Question: What are the SEO consequences of redirecting web traffic with a META REFRESH?
Details: I\'m working with an old static site that\'s migrating to a new addr
It's not ideal, but apparently it's ok:
http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/google-and-yahoo-treat-undelayed-meta-refresh-as-301-redirect/
Also read number 2 on this page:
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/answers-to-the-seo-professionals-litmus-test
as i can not comment on the fact, if a 0sec meta refresh is treated as a 301 redirect, i would just go with the way google recommends. see http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=139394
from http://www.oldsite.com/
<head>
...
<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.newsite.com/" />
...
</head>
from http://www.newsite.com/awesomepage.html
<head>
...
<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.newsite.com/awesomepage" />
...
</head>
and so on.
cross domain canonicals are basically treated like HTTP 301 for googlebot. whatever you do with the user (i.e.: meta refresh, or just leave him/her on the old page) is optional (as long as it is not missleading).