URL change and things I need to look out for

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URL change and things I need to look out for

martinmciver

3:07 pm on Aug 26, 2010 (gmt 0)

Hi all,
I am after a bit of guidance. A company I work for has decided to go for a rebrand and which means a URL change. The site has been going for some time and has a lot of back links which I am getting ready to re direct to the new site and 301 those that I can’t change on each page on a like-for-like basis.

I will register the new URL with Google web master tools and get it verified before going live on the switch over.

I will upload a new sitemap to Web Master Tools as soon as the new site goes live.

Once live I will check the 404 errors in webmaster tools to ensure that are sorted as soon as they appear. I am changing the current sites 404 error we have now as the site is due to go live in a month.
Does anyone know how much in advance the Google Change of Address should be done in and if there is a checklist of things that I also need to be checking for a smooth transition?

Thanks in advance everyone!

Cheers

tedster

3:57 pm on Aug 26, 2010 (gmt 0)

Hello Martin, and welcome to the forums.

Just to clarify the discussion, you are actually changing the DOMAIN NAME, correct? That's a bigger deal than changing a URL (or even all URLs).

We have a good thread here: Moving to a New Domain - Official Advice from Google [webmasterworld.com]. You can always find it in the Hot Topics area [webmasterworld.com], which is always pinned to the top of this forum's index page.

That thread was about two years ago, so it's good to check in on the topic again. AMembers may have more recent experiences to add.

ErnestHemingway

1:19 am on Aug 27, 2010 (gmt 0)

Are you changing the whole root domain? That could be a whole different thing than doing a simple url change as tedster mentioned.

martinmciver

9:29 am on Aug 27, 2010 (gmt 0)

Hi all, I'm sorry if I didnt make myself clear.

Yes we are changing the whole domain. from: www.keywordkeyword.com to www.keywordkeywordkeyword.co.uk

We are targting a uk market so I think long term that can only help. I just want to make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible!

Thanks for you quick responses!
:)