This domain migration SEO guide shows why domain moves lose traffic and the exact steps to keep your rankings: a redirect map, proper 301 redirects, telling Google, and monitoring after launch.

Why domain moves lose traffic

• Broken links: backlinks and bookmarks point to old URLs. Without redirects they hit 404 pages and their value disappears.
• Wrong redirect types: temporary (302) redirects don’t clearly tell search engines the move is permanent.
• Changing too much at once: a new domain plus a new URL structure plus rewritten content makes it hard for Google to connect old pages to new ones.
• Forgotten details: canonical tags, sitemaps, and internal links still pointing to the old domain.

Some short-term fluctuation is normal. A well-planned move usually recovers within weeks; a messy one can take many months.

Building a URL redirect map

A redirect map is a spreadsheet with two columns: old URL and new URL. Every page that has traffic, rankings, or backlinks needs a row.

1. Collect old URLs from your sitemap, Google Search Console (Pages report), Google Analytics, and a crawler such as Screaming Frog.
2. Match each one to the most relevant page on the new domain. Ideally the path stays identical, so old.com/pricing/ becomes new.com/pricing/.
3. Avoid redirecting everything to the homepage. Google often treats mass homepage redirects like missing pages.
4. Prioritise the pages with the most traffic and backlinks, and test them first.

Setting up 301 redirects

A 301 redirect means “moved permanently” and passes ranking signals to the new URL. Never use 302 for a domain move.

• Same paths on both domains: one server rule can redirect everything. On Apache or LiteSpeed, a rewrite rule in the old domain’s .htaccess sends every request to the same path on the new domain.
• Different paths: add individual rules from your redirect map, or use a plugin like Redirection on the old WordPress install.
• Avoid redirect chains: old URL → new URL in a single hop, not through two or three redirects.
• Keep the old domain registered and the redirects live for at least a year — ideally forever.

Before you start, take a full backup — see Website Backups: The 3-2-1 Rule Explained. If you’re moving a WordPress install, also read How to Change Your WordPress Site Address Without Breaking It.

Telling Google about the move

1. Verify both domains in Google Search Console.
2. Use the Change of Address tool in the old property’s settings. It only works once your 301 redirects are live.
3. Submit the new sitemap in the new property.
4. Update canonical tags, internal links, and structured data to use the new domain.
5. Update external profiles: Google Business Profile, social accounts, directories, and your most important backlinks.

New to Search Console? Start with Google Search Console: A Beginner’s Walkthrough.

Monitoring rankings after launch

• Watch the Pages and Performance reports in both properties for the first few weeks.
• Crawl the old URL list and confirm every row returns a single 301 to the right page.
• Check for 404 errors and fix them with extra redirects.
• Compare organic traffic in analytics week by week, and annotate the launch date.
• Don’t panic over a short dip; do investigate if traffic keeps falling after a month.

Key takeaways

• Map every old URL to its closest new URL.
• Use permanent 301 redirects in a single hop, never 302.
• Use the Change of Address tool in Search Console.
• Keep the old domain and its redirects live long term.
• Monitor 404s and rankings closely for the first month.

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