Moving Hosts, will I lose position?

Changing Hosts and IP Address - What do I do?

[nerolabs]

If I'm changing hosts with a site that has a #1 position on a VERY popular keyword, what is the best way to do this?

1) Change the DNS record for the IP address, and just move it the old fashioned way.

2) Create a new subdomain at the new host and have the old subdomain redirect using meta-tags and Location: HTTP headers.

3) I can't use mod_redirect, the old host was Windows based, maybe there is an analogous windows protocol.

I really need to move the host ASAP, but need to think about any sort of penalty I might suffer if I don't do this right.

NOTE: DNS servers and domain records will remain the same, we are not transferring the domain to a new name or anything, just the IP address?

Your thoughts are appreciated.

[Receptional]

We did it the old fashioned way... we got the new site up and running first, on its own IP so didn't need the domain name, then changed the nameservers and bingo - no down time as Google Either see the old site or the new site, but can never see nothing.

We then lost position when we realised that Google thought the new server was based in the Netherlands.... but that's another story.

[ciml]

Exactly. The old fashioned way is fine as long as both servers respond with the right content for along enough for Google to catch up with the DNS change.

There's no duplicate content, because Google indexes by URL, not by IP.

> ...Google thought the new server was based in...

<grumble>, <mutter>, <grumble>

[patrol]

If you only change your IP and the rest is the same, you must not run the copy of your site on the old ip. Google is only watching for the domain name. If the googlebots wouldn't find the domain on the old ip, they come back(the bots must found NOTHING on the old ip). If your site has a correct cache in the google database I think it is only a little bit shacky the next days in the serps because the nameservers register the changing ip in 1hour-3 days.

In the next days we make that with a lot of domains. I think I can tell the story what happened in 10-20 days:-)