Domain Migration
Check out our in-depth website migration checklist for a practical guide on managing a site migration project.
Domain migration is the process of moving a website from one domain to another and involves migrating all content and resources. There are several things that need to be considered to ensure the migration is successful and doesn’t affect a website’s performance in search. In our SEO Office Hours Notes below we cover these factors, commonly asked site migration questions, and best practice advice from Google.
Most HTTPS Migrations Take a Day to Change in Index
A HTTPS migration is easier for Google to process than most other types of migrations because it keeps the same domain and same URLs. If a site is restructured with changes to internal linking or the domain name, it means Google has to think about a lot more. However, HTTPS is still a big change and takes time to be processed by Google – most take a day or so to switch over in Google’s index.
Move All Pages at Once For Migrations
John recommends moving all pages over at once for migrations. If the migration is done in steps, it tends to take a lot longer and there’s more room for error with Google struggling to understand if you’re migrating part of the site or the whole site.
Explicilty Searching Old Content Will Return it in Search Under New URL After a Migration
If you explicitly search for old content following a site migration, Google will try to show it even if they have it indexed under the new URL already. This is because Google’s algorithms are trying to find the content you are looking for.
Use Canonical Tags to Test a New Website Before Migration
When you want to test a new website in parallel with the old one, you can launch the new site on a sub-domain and canonicalise the new pages to old pages.
Keep Old Domains Redirecting Following a Domain Migration
John recommends retaining old domains following a domain migration and keep the redirects active for as long as possible.
Google Recognises When a Different Site is Launched on an Old Domain
When a new site appears on a domain that was previously used by a different site or company, Google attempts to recognise it as a different site.
Change of Address Helps to Recognise a Domain Move
If you just use 301 redirects, Google only sees individual URLs moving to a new domain, whereas the Change of Address tool helps Google to package all the signals from the old to the new domain.
Moving To a Domain Which Hosted Adult or Spam Content May Affect Rankings
Moving to an old domain which hosted adult or spam content may take a few months to be recognised as a new site. You can submit your site using the Safe Search form if the site is being incorrectly filtered.
Domain Migrations Should Take a Few Days
Google have improved the process for domain migrations so the new urls should be picked up within a couple of days
Manual Penalties from Migrated Domains will be Visible in Search Console
Any manual penalties from migrated domains which are affecting your new domain will be visible in the Manual Actions report in search console.