My domain name-change check list

[ModernM]

I am getting ready to change my domain name due to a trademark dispute. The domain I am changing to is about 5 months old and has had no DNS records or been indexed by google. My current domain is over a year old and ranking is great.

1. Point DNS for domain to new site
2. Confirm 301 redirects are working as expected
3. Add the new domain to webmaster tools.
4. Contact sites that have links to my site and ask for them to update the domain.
5. Try and leave the old domain in place for 180 days.

I have read google's official blog about changing your domain name and over the year read stories of people changing their domain. Hopefully I can do this with the least amount of pain. Anyone see any errors in the check list or the order of the list?

Cal

[tedster]

You may not be able to do it this way given your legal situation, but there have some recommendations from Google spokespeople to move one directory at a time, and only gradually transition to the new domain. I've never been involved with a site that used this approach either, but I thought it was at least worth mentioning.

Your checklist lines up with the best practices I know of. The only thing I do differently is I try NEVER to stop serving the 301 redirect from the old domain, if that is legally possible.