What should you agree before changing the domain?

Write a short brief with the reason for moving, the person responsible, and the evidence needed to approve launch. Keep the first version focused on the domain change. Put optional design and content changes in a separate list.

Google recommends changing the domain, website platform, and layout separately. It also suggests choosing a quieter traffic period where possible. Its planning guidance supports both decisions.

Give the work a clear finish line

Ask for a page inventory, a redirect map, a test report, and a monitoring handover. Name who can approve launch and who handles urgent fixes. For a small business, one person may hold several roles, but write each responsibility down.

If the move follows a rebrand, settle the name before scheduling technical work. Use the business naming guide to work through that decision. Keep naming discussions out of the final launch meeting.

• Confirm access to both domain accounts and the website.
• Save a copy of the existing site and important reports.
• Agree what would delay launch, such as broken priority redirects.
• Record who will check enquiries and orders after the switch.

Before accepting an estimate, ask whether these deliverables are included. Request a separate line for monitoring and fixes after launch. This is a suggested purchasing checklist, not a claim about what any particular agency includes.

How do you build a redirect map from old to new URLs?

Create a spreadsheet pairing each old page with its intended destination. A URL is a page's web address. Begin with important sales and service pages, then complete the remaining inventory.

Google recommends using sitemaps, analytics, website records, and link reports to identify old addresses. Include images and downloadable documents in the move. Its URL mapping instructions explain these inputs.

Hypothetical example: a specialist online shop

Imagine a shop changing its name while keeping its products. Someone following a link to a ceramic mug should reach that mug's new page. Use the table below as a planning example, not as a reported customer result.

Do not send unrelated old pages to the homepage. Google warns that irrelevant redirects can be treated as missing-page errors; genuinely removed content without a replacement should return 404 or 410. Google's handling rules distinguish removal from consolidation.

Add columns for business importance, owner, and test result. Have someone familiar with the products review the destinations. For visual assets, use the image SEO guide as a separate review task.

Which redirect should a permanent domain change use?

Use a permanent server redirect, normally 301. A server is the system delivering your website; a redirect tells the browser to request another address. Google recommends permanent server redirects such as 301 or 308 for site moves. Its redirect guidance sets out this preference.

For the 302 vs 301 redirect decision, the key difference is temporary versus permanent. Use 302 for a genuinely temporary move, not as your default domain migration setting. Shopify's migration FAQ explains the distinction.

Ask for proof of the route

Have the developer test the old address, the redirect response, and the final destination. A redirect chain means passing through intermediate addresses. Google advises redirecting directly to the final page instead. Its testing advice covers this check.

For a small review, choose examples from every page type in your map. Ask for the full inventory to be tested as well. Record exceptions explicitly, including pages deliberately removed, so the report does not label every difference as a defect.

Do not accept “the homepage works” as the complete handover. Ask the reviewer to follow an old product link and an old information link. Then compare the destinations with the spreadsheet you approved.

What belongs on the launch-day SEO checklist?

Check access, page signals, redirects, and Google notifications in that order. Keep the person responsible for fixes available while the checks run. Use one shared document to record completion.

A canonical identifies the preferred address for a page. Google says new pages should reference their new URLs, and internal links should be updated too. On multilingual sites, update hreflang, the annotations connecting language versions. Google lists these preparation tasks.

A noindex rule tells search engines not to include a page in their index. robots.txt controls crawler access to parts of the site. Remove temporary development restrictions where public pages should now be discoverable. Google highlights leftover restrictions as a migration problem.

1. Compare key pages with their previous versions.
2. Confirm redirects reach the agreed destinations.
3. Review canonical addresses and temporary search restrictions.
4. Check ownership verification for both sites in Google Search Console.
5. Submit Change of Address for the domain move.
6. Submit the sitemap containing the new addresses.

Google Search Console is Google's website search monitoring tool. Its Change of Address function applies to domain or subdomain moves, not merely changing page paths or switching from HTTP to HTTPS. Google defines the scope here.

A sitemap is a file listing page addresses for search engines. Prepare it with the XML sitemap guide. Submit the new version as part of the move, as Google recommends.

How do you preserve backlinks after migration?

Keep relevant redirects running and ask important referring sites to update their links. A backlink is a link from another website to yours. Google recommends retaining redirects generally for at least a year and updating important external links directly. Its link guidance explains the approach.

Give partners a precise request

Prepare a message naming the page containing the old link and the replacement address. Ask for that specific change. Start with links you already know customers use, then work through the remaining list.

For your own channels, review profile links and advertisement destinations. Google includes both in its post-move link updates. See its update checklist.

If partners recommend your business, add their links to the same review using the referral marketing guide. If you run text campaigns, review planned destinations alongside the SMS marketing guide. Assign these tasks to whoever owns each channel.

What should you check when traffic falls after the move?

Compare the old and new sites together before deciding what failed. Google recommends monitoring both during migration, including search activity and indexing. Indexing means adding a page to Google's searchable collection. Its monitoring section describes the reports.

Use Search Console for search performance and Google Analytics for website activity. Google also identifies analytics and server logs as useful migration checks. Its monitoring instructions explain their roles.

Investigate one affected page at a time

• Open the old address and record where it leads.
• Compare the destination with the approved page map.
• Check that the expected content is present.
• Ask the developer to review indexing restrictions and canonical settings.
• Test the enquiry or purchase journey yourself.

If you changed the design too, include headings, content, and internal links in the comparison. Shopify identifies these as migration risks. Its risk overview supports that review.

This week, save your starting reports and appoint an owner for follow-up. In each review, record the affected page, observed issue, proposed fix, and next check. Avoid changing unrelated settings while investigating the same problem.