Introduction
Changing a domain name on your website can have significant SEO implications, and the process should be approached with caution. This article provides essential best practices for preserving SEO value and maintaining search engine rankings during a domain change. Whether it’s due to rebranding or other strategic needs, a well-planned migration can help minimize risks and ensure a smooth transition.
Domain Change Important Considerations
Changing a domain name risks losing established search engine trust and link equity, potentially causing a drop in search rankings, which can negatively impact traffic and revenue. Migrating a domain typically involves challenges like partially transferring link equity due to imperfect redirects, which may result in broken links and lost content, further affecting SEO performance. Rebuilding domain authority on a new domain is also a slow and demanding process that requires extensive rebranding and communication efforts.
Given the complexities, domain migration is best viewed as a last resort, advisable only when the strategic benefits clearly outweigh the risks or there is a legal or professional need to do so.
SEO Best Practices for Domain Changes
Content Preservation
- Goal: Maintain valuable content from the old domain to ensure continuity and search engine rankings.
- Actions: Audit and migrate all relevant content to the new domain without alteration to retain SEO performance.
Plan Content and Site Architecture
- Goal: Avoid keyword cannibalization and duplicate content while improving SEO.
- Actions: Reassess and reorganize site content to enhance performance on the new domain.
URL Structure Preservation
- Goal: Keep the URL structure similar to the old domain to retain user experience and SEO equity.
- Actions: Map old URLs to new ones in a 1:1 ratio where possible. Make changes only when necessary to improve SEO.
301 Redirects
- Goal: Redirect old URLs to new ones to transfer SEO value and maintain continuity.
- Actions: Use 301 redirects for all old pages, ensuring a smooth transition for users and search engines.
Update Internal Links
- Goal: Ensure internal links are updated to reflect the new domain.
- Actions: Update all internal and external links within your site to maintain link equity.
Monitor Traffic and Indexation
- Goal: Track the new domain’s performance post-migration.
- Actions: Use Google Search Console to monitor traffic, crawl errors, and indexing rates.
Communicate with Stakeholders
- Goal: Inform users and stakeholders of the domain change.
- Actions: Use emails, newsletters, and website updates to communicate the migration in advance.
SEO Audit Post-Migration
- Goal: Ensure no SEO value is lost after the migration.
- Actions: Conduct a comprehensive audit to check for broken links and verify proper site structure.
Install Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
- Goal: Continuously track user interactions and performance metrics on the new domain.
- Actions: Install and configure GA4 to monitor traffic trends and user behavior.
Reverify Google Search Console (GSC)
- Goal: Maintain access to search traffic reports.
- Actions: Verify the new domain in Google Search Console and submit the updated sitemap. Use the Change of Address tool to notify Google of the domain change.
Coordinate with the Launch Team for Domain Redirects
- Goal: Ensure proper redirects for all versions of the domain.
- Actions: Implement CDN/DNS-level redirects and test thoroughly to ensure correct redirection (e.g., HTTPS, non-www, non-trailing slash).
Provider Limitations
- Wix: Wix doesn’t support Cloudflare, which can limit certain DNS settings.
Provider Recommendations
- Squarespace: With Google Domains no longer available, Squarespace is the recommended alternative for domain management.
Conclusion
Changing your website domain can be a complex and challenging process, but following these SEO best practices can help you minimize risks and ensure a successful transition. Always treat domain migration as a last resort unless it’s legally or strategically necessary.