How to Change Your Domain Name Without Losing SEO

On this page

1. Is a domain change worth it?
2. Plan before you move
3. Set up page-by-page 301 redirects
4. Update the new site itself
5. Tell Google with the Change of Address tool
6. Update links and profiles everywhere
7. Monitor after the move

Businesses change domains for good reasons: a rebrand, a shorter name, a .com for international buyers, or finally getting the name they always wanted. Done carefully, a domain change keeps most of your search visibility. Done carelessly, it can wipe out years of Google traffic almost overnight. Here's a step-by-step process.

This guide is about moving your website to a different domain name. If you're keeping the same name and only changing where it's registered, see how to transfer a domain to another registrar instead.

Is a domain change worth it?

Your domain carries history: links from other websites, brand searches, bookmarks, printed material and customers' memories. A move usually brings a period of ranking fluctuation while Google processes it, and it can take weeks or months to settle. Before committing, ask:

• Is the new name clearly better for the business, not just slightly nicer?
• Can you keep the old domain registered for years, ideally for good? If it expires, every redirect breaks and someone else can buy it.
• Can you avoid a redesign or platform change at the same time? Changing one big thing at a time makes problems far easier to diagnose.

Pick a quieter season too. Moving a gifting store's domain just before Diwali is asking for trouble.

Plan before you move

1. List every URL on the old site: pages, posts, products, categories and any PDFs that get traffic. Use your XML sitemap, a crawler and Search Console's Performance report.
2. Record benchmarks: organic clicks, top pages, key search terms and monthly enquiries, so you have something to compare against after the move.
3. Export your top backlinks from Search Console's Links report. You'll ask the most valuable sites to update them later.
4. Prepare the new domain: hosting, an SSL certificate and a copy of the site, kept out of search results until launch.
5. Plan your email: if your business email uses the old domain, decide whether to move it, forward it or run both for a while, and set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC records for the new domain.

Set up page-by-page 301 redirects

Redirects are what carry your rankings and links across. Each old URL should permanently (301) redirect to its equivalent page on the new domain.

• Map one-to-one: the old /services/ac-repair/ page should go to the new /services/ac-repair/ page, not to the new homepage. Sending everything to the homepage loses much of the value.
• Keep the same paths if you can. Then a single server-level rule can redirect the whole domain while preserving each path.
• Avoid chains: the http, https, www and non-www versions of the old domain should each go straight to the final new URL in one hop.
• Keep the old domain pointing at a server that serves the redirects, and leave them in place for at least a year, ideally permanently.

For when to use permanent and temporary redirects, see 301 vs 302 redirects.

Update the new site itself

• Change WordPress's site address settings and run a search-and-replace on the database, using a tool that handles WordPress's serialised data safely, so internal links, images and settings use the new domain
• Check canonical tags point to the new domain, not the old one
• Remove any noindex setting or password protection left over from preparation
• Generate a fresh XML sitemap on the new domain and make sure robots.txt isn't blocking anything important
• Update structured data, such as your business name, URL and logo, if the brand has changed
• Test forms, payments, email notifications and tracking on the new domain

Tell Google with the Change of Address tool

Google Search Console has a Change of Address tool built for this situation. The rough sequence:

1. Verify the new domain in Search Console using the same Google account that owns the old property.
2. Make sure the 301 redirects are live, as the tool checks that the old site redirects to the new one.
3. In the old property's settings, open Change of Address, choose the new property and submit.
4. Submit the new XML sitemap in the new property.

The tool is meant for moving a whole site from one domain to another, not for switching to HTTPS or moving individual pages. It supports your redirects; it doesn't replace them. Check Google's current documentation when you do it, as the steps can change.

Update links and profiles everywhere

Redirects catch old links, but it's better when the important ones point straight to the new domain.

• Your Google Business Profile website and appointment links
• Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and WhatsApp Business profiles
• Business directories and listings such as Justdial, IndiaMART and industry associations
• Your most valuable backlinks from partners, suppliers and press, with a polite request to update them
• Final URLs in Google Ads and Meta ads, and the website set in GA4, Merchant Center and your payment gateway account (which may need to approve the new domain)
• Email signatures, invoices, letterheads, visiting cards, vehicle branding and printed QR codes

Printed QR codes are easy to forget; they keep working only as long as the old domain keeps redirecting. For keeping listings consistent, see business directories and citations in India.

Monitor after the move

• First week: crawl a list of old URLs and confirm each one redirects in a single hop to the right page. Check the new property's Pages report for errors.
• First few months: watch impressions and clicks rise on the new domain as they fall on the old one. Some dip is normal; a steep, lasting drop usually points to missing or incorrect redirects.
• Enquiries: compare form submissions, calls and WhatsApp clicks against your benchmark, not just traffic.
• 404 errors: fix any old URLs that land on "page not found" by adding the missing redirects.

If traffic falls sharply and stays down, work through this traffic drop checklist.

Want the move handled for you, redirects and all? See WordPress migration.