks here so I'll be brief.

Technically, there's no practical way to redirect the page without redirecting the links. Unless your page serves a 404 or 410 response code, those links will be associated with your domain.

The only way to disassociate yourself from these links is through use of the Disavow Tool.

[RiceMedia]

It's a website for a mobile app and the references for it around the web (in iTunes for instance) all rank on first page, it has a unique name. The link profile has been fine since the penalty was lifted, a few links still need to be cleaned but they are all in the disavow file that is uploaded to Google. It's weird because we aren't even in the top 10 pages.

If the website was hit again then wouldn't a notice have come through in Google Webmaster Tools by now?

[KristinaKledzik]

Hm, you're in a tough spot.

Is your domain a unique name, like "Moz," or is it a description of what you are, like "SEO Info"? I ask because it's possible that your brand name is really a competitive keyword that you're just not strong enough to compete for, which could explain why you don't rank for it.

Also, have you looked through your link profile since 2013? It's possible that you have been hit by a spam penalty again. Even if you haven't purchased more links, if someone hits you with some negative SEO or if you picked up a few low quality links without high quality links to balance things out, it's possible you've been hit again.

[RiceMedia]

Hey Kristina, thanks for your reply, see my answers to each bullet point below:

• The www version does not rank for the brand name. Initially the non www version was the main website but we changed this to the www version during November 2014.
• The reconsideration request was submitted on 18/10/2013 and Google responded on 24/10/2013 stating that the manual spam action had been revoked.
• Not a lot of value right now but changing the domain name will be impossible.

[RiceMedia]

Thanks Ryan, I guess you're right but we're trying to minimize the negative impact, a new domain name is not possible.

[RiceMedia]

Thanks for the reply Monica. Unfortunately, a new domain is not possible.

[KristinaKledzik]

To second Ryan's point: Google definitely sees http://example.com as a separate page than http://www.example.com, but I'd be surprised if you can distance yourself from bad links pointing to http://example.com by focusing on http://www.example.com. Google's pretty smart, it knows that those two pages are usually one and the same.

To your 302 redirect point: Google's seem enough improperly used 302 redirects (both accidentally and for SEO reasons, like this) to start treating 302 redirects as 301s if they stay in place over time, according to a test Geoff Kenyon worked on. A 302 redirect may work for a little while, but it's not a long term solution.

To dig into this a bit deeper:

• Does the www version of your site rank for your brand name? Is it just the non-www version that's been hit?
• When did you submit a reconsideration request, and what was Google's response? Did they say that your penalty has been lifted?
• What is the value of your current domain name? I've heard of companies that have a small enough brand awareness, it's better business sense to just restart from the ground up with a new domain. Is that where you are, or do you have a pretty solid business built up?

[RyanPurkey]

I think your problem may be one of differentiation. While example.com and www.example.com are technically two different domains, they're not substantially different enough when it comes to creating a new site on the ashes of a negative one. (i.e. canonical redirecting off www or non-www for the same domain name is a common practice for websites that aren't trying to change their image).  I can't speak specifically to your situation but you might consider creating an entirely new domain if you think example.com is that negative.

[MonicaOConnor]

Usually, you wouldn't 301 redirect this, you would use a canonical tag. If the value of the URL has a ton of negative link juice, is there any reason you can't 404 the page and start fresh on a new URL? That would be my advice. Even if you redirect the link, these are technically the same page, and the negative link juice will be passed through. I would cut my losses, get rid of the bad pages and start fresh.