We're moving to a new domain, how to keep SEO and bookmarks.
On a domain switch a clean 301 redirect layer is essential. Skip it and you lose rankings and traffic in weeks.
Try this first
- 1Build a redirect map: old URL to new URL, one-to-one. Don't blanket-redirect to the homepage; that throws Google's link equity away.
- 2Implement 301s at server level (.htaccess for Apache, server block for nginx) or via a redirect plugin. Permanent, not 302.
- 3Test every redirect with a crawler (Screaming Frog) before the DNS switch. No redirect chains of three or more hops, that weakens the signal.
- 4Update internal links to new URLs where possible. Redirects work, but direct links are always cleaner.
- 5Add the new domain in Search Console and use the Change of Address tool. That speeds up ranking transfer.
- 6Keep the old domain registered and hosted for at least a year. Otherwise all 301s break and you're in cold storage.
When to bring us in
Lots of backlinks or a complex URL structure? An external SEO engineer for the migration is worth it. A wrong switch costs much more than that consult.
See also
- WordPress, plugins and theme have gone 6+ months without updatesOut-of-date WP is the number-one entry for malware. Don't just hit 'update all', back up first.
- Theme update broke the layout or threw a fatal errorThemes overwrite custom CSS on update unless you use a child theme.
- WordPress shows a blank screen after a plugin install or updateWSOD (white screen of death) is usually one crashing plugin. You isolate it.
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