Changing your business's domain name: a step-by-step move plan

The short answer: move once, redirect every page, keep the old domain

Changing your business's web address is more than pointing a new name at the same website. Every page Google has indexed, every link another site has given you, and every ad, profile, quote template and email signature points at the old address. A domain move works when each of those keeps arriving somewhere useful: the matching page on the new domain, reached through a permanent redirect.

Google processes a domain change by recrawling the old addresses and indexing their replacements. Rankings can fluctuate during that work; Google says most pages on a small or medium website may take a few weeks to move. Good preparation reduces avoidable mistakes, but it cannot promise unchanged visibility. A redirect that leads to a missing page is one preventable failure: build and test the destination before switching traffic to it.

This guide is for Australian service businesses moving from one domain to another, for example after a rebrand, a merger, or swapping a hard-to-spell address for a clearer one. It's a planning checklist, not legal advice about business names or trade marks.

Before you commit: check the new name and change one thing at a time

Check eligibility before buying a new com.au. Under auDA’s rules, the applicant must have an Australian presence, qualify as a commercial entity and meet an allocation rule for the name, for example by matching a business name or a service it provides. A rebrand may also require updates to business registrations and related records. Check the proposed name and your eligibility with the registrar before committing to the move.

Separate the domain change from a redesign or change of content management system. Google recommends changing one major component at a time so problems have fewer possible causes. Keep the same content and page paths where practical. Once the new domain has settled, assess the redesign as a separate decision.

Choose a quieter trading period if possible. Before anyone changes a setting, confirm who controls each domain, who manages its DNS, and who will receive and action renewal reminders.

Keep readingCheck who controls your domain and DNS

Build the redirect map before launch day

Make a map of the old addresses you need to preserve and their exact new destinations. If only the domain changes, a server rule can preserve each page’s existing path. Still list and test the important URLs individually: a broad rule can conceal exceptions.

Combine the current sitemap with landing-page data, server logs and Search Console’s Links report. Include downloads and images that receive visits or links, not just HTML pages. Mark any retired content so it receives an intentional response.

For a permanent move, use server-side 301 or 308 redirects. These tell Google to treat the destination as the replacement; a temporary redirect sends a different signal. Each old address should reach its final relevant page directly. Avoid a chain of intermediate redirects and do not funnel unrelated pages into the homepage: Google may treat an irrelevant destination as a soft 404. If content has been removed without a suitable replacement, return 404 or 410.

Update internal links, self-referencing canonical tags and the sitemap to use the new domain. Remove only the indexing restrictions that were added for the build or migration. Private pages should retain their intended access and indexing controls.

Keep the map in a shared spreadsheet with these columns:

• Old URL, exactly as it appears now.
• New URL: the matching page on the new domain, not the homepage.
• Why it matters: enquiries, links or visits, with the data source and date.
• Redirect type: permanent (301 or 308), set on the server.
• Tested: the date someone confirmed it lands on the right page in one hop.

Tell Google: verify both domains and use Change of Address

Verify ownership of the old and new sites in a business-controlled Search Console account. Include the relevant host variants, such as www and non-www, and preserve any verification files or tags that the move could affect.

After the new site and redirects are working, submit Change of Address from the old property. The same Google account must own both properties. Google checks ownership and samples the redirects before accepting the request.

A request for a domain does not automatically cover its subdomains, including www. Follow Google’s instructions for every old host variant, including unused ones. Each request covers both HTTP and HTTPS for that host; do not file separate protocol changes. The tool is not for a switch between HTTP and HTTPS, www and non-www on the same domain, or page paths within one site.

Submit the new sitemap and monitor both properties. Expect the old URLs to drop out as their replacements appear. Redirect warnings for URLs in the old sitemap can be normal during the move; investigate missing new pages and incorrect destinations instead.

Keep readingSet up Search Console in your business's name

Update everything else that points at the old domain

Update links you control when the move begins: profiles, directories, campaign destinations and customer-facing templates. Ask other sites to update valuable links too, starting with those that send customers. Redirects remain useful for links you cannot change.

Change the website field and relevant appointment links on your Google Business Profile. Edits are reviewed before publication. A business-name change may also trigger verification, so allow time if the domain move forms part of a rebrand.

Plan ad changes ahead of launch. Editing a Google ad creates a new version that must be reviewed; most reviews finish within one business day, but complex reviews can take longer. Avoid assuming every replacement will be approved on move day. Check the final URLs, account requirements and review status, and update Meta destinations and lead-form links as applicable.

Email is a separate job. If your addresses are moving to the new domain too, plan the mail records and mailboxes on their own timeline, and keep the old addresses receiving mail for as long as customers and suppliers might use them. Old quotes, invoices and signatures will carry the old domain for months. Then check measurement: analytics, conversion tags, form notifications and any reports filtered by website address. A move is a common moment for enquiry tracking to break quietly.

The places most service businesses need to update:

• Google Business Profile website field and any booking or appointment links.
• Google Ads final URLs and Meta ad destinations.
• Social profiles, directory listings and industry association pages.
• Email signatures, quote and invoice templates, and automated emails.
• Analytics, conversion tracking and form notification settings.
• Printed material, signage and vehicle signwriting at their next reprint.

Keep readingCheck your enquiry tracking after the move

Keep readingSet up SPF, DKIM and DMARC for the new domain

Keep the old domain renewed and redirecting

Keep paying for the old domain and keep its redirects working. Google’s migration guide recommends retaining redirects for at least a year in most cases, and longer when people still use old links. A continuing redirect also helps customers following old quotes, bookmarks or printed material.

Renew a com.au before it expires. auDA allows a 30-day renewal grace period, but the website and email stop working during that period; it is not extra operating time. If renewal is missed, the name can eventually become available for another eligible person to register.

You must also remain eligible to hold the old domain. If you plan to cancel the business name supporting it, ask the registrar about your continuing eligibility first. Keep the registrant and contact details current, and put renewal responsibility with a named person.

A worked example: a plumbing rebrand

This is a hypothetical example to show the process, not a real client. A Geelong plumbing business has added gas fitting and is rebranding, which means a new business name and a new com.au. The owner wants a fresh website design too.

Six weeks out, the owner registers the new business name, then the new domain, and confirms they control both domains and the DNS. They decide the redesign waits until next year, so the move only changes the address.

Four weeks out, their developer exports the sitemap and the pages that received enquiries in analytics: about forty pages, plus two PDF guides. Because the paths stay the same, a wildcard redirect covers most pages. A retired winter hot water promotion, still linked from a local directory, is mapped to the hot water service page it promoted.

On move day, the new site goes live with the same pages, internal links, canonical tags and sitemap on the new domain, and the build's noindex rule is removed. The developer tests the important URLs, confirming each reaches the right page in one hop, then submits a Change of Address for both the www and non-www properties and the new sitemap. The owner updates the Business Profile website, Google Ads final URLs, Meta ad destinations, email signatures and quote template the same day.

For the first month they check both domains in Search Console each week, along with Not found errors and enquiries by source. Old email addresses keep receiving mail. The old domain is renewed for several years, with a reminder set 90 days before expiry. None of this predicts rankings; it puts the work in an order where problems are easy to find and fix.

A move-day and first-month checklist

Use this as a running list with a name against each item. If an agency or developer is handling the move, it's a fair list to work through with them before anything changes.

If visits haven't recovered after the first few weeks, work through the usual traffic-drop checks before rewriting content. Redirects pointing at missing pages and leftover noindex rules are quicker to find than to guess at.

If Demandify or another developer handles your website or search work, raise the domain change early. Agree who owns the redirect map, DNS changes, tracking checks and post-move monitoring before the launch date.

• New name registered, new domain eligible, and control of both domains and their DNS confirmed.
• Redirect map complete, with every important old URL sent to its matching new page.
• New site live with the same pages, and internal links, canonical tags and sitemap on the new domain.
• Build-time noindex rules and robots.txt blocks removed.
• Permanent server-side redirects live and tested, one hop each.
• Change of Address submitted for every verified variant of the old domain.
• New sitemap submitted, with both domains checked weekly in Search Console.
• Business Profile, ads, social profiles, email signatures and tracking updated.
• Old domain renewed, with a reminder well before expiry.

Keep readingWork through the traffic-drop checks