How To Change Domain Name Without Affecting SEO – Guide

Changing your domain shouldn’t mean compromising your SEO achievements. Yet, for many website owners, the mere thought of domain migration brings to mind the fear of lost search rankings and traffic.

Thankfully, with proper planning and execution, these fears can be eased.

this guide, we’ll provide a comprehensive blueprint on how to change domain names without losing SEO.

Table of Contents

• What is Domain Migration?
• How Does Changing Domain Name Affect SEO?
  • Impact of Poor Domain Migration on SEO
• How to Safely Move Domain Without Losing SEO – Checklist
  1. Choose a Clean Domain
  2. Point The New Domain To Your Website
  3. Set up URL Redirects
  4. Submit Change of Address in GSC
  5. Update Google Analytics & Other Tools
  6. Solve Internal 301 Redirects
  7. Update Links on Social Media and other Sites
  8. Monitor the Results
• Domain Migration SEO – Important Things to Remember

Let’s get started.

What is Domain Migration?

Domain migration refers to the process of moving a website from one domain to another. It’s like relocating your online “address” while ensuring that all your content, data, and functionalities remain intact. The reason can be rebranding, switching to a more relevant domain name, etc.

Here are a few examples of domain migration:

• Domain Name Change: An online grocery store ‘freshgrocer.com’ might upscale to ‘organicharvest.com’ to expand on their product range.
• Sub-domain Transition: An online retailer might shift from using a non-www domain, ‘bestdeals.com’, to a www subdomain, ‘www.bestdeals.com’, for technical SEO benefits or consistency.
• TLD Swap: A tech blog ‘techbeginners.net’ might migrate to ‘techbeginners.com’ to use a TLD that better reflects their evolved content and audience.

How Does Changing Domain Name Affect SEO?

Changing domain names can negatively affect SEO.

Search engines like Google distinguish websites based on their domains. This means you’ll be presenting a whole new site to them while changing the domain name.

But you can minimize this impact by following the right practices.

For example, you can submit a change of address in Google Search Console and set up proper redirects to pass the link equity to the new domain.

Impact of Poor Domain Migration on SEO

The potential mistakes that occur during domain migration can have serious consequences on your website’s online visibility.

It can result in:

• Lost Rankings: Your website might not appear where it used to in search results
• Deindexed Pages: Some of your web pages might completely disappear from search results
• Broken Links: Some links might lead to “page not found” errors, frustrating your visitors
• Decreased Traffic: Your site may witness a loss of traffic from both search engines as well as referring sites.
• Loss of Domain Authority: If search engines can’t link your new domain to the reputation of the old one, your site’s authority might decrease.

How to Safely Move Domain Without Losing SEO – Checklist

Now that you are ready to move your old domain to a new one, follow our detailed checklist to ensure a smooth and SEO-friendly transition.

1. Choose a Clean Domain

If you’re purchasing an old domain, ensure that it was not used for any spam or malicious activities. Starting with a clean slate ensures you’re not taking any SEO problems from the domain’s past.

If you are choosing a brand new domain, then there is no problem.

You can use the Wayback Machine to see the historical content of the domain.

You can also refer to Google’s Transparency Report to check if the domain you have chosen has been flagged for unsafe content or not.

By using these tools, you can take proactive steps to ensure the domain doesn’t affect your SEO efforts in the long run.

And to be on the safe side, you can also check for any manual actions on the domain through Google Search Console after purchasing it.

2. Point The New Domain To Your Website

After finalizing your domain name, it’s time to point the new domain to your website.

First, you’ll need to clone your website. And then assign the new domain to the clone site. (This is because you’ll still need the old site to manage redirects.)

Now, depending on the content management system you’re using, the steps may vary. But here’s how you can do it in WordPress:

Login to your WordPress admin dashboard and move to ‘’Settings’’> ‘’General’.’

Update both the WordPress Address and Site Address to your new domain, and then click save.

Now, update the wp-config.php (This file is essential in your WordPress setup, holding vital data and site configurations.)

To update it with your new domain details, find your FTP details from your web host. After accessing FTP, navigate to public_html > wp-config.php, right-click the file, and choose Edit. You’ll be presented with:

“define(‘WP_HOME’, ‘http://yoursitename.com’);

define(‘WP_SITEUR L’,’http://yoursitename.com’);”

Here, change yoursitename to your new domain name and then save.

Now, navigate to your phpMyAdmin and look for wp_options, then enter your new domain in the ‘siteurl‘ and ‘home‘ fields. Click the ‘Go to Save.’

Remember, it is always a good idea to take a backup of your website. This ensures you can restore things if something goes wrong.

3. Set up URL Redirects

Maintaining the flow of traffic and the equity of your old links is crucial during a domain migration. This can be achieved by setting up 301 redirects, which inform search engines that your old URLs have permanently moved to new ones.

For instance, If your old website had a page “techbeginners.net/blog”, after migration, it should redirect to “techmasters.com/blog”.

This can be done either in two ways:

• Modify the .htaccess file
• Use in-built redirect features or apps in the CMS

How to Set up Redirects in a .htaccess file?

Connect to your old domain using FTP with tools like FileZilla.

Navigate to the root directory of your site and find the .htaccess file. Add the following code to it:

Replace your new domain name in the above code and save it. It will redirect all URLs to the new domain.

Verify this by accessing the old domain in your browser.

How to Set up Redirects in WordPress?

In WordPress, there is no built-in feature to redirect URLs. And you’ll need to install third-party plugins for this task.

Here’s how you can do this using the All in One SEO plugin.

Install and activate the plugin on your old domain.

Navigate to All in One SEO » Redirects. Click the ‘Activate Redirects‘ button.

Move over to the ‘Full Site Redirect‘ tab. Here enable the ‘Relocate Site‘ toggle. Following this, input your new domain name in the ‘Relocate to domain‘ field.

Click the ‘Save Changes‘ button.

Note: If your old domain was secured via HTTPS, it’s crucial to ensure that the links’ HTTPS version also redirects properly to maintain security and trust.

4. Submit Change of Address in GSC

It is important to tell Google that you have moved your domains. This ensures Google updates its records and continues to index your site correctly.

Here’s what you need to do:

In GSC, under the “Ownership verification” section, ensure both domains are verified.

This means Google knows you own both sites.

In the GSC property for your old domain, head to the settings. There, you’ll find the ‘Change of Address‘ option.

Using the ‘Change of Address‘ tool, select your new domain from the dropdown and confirm the change.

Now, Google will verify that your old domain correctly redirects to the new one and then finalize your adjustments. You may also need to re-verify the site ownership in Bing Webmaster Tools.

5. Update Google Analytics & Other Tools

Google Analytics and many other tools help you track and optimize your website’s performance. It’s essential to update these tools with your new domain information.
To update Google Analytics, first, you need to add the existing tracking code from the current site to the new one.

For other tools, they may require a new tracking code for a different domain. Ensure you replace old tracking codes on your new site.

Also, tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, and MailChimp might need adjustments. Check each tool’s settings to make sure they’re aligned with your new domain.

6. Solve Internal 301 Redirects

After migration, it’s essential to ensure that internal links within your website don’t unnecessarily redirect through the old domain.

Direct internal linking post-migration ensures that your website runs efficiently, offering the best experience for both users and search engines.

Crawl your site and pinpoint any internal links that still point to the old domain.

You can use tools like Screaming Frog to do this.

Once identified, replace these redirecting links with direct links to the new domain. After updating, crawl your site again to ensure all internal links point directly to the new domain without passing through any redirects.

7. Update Links on Social Media and other Sites

Your domain migration isn’t just about search engines; it’s about ensuring your audience can find you wherever they interact with your brand. Updating links on social media and other platforms is pivotal for this.

Check all your social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn and update the website URL to your new domain. In addition to this, if your old domain is linked to articles, guest posts, or directories, contact the site administrators or authors to request an update to the new URL.

Ensuring consistency across all platforms not only aids in brand uniformity but also maximizes the benefits of your existing online presence.

8. Monitor the Results

After changing your domain and making all necessary updates, it’s crucial to keep an eye on how these changes affect your website’s performance and SEO. To monitor the results of your domain migration, you can do the following:

• Use Google Analytics to monitor your website’s traffic. Look for any sudden drops or changes in user behavior.
• Regularly check Google Search Console for any crawl errors or issues that might arise post-migration.
• Using tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs, keep tabs on your keyword rankings. Ensure they remain stable or improve.

By closely monitoring the results, you can quickly address any issues and reaffirm that your domain migration was a success.

Domain Migration SEO – Important Things to Remember

Migrating a domain is a significant move.

If not executed carefully, changing the domain name impacts your site’s SEO.

As you wrap up your domain migration journey, here are the critical takeaways to ensure ongoing success:

• Clean Domain: Always start with a clean domain. Avoid domains with past penalties or shady histories.
• Perform Migration: Before anything else, perform the migration process diligently.
• Redirection is Key: Properly redirect all old URLs to the new ones. Use 301 redirects to signal permanence to search engines.
• Communication with Google: Keep Google in the loop. Submit a ‘Change of Address’ in GSC and ensure your Google Analytics reflects the new domain.
• Internal Linking: Post-migration, all internal links should point directly to the new domain without any unnecessary redirects.
• Consistent Online Presence: Beyond your site, ensure your new domain is reflected on social media, backlinks, and anywhere else you have a digital presence.
• Regular Monitoring: Keep a close eye on website traffic, keyword rankings, and potential crawl errors. Regular checks allow for swift issue resolution.

In short, while domain migration is a complex process, a well-planned and meticulously executed strategy can ensure you retain, or even enhance, your SEO rankings.

Always prioritize clarity, consistency, and communication throughout the process.