Google and moving to new URL

[royalelephant]

I'm getting ready to move the content of my site from its original obscurely-titled domain name to a new one with a related keyword domain name, and I want to make it a Google-friendly process.

(The keyword domain will also be hosted by a more robust web host that offers better service and features.)

My first question is what are the pitfalls of moving my content? And what's the best strategy for moving from old to new: a migration of content, or a bulk and wholesale move, cutting off the old and turning on the new?

[Marcia]

1) is it "only" the rankings that takes two months to get back to normal, or
2) is it also the indexing of the new domain that takes a full two months?

claus, it isn't "moved" or changed sites but brand new sites; all the pages are getting into the index within a day or two of being put up - main index page and pages in /directories/ one level deep.

It's the rankings that will have to wait. I'm already planning ahead for Spring 2005. ;)