Introduction

If you've change your website's domain, it's important to notify Google Search Console to ensure that your site's performance, indexing, and SEO are properly tracked under the new domain. Follow these steps to update your website's domain in Google Search Console:

Step 1: Verify Ownership of the New Domain

Before making any changes in Google Search Console, make sure you've verified ownership of your new domain. 

1. Log in to Google Search Console: Go to Google Search Console and log in with your Google account.
2. Add Property for the New Domain: 
   1. Click on the "Add Property" button in the top-left corner.
   2. Enter the URL of your new domain (including the https://) and follow the verification steps provided by Google. 

Step 2: Set Up a Domain Change Request

Google provides a special tool called Change of Address to inform Google of your website domain change.

1. Navigate to the Old Domain's Property:
   1. In Google Search Console, select the property for your old domain.
2. Go to the Settings:
   1. Click on the "Settings" option in the left sidebar.
   2. Under "Property Settings," select the "Change of Address" option.
3. Follow the Change of Address Wizard:
   1. Google will ask you to select the new domain that you've verified in Google Search Console.
   2. Choose the correct new domain from the list of verified properties. 
   3. Google will walk you through confirming that the domain move is permanent and that you've set up proper redirects on your old site.

Step 3: Implement 301 Redirects

Ensure that you've set up 301 redirects on your old website domain to direct all traffic (and search engine crawlers) to the corresponding pages on your new domain. This is essential for transferring SEO value to the new domain.

1. Set Up 301 Redirects on your Old Domain:
   1. Implement 301 redirects for each page of your old domain to the equivalent page on the new domain.
   2. If you're using a CMS like WordPress, there are plugins that can help with this process.

Note: 301 redirects tell Google that the page has permanently moved to a new location, helping preserve your SEO rankings.

Step 4: Update Sitemaps in Google Search Console

After your domain change, update your sitemaps to reflect the new URLs.

1. Submit a New Sitemap for the New Domain
   1. In Google Search Console, go to the property for your new domain.
   2. Under the "Sitemaps" section, click "Add/Text Sitemap" and submit the updated sitemap for your new domain.
   3. Make sure that the sitemap includes URLs of the new domain and reflects all the pages that should be indexed.

Step 5: Monitor the Transition

Once the domain change is complete, monitor your site's performance and indexing to ensure everything is working correctly.

1. Check Coverage Reports: In the "Coverage" section of Google Search Console, keep an eye on any errors related to indexing or redirect issues.
2. Track Traffic: Use the "Performance" section to monitor how search traffic is evolving on your new domain.
3. Check for Crawling Errors: Regularly check for crawling errors in the "Crawl Errors" section to ensure that Google is able to access your pages without issues.

Step 6: Update External Links

If possible, reach out to websites that link to your old domain and request that they update their links to your new domain. This helps to maintain link equity and improve your SEO performance.

Additional Tips

• Update Google Analytics
  • Make sure that your Google Analytics account reflects the new domain for accurate tracking.
• Notify Social Media and Marketing Channels
  • Update your domain on all external platforms like social media profiles, email newsletters, and marketing materials.

By following these steps, you'll ensure that your website's SEO performance and indexing are properly maintained after changing domains. Google Search Console will help you manage the transition, but remember to monitor the results and fix any potential issues that arise during the process.

Questions?

If you have any questions regarding this topic or any others, please reach out to our Support Team via email at <support@lofty.com>, by phone at 1 (855) 981-7557, or by chat with us through your Lofty CRM.