Domain name migration
-
I have purchased a new domain name (b), shorter and more cool than the one I'm actually using (a). Also I'm planning to use wordpress on (b), since my actual site was build entirely on html. So lets say making a migration so slowly.
In the meantime I finish (b), I would like to include the name on my cards, and other promos, as well as actualize the new name in all my social profiles. I thinked on doing a 302 on (b) pointing to (a), till the day it will be finished. That day I'll do the opposite, so pointing (a), this time with a 301, to (b).
Is this the best way of doing it, in terms os SEO?
Thanks
-
Thanks again, you was very helpful!
I'll do all of this.
-
Yes, definitely save or reserve social profiles and so on for the new brand name as soon as you can (whenever possible -- on Twitter, for example, you have to wait to change the user name until you announce the rebrand). (When there are new profiles with the new name, just keep them inactive and don't publicize them yet.)
I don't work for Moz, but I am active in the community here. Yes, I think it's amazing too -- it's why I participate a lot. Welcome!
-
Thank you very much for the quick response, Samuel.
I'll follow your instructions and will wait till everything is finished. I was asking because in the recent days someone opened a profile in a social platform, with the name I pretended to use.
I thought on changing my other social profiles names to the new one, just to get them, so I asked my question in this forum. Maybe the best way is just to get the name in the still available social platforms and keep them sleeping, till I finish the new site, so in that moment, merging the both profiles in each social platform. What do you think on this?
By the way, is just my first day here on Moz and I find everything really amazing, thanks!
-
Thanks for the question! First, I'd go through these guides here and here on Moz to doing domain migration well. It can be complicated. (Note: Be sure to read the referenced posts and documents for more detail!)
Those articles (and referenced links) contain a lot of technical points that I endorse (for what's it's worth -- you don't know me!). Here, I just wanted to make a point about branding. (Specifically, the first post -- and referenced Mozinar -- mentioned above also details Moz's journey from SEOMoz to Moz as far as branding, which is relevant to your move to a new brand name.)
Basically, a branding change is not something that should be done slowly over time. A rebranding creates confusion in the mind of your audience and customers, and you want that confusion to be over as quickly as possible. If you list the new brand on your marketing collateral but then direct people to the website with the old brand, that creates brand confusion.
Instead, I would develop the new website and brand in the dark. Then, once it's ready, unveil the new website and brand all at once. Once the new website is live -- with all of the 301 (not 302) redirects and other technical issues in place -- THEN change your social media profiles, distribute new business cards, release new letterhead, and everything else. Make it a big deal. Celebrate, publicize, and promote the new brand. But make it all happen at the same time so that people become accustomed to the new brand quickly.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Best SEO for New Lead Gen Site: Use Corporate Domain or Product Name?
Hello, wanted to poll the Moz community about a URL discussion my company is having. We plan to launch a new publicly-facing resource and want to leverage organic search as much as possible. For the domain, we’re considering these options: the corporate domain since it’s well established or the URL for the product, which is more descriptive of the content that will reside on the page, but doesn’t have much authority because almost all of the relevant content is behind a paywall. The product domain is appealing because we want to build brand recognition. Should we also look at a more specific domain for the topic that doesn’t leverage either branded domain? Any Moz tools you’d recommend to help research this decision? Thank you in advance for your thoughts!
Moz Pro | | Gbtyne0 -
Before Migration/after(www/non-www/http/https) - Good concentration needed :p
Hi all, Im confusing between those www's and http's. If i go to searchbar (chrome) and ENTER: www.mywebsite.nl, It changes to https://www.mywebsite.nl
Moz Pro | | Dreamgame2016
( with www, and https:// not used) / Its OK next: typing in searchbar and enter: mywebsite.nl, It changes to https://mywebsite.nl (without www and https:// ) / OK Next: www.mywebsite.nl, it stay the same, just https:// added: https://mywebsite.nl (used with https://) / OK Now its comes: If I do it again without http**(s)://mywebsite.nl, **It changes to https://www.mywebsite.nl/?SID=bccbuhvi1cf53r188bpvskn597 / NOT OK 😛 In google search console (webmastertool) I gave property for the https://mywebsite.nl and https://www.mywebsite.nl Each of the website, Im seeying data clicks/ volume keywords etc, so both of them functionating By search console: https://www.mywebsite.nl (With www) I see crawlfaults/errors: 1633 (the url has not linked existing page) I see again: "?SID=..." after urls, example: mywebsite.nl/blabla/?SID=m07ev6lliefbf0tfhe4kf0ih54 By search console - other website: https://mywebsite.nl **(none-www) **you see two crawlfaults/errors! Bad influance for my SEO, because of no existed pages, bad urls and dubble content. Bye bye keywords! Lets analyze/crawl with Moz tool ofcourse ^^: Pages with High Priority Issues: | 2646 | Duplicate Page Content |
| 14 | 4XX Client Error |
| 3 | Crawl Attempt Error |
| 1 | Title Missing or Empty | Medium priority: | 9618 | Temporary Redirect |
| 2688 | Duplicate Page Title |
| 13 | Title Element is Too Long |
| 1 | Missing Meta Description Tag | After seeying this results what is the best option (no losing link-juice)? redirect 301? www to none-www (https://) ? Shortly I am going to change my domain provider and the website template in magento. After that I am going to focus on the SEO implementation. First, I have to solve this problem. Who can give me an advice for this situation? Regarding, Newbee0 -
Identifying Bad Domains
In the past week my website has not been doing well. How can I look at a list of domains linking to my website to identify which ones are harmful and need to be removed. Is there a checklist of criteria that a linking doamin to meet for me to remove it? Thank you for your help.
Moz Pro | | andrewlegal0 -
Domain / Page Authority - logarithmic
SEOmoz says their Domain / Page Authority is logarithmic, meaning that lower rankings are easier to get, higher rankings harder to get. Makes sense. But does anyone know what logarithmic equation they use? I'm using the domain and page authority as one metric in amongst other metrics in my keyword analysis. I can't have some metrics linear, others exponential and the SEOmoz one logarithmic.
Moz Pro | | eatyourveggies0 -
How can competition outrank you if your site has better Domain/Page Authority, More links, and More Social sharing?
Say you have a site that has better Domain/page authority, more links, more social media sharing, and a lot more indexed pages (thanks to blogging) than the competition. Of course all of these metrics are based off of data from SEOMoz open site explorer tool which I am not sure if it produces accurate data. 1. Other than exact match domains or the age of a domain what would be other reasons why competition would outrank you? 2. Can anyone suggest other ways to help increase a sites domain/page authority besides creating more indexed pages, link building, etc..?
Moz Pro | | webestate0 -
Why is there such a difference between Open Site Explorer and Domain Analysis?
When I look at my links in the Competitive Domain Analysis and I see I have 113,018 Ext followed links but Open Site Explorer shows 3,148. Why is there such a difference? In addition, is there a way to view the External Followed links? I want to see where these 113,018 links are coming from. Thanks, Josh
Moz Pro | | kdieruf0 -
Competitive Domain Analysis Question
When looking at the Competitive Domain Analysis I noticed that I am the only one amongst my competitors that does not have a link from DMOZ. The problem is, I do have a link from them. When you search for my site on dmoz.org you can find my site and it has been that way for quite a while. Anyone know any possible reasons it may be doing this?
Moz Pro | | ClaytonKendall0 -
Has SEOMoz Domain Authority calc been updated recently
As ever, my apologies if this question's been asked before -- I searched for it, and didn't find it. But, our SEOMoz 'Domain Authority' has recently really jumped (from 67, where it was for many months, to 77). And, our number of Linking Root Domains increased as well, from 1,986 to 3,349) Of course, none of this has translated into Google goodness, but if any of it's true, maybe it WILL in the future? Any thoughts/ideas? Thanks, Dave (www.TeachStreet.com)
Moz Pro | | daveschappell0