How to Transfer a Website to a New Domain and Can You Change a Domain Name

Are you thinking about rebranding or simply updating the domain name of your online project? Changing your domain is an excellent opportunity to start fresh. But how do you properly transfer your site to a new domain without losing visitors and search rankings?

Reasons for Moving a Website to a New Domain

Transferring a website to a new domain is a serious decision that various strategic and technical reasons may drive. Let’s explore the main factors that can prompt an organization to take this step.

Changing the Company’s Name

When a company changes its name, updating all related brand elements, including the domain name, becomes necessary. This is important for maintaining brand integrity and ensuring recognition among clients and partners. A new domain that aligns with the updated name strengthens the brand’s position in the market.

Expanding the Company’s Geographical Reach

When expanding into new regional or international markets, a domain that better reflects the company’s geographic coverage may be needed. For example, switching from a national domain (.ua) to an international one (.com) can make the website more accessible to a global audience and improve its positioning in the international market.

Search Engine Sanctions

If a website has been penalized by search engines for violations, such as using improper SEO techniques, it can negatively affect its visibility and traffic. In such cases, moving to a new domain and adhering to all search engine guidelines can help restore rankings and bring back the audience.

Optimizing Business Operations

Changing the domain name can be part of a strategy for optimizing business processes. Choosing a shorter, more memorable, or relevant domain can boost the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, improve user experience, and increase conversion rates. This is especially important during rebranding or launching new products and services.

Merging or Splitting Websites During Company Mergers or Acquisitions

During mergers or acquisitions, changing the domain might be necessary to unify websites under a single brand. This simplifies resource management, increases the recognition of the new brand, and improves SEO performance by combining traffic and backlink profiles. Moving to a new domain allows for the creation of a unified website that reflects the new corporate name and the combined offerings of the companies.

In other cases, it might be necessary to split websites to preserve separate brands or products within a single organization. This is relevant if the merger involves companies operating in different niches, or if the target audience for each brand differs significantly. Splitting websites allows for better content and marketing strategy adaptation to meet each audience’s needs.

Preliminary Measures When Changing Domains

1. Purchasing a New Domain Name: When selecting a new domain name, choose one that aligns with your company’s brand and is easy for users to remember. Check its availability by using domain registration services like qhost.net.ua. After selecting and verifying the availability, register the domain.
2. Creating and Setting Up a New Domain on the Server: Add the new domain to the server via your hosting control panel, such as cPanel or Plesk. Configure DNS records, so the domain points to your server, and update the web server configuration (Apache or Nginx) to handle requests for the new domain properly.
3. Setting Up Email Accounts: Create the necessary email accounts on the new domain through your hosting control panel. Configure MX records in DNS for proper email functioning. If needed, set up forwarding from old email addresses and automatic responses to notify senders of contact changes.
4. Compiling a List of Places to Update Contact Information: Conduct an audit of all resources where your contact details and domain name are listed, including directories, social media, partner sites, and online platforms. Create a plan to update the information on these resources, considering priorities and deadlines.
5. Compiling a List of Resources with Company Accounts: Make a list of all online services and platforms where your company has registered accounts. Update the company information on each resource, providing the new domain and current contact details.
6. Compiling a List of Required Redirects: Export all existing URLs using tools like Screaming Frog or Netpeak Spider. Create a table mapping old URLs to new ones, and configure 301 redirects on the server to ensure traffic is directed correctly.
7. Obtaining and Installing a New SSL Certificate: Determine what type of SSL certificate you need (e.g., Let's Encrypt for a free option or a commercial certificate for increased trust). After obtaining the certificate, install it on the server and ensure the site operates via HTTPS without errors.
8. Purchasing a CMS License for the New Domain: Check your CMS license terms to ensure it can be transferred to the new domain. If needed, purchase a new license or update the existing one. Enter the new license key in the CMS settings on the new domain.
9. Preparing New Sitemap.xml and Robots.txt Files: Generate updated sitemap.xml files with new URLs using CMS plugins or specialized services. Update the robots.txt file to include the new sitemap.xml path and ensure all directives correspond to the new domain.
10. Preparing an Email Campaign to Notify Clients of Domain and Contact Changes: Prepare an email for clients explaining the reasons for the domain change and providing new contact information. Use email marketing services to send the campaign and track effectiveness through open-and-click metrics.
11. Notifying Search Engines About the Domain Change: Log into Google Search Console, add the new domain as a new property, verify ownership, and use the change of address tool to notify Google about the domain switch. This will speed up the indexing process for the new site.
12. Updating Advertising Campaigns and Marketing Materials: Update the target URLs in paid search ads such as Google Ads. Review your SEO strategy considering the new domain, and update printed materials like business cards and brochures with the new domain and contact details.
13. Ensuring Security and Backups: Ensure regular backups of files and databases are set up on the new server. Conduct a security audit of the website and update all plugins and CMS to the latest version to avoid vulnerabilities.
14. Planning the Migration Timing and Testing: Schedule the site migration for a time of low user activity. Test all website functions on the new domain before the official launch to ensure no errors.

What Needs to Be Done After Changing the Domain?

After the domain change, it’s essential to carefully check the site for technical errors and ensure it functions correctly. Make sure all pages load without errors, the site’s functionality remains intact, there are no duplicate pages, redirects are set up properly, and no broken links are present.

Update the configurations of web analytics services (e.g., Google Analytics), specifying the new domain to continue tracking visitor behavior and site traffic.

Place a notification on the site about the domain change, and email clients and partners with the new contact information.

Regularly monitor the site’s search rankings for key queries and adjust the strategy if necessary to restore and improve positions.

Check the functionality of all integrations and update API settings if necessary.

Clear the content management system cache and server caches, and check configuration files for links to the old domain.

Listen to visitor feedback to identify potential issues and improve site functionality.

Potential Consequences After the Move

Although transferring a website to a new domain may seem simple, it hides many challenges. An improperly executed transfer can result in a loss of search rankings, reduced traffic, and, as a result, decreased conversion rates.

Temporary Drop in Search Rankings

Even with proper 301 redirects and search engine notifications, the site may temporarily lose rankings in search results. Search algorithms need time to re-index your site and redistribute backlink equity.

Loss of Traffic

A drop in rankings and potential technical errors can lead to a decrease in visitors. Users may have trouble accessing your content, especially if not all redirects are configured correctly.

Loss of User Trust

If users can’t find your site at the usual address or encounter errors, it may negatively impact their trust in your brand. Insufficient communication with the audience exacerbates this effect.

Loss of Conversions

A temporary drop in search rankings and reduced traffic can lead to fewer conversions. Fewer visitors mean fewer opportunities for performing target actions, whether it’s a purchase, subscription, or other engagement.

FAQ

Can You Rename a Purchased Domain?

No, you cannot rename a domain. However, you can move your site to a new domain that you purchase separately.

How Long Does It Take to Transfer a Website?

Transferring a website can take from a few hours to a few days. The speed depends on the size of your website, your hosting provider, and the domain registrar.

How to Choose a New Domain?

When choosing a new domain, consider its memorability, relevance to your website’s theme, and availability in popular regional zones.

Do You Need to Notify Search Engines About a Domain Change?

Yes, it’s advisable to notify search engines about the domain change using webmaster tools. This will help speed up the indexing process for the new domain.

How to Set Up Redirects?

You can set up redirects via your hosting settings or by using special files (e.g., .htaccess). Redirects ensure that users are directed from the old domain to the new one.