Google Webmaster / DH Domain Confusion

#1

It all started a year ago when I set up a new domain with a typo in it. This is precottharvestfestival.com

After realizing mistake, I kept the mis-spelled domain but also added the correct prescottharvestfestival.com I set the wrong one to MIRROR the correct one. I have verified the actual files and WP installation are at the correctly spelled domain.

SO this year (its a once a year event…) I rebuild the (WordPress) site and all’s well UNTIL I go to check stats at my Google WebMaster dashboard. Nothing is showing up in the incoming links, visits, etc. Yikes. (I hadn’t tracked the site last year so it was an unpleasant shock.)

I followed Google’s advice to look up the site using site:prescottharvestfestival.com and NOTHING comes up. Its all coming up under site:precottharvestfestival.com, the mis-spelled domain.

Additionally a regular Google search using the correct name of the festival gives all results at the mispelled domain.

SO my question is - why? and should I try to switch it? Or just track the mis-spelled domain on Google WebMaster and try to straighten this out AFTER the festival is over? I don’t like the wrong domain showing in the URL of Google search results, but I don’t want to lose whatever rank has been achieved…

Any help much appreciated!

#2

The first thing I’d do is stop using the Mirror, and make it a Redirect instead. That will go a long way to straightening things out.

Did you use the Webmaster tools to verify that both domains are yours? As the mirror/redirect gets straightened out, you might have to watch both domains for a while.

Oh, and to answer “why?” Google doesn’t like Mirrors, and I’m sure they have some secret way to untangle mirror setups to figure out what’s legit. I’m guessing that they saw that the misspelled domain was the original one (registered first), so they ignore the right spelling and index the original domain.

#3

Ah, Google and their secret ways… I will try the redirect instead and verify both domains… I’ve got nothing to lose I guess. Right? Oh the interwebz is a scary place…[hr]
Oh, and THANK YOU (where are my manners???)