SEO migration: how to change domains without losing rankings

Changing your domain name is sometimes the right call: a rebrand, a merger, or finally getting the .com.au you always wanted. The risk is losing the search rankings you spent years building. A careful SEO migration keeps that risk low. This guide covers whether you can change the domain name of a website safely, the exact steps to follow, and the checks to run once the move is live.

The golden rule is simple: change the domain and nothing else, then send every old address to its new one.

Can you change the domain name of a website?

Yes. Businesses change domains all the time, and Google has a documented process for it. Google’s own guide to site moves says to expect some temporary fluctuation in rankings while it recrawls and processes the change. A well run move usually settles; a messy one can take much longer.

It helps to separate two different jobs:

• How to transfer a domain name. Moving the registration of a domain from one registrar to another. This does not change your website address and has no SEO effect on its own.
• Changing your website to a new domain. Your pages move from oldname.com.au to newname.com.au. This is the SEO migration, and it needs planning.

Before you move: plan the SEO migration

Most of the work happens before launch day.

1. List every URL on the current site. Use your sitemap, a crawler and Search Console so nothing is missed, especially pages with backlinks.
2. Build a redirect map. Every old URL should point to the matching new URL, one to one. Do not send everything to the homepage.
3. Keep the site the same. Same pages, same content, same structure. If you also want a redesign or new URLs, do that separately, before or after the move. Mixing a redesign with a domain move is one of the most common reasons migrations go wrong.
4. Record a baseline. Note traffic, rankings and leads by page so you can compare after the move. Our guide to conversion tracking setup helps make sure leads are measured.
5. Verify the new domain in Google Search Console before launch.

How to change a domain name of an existing website

On launch day, work through these steps in order:

1. Put the site live on the new domain.
2. Switch on the 301 redirects from every old URL to its new match. Google’s redirects documentation explains why permanent server side redirects are the strongest signal.
3. Update internal links, canonical tags and the XML sitemap so they all use the new domain.
4. Use the Change of Address tool in Search Console. Google’s Change of Address help page lists the requirements, including working 301s.
5. Submit the new sitemap in Search Console.
6. Update everything off site you control: Google Business Profile, social profiles, directories, email signatures and ads.

How long to keep the redirects

Google recommends keeping redirects in place for as long as possible, and generally at least a year. In practice, keep them indefinitely, and keep renewing the old domain so nobody else can buy it.

After launch: what to check

For the first few weeks, check these regularly:

• Redirects work for a sample of important old URLs, in one hop with no chains.
• The Page indexing report in Search Console shows new URLs being indexed.
• No stray references to the old domain in canonicals, sitemaps or internal links.
• Traffic and leads by page compared with your baseline.
• Backlinks. Ask the sites that link to you most to update their links to the new domain.

If you need a refresher on how search works, our what is SEO guide and SEO how to guide are good starting points. If rankings stay down after a couple of months, our article on how long SEO takes explains what is normal.

Common mistakes

• Redirecting everything to the homepage. Google treats this like the pages were removed.
• Changing design, content and URLs at the same time. Too many changes at once make problems hard to diagnose and slow recovery.
• Redirect chains. Old URL to an interim URL to the new URL wastes signals.
• Forgetting the canonical tags and sitemap. These still pointing at the old domain send mixed signals.
• Letting the old domain expire. Your redirects disappear, and someone else can buy it.

Get help with your domain move

If you are planning a rebrand or domain change and want it done without losing the rankings you have earned, our SEO team can plan and check the migration for you. Get in touch or email hello@thedigitalmarketingconsultants.com.au.