Google has indexed my site by my IP address. How can I correct this?

• I have never pointed to my IP address but Google has about 100 pages of my IP address, as well as my domain, indexed. I just moved from an old host to a new host and this might have something to do with it. What can I do to correct the problem?

Answer: This problem is more common than you think and is usually the result of a website information site improperly using IPs in links they use to index sites. Google in turn stumbles upon the new IP site result, thinks it has found a new site, and indexes it accordingly.

The solution is to set-up a 301 redirect in your .htaccess file to the canonical version you want indexed. Do not simply block access via the IP address. Put the 301 redirect on the OLD DOMAIN and point it to the NEW DOMAIN. Now that people are clicking those IP results in the search engine results, you don't want to block them; use the redirect instead.

Anyone who has followed our advice for a while knows the power of the 301 redirect as we've published a number bytes and reports touting the uses and benefits. Here are two of the most useful:

• How to Use a 301 Redirect to Keep your Web Pages from Dropping off the Face of the Earth
• Unraveling the Versatile 301 Redirect

Here is an example of what your .htaccess code might look like to solve the specific IP indexing issue (be sure to tailor the information to your IP address and site info):