Changing your domain without losing search traffic

There are good reasons to change a membership site's domain. You've rebranded. Your original name was hard to spell. You've outgrown the niche your old domain described, or you've finally secured the name you always wanted. But a domain move touches everything: every page address, every link from other sites, every bookmark, every email and every login. Done carelessly, it can wipe out years of search traffic in a few weeks.

Done carefully, it's routine. Search engines handle well-planned moves all the time, and while some ups and downs in the weeks afterward are normal, traffic usually settles. The difference lies in planning, in redirecting every page to its exact new equivalent and in keeping the old domain working for a very long time.

Decisions that make the move easier

• Change only the domain. Keep the same page paths where you can, so /guides/repotting-junipers on the old domain becomes /guides/repotting-junipers on the new one. Combining a domain move with a redesign or restructure makes problems much harder to diagnose.
• Keep the old domain registered indefinitely. Redirects only work while you own it, and a lapsed domain can be bought by someone who then trades on your old reputation. The advice in securing your domain name and DNS applies to both domains.
• Pick a quieter period. Avoid moving during a launch, an enrollment window or your busiest time of year.
• Take a full backup and save a list of every current page address.

The redirect map

Every page on the old domain should permanently redirect, with a 301 redirect, to its matching page on the new one. Not to the new home page: to the exact equivalent.

1. Build a list of old addresses from your sitemap, your analytics landing pages and the pages listed in Google Search Console.
2. Add the new address beside each. If the paths stay the same, a single rule can redirect everything at once.
3. Give extra attention to your most-visited pages and those with the most links from other sites.
4. Include images, downloadable files and members-only pages, because members have bookmarks and old emails full of links.
5. After the switch, test a sample and make sure no redirect leads to another redirect.

Telling search engines

1. Verify both domains in Google Search Console before the move.
2. Put the redirects live and confirm they work.
3. Use the Change of Address tool in Search Console on the old domain to tell Google the site has moved.
4. Submit a sitemap for the new domain.
5. Update everything on the new site that still mentions the old domain: internal links, canonical tags, structured data, image addresses and the sitemap itself.

Then watch both domains' reports over the following weeks. Traffic to the old domain should fall as traffic to the new one rises.

The parts people forget

• Email. If you'll send from an address on the new domain, set up its authentication records (SPF, DKIM and DMARC) first, and build up sending gradually, as described in warming up a new sending domain or list. Keep the old addresses receiving and forwarding mail.
• Payments. Update return addresses, notification addresses and any site settings your payment provider holds, then test a sign-up, a renewal and a cancellation from start to finish.
• Logins. Members' saved passwords are tied to the old domain in their browsers. Expect login questions and prepare a short help article.
• Connected tools. Anything linked to your site by its address, from video players to calendar feeds, needs checking.
• Your profiles and listings: social profiles, directory entries, email signatures, printed materials and every automated email.
• Your most valuable links. Redirects will carry them, but a friendly note asking those site owners to update the address is still worthwhile.

A worked example: a bonsai club's new name

Soren's bonsai membership began on a domain based on his own name. As it grew, he rebranded as Small Trees Society and bought a matching domain. His plan:

• Six weeks before: verify the new domain in Search Console, set up email authentication for it and draft member messages.
• Two weeks before: email members about the new name and address, and what will and won't change.
• Move day: switch the site to the new domain with identical paths, put one redirect rule live on the old domain, test twenty key pages, run the Change of Address tool and submit the new sitemap.
• The week after: update payment settings, social profiles and directory listings, and email the ten sites that send him the most visitors.
• The months after: check both Search Console properties weekly, then monthly, and keep renewing the old domain.

His message to members was short:

We've grown up, and we have a new name: Small Trees Society. From [move date] you'll find us at our new address. Your login, your membership and your saved lessons stay exactly the same, and any old links you have will take you straight to the right page. If your browser forgets your password, use the forgot-password link on the login page, or just reply to this email and we'll help.

Your domain move checklist

1. Keep page paths the same, and don't combine the move with a redesign.
2. Build a complete redirect map using permanent, page-to-page redirects.
3. Verify both domains in Search Console and use the Change of Address tool.
4. Update internal links, canonical tags, structured data and your sitemap.
5. Set up email authentication on the new domain and test payments end to end.
6. Tell members in advance, clearly and briefly.
7. Keep the old domain and its redirects for as long as you run the site.