Six things to pay attention to when migrating your website to a new domain name
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Changing your domain name is a big decision - one that requires a lot of time and planning. Often businesses rush into it. However, it's best to take your time and approach it with caution to reduce risk.
You have a great website. It's something you've worked hard to cultivate. However, with the Internet continuing to grow, it's wise to embrace some changes for the future of your business. One of those changes might be choosing a new domain name for your website. That's great!
Businesses change their website addresses for a variety of reasons. These include:
Changing your domain extension because the extension you originally had doesn't brand your business as well as the new one. For example, moving to .TECH, .STORE, .FUN, .com, etc.
Changing your company name, in which case you really have no choice but to pick a new domain name.
People are confusing your name with a competitor's, and a domain change is needed because it will affect your website traffic.
Changing your URL because your customers can't remember, spell, or pronounce your company's name. It could be because of a strange spelling, a foreign surname, unfamiliar words, etc.
It is important to note that migrating your website to a new domain can be a bit confusing and you may encounter some issues during the process:
1. You may suffer a temporary loss of traffic
2. Your search rankings may be affected
3. You must indicate your new identity to your website audience
Don’t worry. If you follow the recommended process and ensure that the domain migration is done in the best possible way, your chances of overcoming these challenges will increase significantly. That’s why it helps to be familiar with the steps involved in the process.
How to Change Your Domain
Once you have committed to changing your domain, follow these simple steps to minimize any potential risks during and after the migration.
Before You Change Your Domain
1. Back Up Your Website
Backing up your current website can avoid any potential risks. So, before making any major changes, make sure you have a backup and make sure that all content and files are intact and nothing has been damaged.
2. Audit Your Website
It is a good practice to review all the statistics before doing the migration. This will help you get a clear idea of everything that is happening with the domain. It will also give you a good baseline to track progress after the migration.
The most important thing here is to audit the links leading to your website. After you’ve done that, review all the links and highlight the high-quality ones.
3. Keep the same URL structure
Try to keep the same URL structure when switching domains. If you want to make changes to the structure, it’s best to wait a few months after the domain switch is complete. Once everything is settled and the site is back to normal, then switch.
For example, the original URL structure was: https://www.domainname.com/folder-name/web-page-file-name/
The new URL structure would be: https://www.newdomainname.tech/folder-name/web-page-file-name/
After the domain change
4. Perform a thorough check after the domain transfer
On the day of the transfer, do a thorough check to make sure everything is linked correctly and displayed properly. Also, use a keyword audit to list all the keywords people are looking for and search for them on search engines to see if your new domain appears.
5. Plan to activate the new domain
It’s normal to see a slight drop in search rankings after a domain transfer. That’s why you should plan marketing to improve your rankings. Some things you can do include:
Ask your business contacts for guest blogging opportunities
Create easily digestible content such as infographics, short videos, etc. and promote them so they can be shared
Plan to heavily promote new content on your site, including paid downloads such as eBooks, white papers, templates, etc.
6. Give yourself enough time to recover
Changing your domain name is a big decision – one that requires a lot of time and planning. Often businesses rush into it. However, it’s best to take your time and approach it with caution to reduce risk.
That’s it. Moving a domain name isn’t rocket science, but it does require concentration. The best way to do this is to create a checklist and check off tasks as you complete them throughout the process.
Domaincn.com Committed to providing fair and transparent reports. This article aims to provide accurate and timely information, but should not be construed as financial or investment advice. Due to the rapidly changing market conditions, we recommend that you verify the information yourself and consult a professional before making any decisions based on this information.