URL changed. Delete site & resubmit?

What works best on Google?

[Eljaybe]

Some time ago (late last year), I changed my client's domain name to companyname.com. I placed a redirect on the old domain. I did not do anything on Google, but hoped the old domain would filter out on its own. However, that did not happen and our old URL still exists on Google under some keyword searches (but it's gone for our main keywords after Florida). I know I need to make sure all sites linking to me are using the new URL, but should I manually delete my site from Google, then resubmit it with the new URL?

[caveman]

Need more info. What kind of redirect? Is the old site still accessible? Are all external links now pointing to the newer URI?

[Eljaybe]

We have a 302 redirect on our old URL, and from what I have read we should be using a 301 redirect?
I am working on getting all external links to link to the new URL. Most of them were still linking to the old URL. Maybe that's why the old URL was still listed on Google (even though clicking on it redirects you to the new URL)?

[caveman]

You have a few things that need cleaning up.

If you can, do a global redirect in .htaccess from the old site to the new one. You need to do a permanent redirect (301) or the SE's will treat it as temporary. 301 tells them to change their records to reflect the new URI as the current page/site.

We've done this in the past, and since the site structure was the same, all the old pages redirected to the mirror new pages at the new site, i.e., www.mys*te.com/bluewidgets.html redirected to www.news*te.com/bluewidgets.html.

Another alternative might be to keep the existing pages for a while and add noindex/follow instructions for each old page to its counterpart at the new site.

Hope that helps. There's lots of info in here. Try searching on ".htaccess 301 redirect".

Here's a great thread on the topic too: [webmasterworld.com...]

Be prepared for some pages to vanish for a month or two while the SE's sort it all out. You may get lucky and see a smooth transition; you may not.

[caveman]

PS. Definitely get those inbound links changed as much as you're able. The 301 is the main thing, but as long as those links are out there, the SE's will follow them to the old site. Not clean/efficient. Best to make it as easy as possible for the SE's to do the right thing...