New domain wipes out domain authority
-
A client wanted to change their domain name, which we have now done. The site content itself is exactly the same. We put 301 redirect links in so that Google searchers would redirect from the old site to the new one. However Moz then said that it couldn't crawl the old domain because of the redirects and advised creating a brand new campaign for the new domain. We have done this but now Moz says that the domain authority of the new site is 2 (it was 14 on the old domain).
Specifics are:
old domain: https://ryemeadcleaning.co.uk
new domain: https://ryemeadgroup.co.ukSo basically it seems like we're starting again from scratch with the new domain and all the SEO from the old domain has been lost? Have we done it wrong?
-
Hi There,
I understand your concern and know how it feels when it looks like one has to start from scratch for establishing Domain authority. Whenever a domain is transferred (hoping it was done with utmost care to transfer authority), it takes search engines and other Bots take a couple of weeks or even months to understand that they have to point to the new website for the searched phrases. The reason is that links are re-crawled, and that takes its own sweet time. In the meantime, if you can start working on directly establishing authority for the new domain, it would be a bonus for DA when eventually bots have re-established and re-configured their serps.
I hope it helps. Let me know if you have further questions, I will be happy to answer them.
Regards,
Vj
-
Hi Maureen,
If the migration and redirection were made correctly, then there is nothing to worry about.
DA will be transferred, give Roger (Moz bot) time to recrawl and process all the "new" pages.
Also, Google said that redirections do not lose page rank (in common words: authority and ranking hablity).Just in case, these resources about migrations might come handy in your situation. The Website Migration Guide: SEO Strategy, Process, & Checklist - Moz Blog
The Ultimate SEO Guide for Successful Web Migrations at #DigitalOlympus - AleydaSolis
Migration Best Practices - SMX London 2018 <- backedup by JohnMu in this tweetHope it helps.
Best luck.
GR
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
-
Running 2 different domains
Hi guys, Something i'd like appreciate any opinion on... We own a local domain www.goodycard.co.nz but we're expanding overseas. I've purchased www.goodyhq.com as we'd like to drop the 'card' from URL. We can't get www.goodycard.com. The local site has a decent ranking, but obviously, the newly created HQ site doesn't. What's the best way to tie these in (or even ditch the .co.nz) but retain rank? And what's the best way for users to discover the HQ site? Any insight would help, as both sites are kind of different. One has a local member base and the other just sells software so it really depends on the region of search. Cheers!
Technical SEO | | r.moss0 -
Site hacked in Jan. Redeveloped new site. Still not ranking. Should we change domain?
Our top ranking site in the UK was hacked at the end of 2014. http://www.ultimatefloorsanding.co.uk/ The site was the subject of a manual spam action from Google. After several unsuccessful attempts to clean it up, using Securi.net and reinstating old versions of the site, changing passwords etc. we took the decision to redevelop the site. We also changed hosting provider as we had received absolutely no support from them whatsoever in resolving the issue. So far we have: Removed the old website files off the server Developed a new website having implemented 301's for all the old URL's (except the spam ones) Submitted a reconsideration request for the manual spam action, which was accepted. Disavowed all the spammy inbound links through Webmaster Tools Implemented custom URL parameters through Google to not index the SPAM URLs ( which were using parameters) Our organic traffic is down by 63% compared to last year, and we are not ranking for most of our target keywords any longer. Is there anything that I am missing in the actions I have taken so far? We were advised that at this stage changing domain and starting again might be the way to go. However the current domain has been used by us since 2007, so it would be a big call. Any advice is appreciated, thanks. Sue - http://www.ultimatefloorsanding.co.uk/
Technical SEO | | galwaygirl0 -
Does uploading a new disavow file wipe out the original?
Hi guys, Just struggling to get a definitive answer on this one. If say I disavow 55 domains, then upload a brand new disavow file with on 35 domains in it, does this mean the original disavow file will be overwritten and those original domains will be forgotten about? Kind regards!
Technical SEO | | WCR0 -
Followed Linking Root Domains and No Followed Linking Domains
If you have more NoFollowed Linking Root Domains than Followed Linking Root Domains is that a problem?
Technical SEO | | INN0 -
Using an exsisting domain for a new busines?
I have a domain name that is in use and has a domain age of 4 years. My question is this, will taking that domain name and promoting it under a completely new business in a completely different industry with a totally different business model hurt getting this new business to rank? The domain name is my first and last name. I've been promoting videos that I like under this domain name. I would now like to use the domain name to promote my local SEO services. Will this hurt my efforts to rank with search engines since Google and others have been indexing the site for a certain industry and topic? Thanks
Technical SEO | | fun52dig
Gary0 -
New website with slightly new urls
Hi we recently designed our website in work and changed some of the urls. the old site used to be http://www.example.ie/contact-us.htm now it's is http://example.ie/get-in-touch The problem we are having is with sitelinks (the ones auto generate in the serp) ie: about, contact us, team etc etc. Once cliked on, these OLD links are all going to 404 pages because of the change of url. Help with this would be greatly appreciated - I was thinking of blocking these old sitelinks in google web master.
Technical SEO | | GlenBOB0 -
Domain Forwarding and SEO
I have looked around and only saw older and contradicting responses to this question but what effect does having a domain with VALUABLE-KEYWORD.com forward to MAINSITE.com or COMMON-MISSPELLING.com forward to MAINSITE.com in terms of SEO and is it considered spammy or looked down upon
Technical SEO | | treytt0 -
A client will be translating their entire site into French in addition to English. For SEO purposes, should I host it on the same domain or create its own dedicated domain?
The current site is a long-standing site with good authority and a good number of links. Thanks....
Technical SEO | | JamesBSEO0
