How Can You Properly Use the Change of Address Tool When Moving Your Site to a New Domain?
Summary
The Change of Address tool helps you communicate to Google that your website has moved to a new domain. Proper usage involves several steps, including updating your site maps, setting up redirects, and monitoring traffic changes. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the process, including detailed instructions and examples.
Preparation Steps
Backup Your Website
Before any major changes, ensure you have a complete backup of your website, including database and files. This precaution protects against data loss during the migration process.
Update Internal Links
Revise all internal links to reflect your new domain. This step ensures that users and search engines are directed to the correct pages without encountering broken links.
Implementing 301 Redirects
Server-Side Redirects
Use 301 redirects to permanently redirect users and search engines from your old domain to your new one. This preserves your SEO rankings by indicating that pages have moved permanently.
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^olddomain\.com [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://newdomain.com/$1 [L,R=301,NC]
</IfModule>
Redirecting Individual Pages
Ensure each page on your old site redirects to the corresponding page on your new site, not just the homepage. This practice is crucial for maintaining page-specific SEO value.
Updating Your XML Sitemap
Create and submit a new XML sitemap for your new domain. This sitemap should include all new URLs and be submitted to Google Search Console for reindexing purposes.
Example XML Sitemap URL:
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
<url>
<loc>http://newdomain.com/</loc>
<lastmod>2023-01-01</lastmod>
<changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
<priority>1.0</priority>
</url>
</urlset>
For more information on crafting XML sitemaps, refer to [Sitemaps Best Practices, 2020].
Using Google's Change of Address Tool
Verify Both Domains in Google Search Console
Ensure both your old and new domains are verified in Google Search Console. This verification step is necessary to use the Change of Address tool.
- Verification methods can include HTML file upload, DNS record addition, or HTML tag addition.
Guide to domain verification can be found here.
Accessing and Using the Change of Address Tool
In Google Search Console, select the old property, then navigate to the Change of Address tool:
- Select the old domain property.
- Click the gear icon in the top right.
- Choose "Change of Address."
- Follow the instructions to submit your new domain.
Refer to Google's official guide on the tool here.
Monitoring and Maintenance
Monitor Traffic and Indexing
Use Google Analytics and Search Console to monitor the traffic to your new domain. Look for changes in traffic patterns and indexing issues to address promptly.
Submit an Updated Robots.txt File
Make sure to update the robots.txt file on your new domain to include all relevant paths. This helps search engines properly index your site.
Conclusion
Successfully moving your website to a new domain while maintaining SEO health requires careful planning and execution. Using the Change of Address tool in conjunction with 301 redirects, updated sitemaps, and comprehensive monitoring will help ensure a smooth transition.