Posted on January 25, 2019

I’ve Switched Domain Names. Now What?

Posted on January 25, 2019 by .BIBLE Registry Categories: Domains, Online Presence

FAQ: I’ve switched to a new top-level domain, but I can see from my analytics that my traffic has decreased. Can you tell me how to fix it?

Congratulations on your move! Domain name changes, particularly top-level domain (TLD) changes, send a message to your customers. The change communicates your commitment to relevancy and shows that you’re paying attention to changes in your marketplace.

Redirect Tells a Website Has Moved

After a TLD move, the first thing that must be done a is 301 redirect of the old domain and all of its pages. What exactly is a 301 redirect? It’s just the HTTP status code that says a site or page has moved permanently.

You can work with your site host for specific instructions, but generally, you can find a redirect option under “management” in the web hosting portion of your site account.

Time for Indexing and Patience

Give it some time. It is widely agreed that a 301 site redirect passes between 90-99% of link ranking power, so once you give the indexing bots time do their work, you can expect your search engine page ranking results to look similar to your old activity. It generally takes about 6 months for traffic to recover.

Content is Everything

It’s tempting to want to explain the traffic reduction by pointing to the new TLD, but we know that rankings are ultimately not tied to this factor. If a site was properly redirected and enough time was given for re-indexing, then SEO is tied to the quality of your content.

Have you updated your content recently, and do you continue to do so? Content is key for indexing. This content, whether it’s an infographic, online forum, blog posts, videos, webinars or anything in between, is ranked by its order of usefulness and relevance to the web user performing the search.

Quality of content is crucial! As explained by the Search Engine Journal, make sure that site content is:

  • Useful and informative
  • More valuable and useful than other sites
  • Credible
  • High quality
  • Engaging

Once you have invested time and energy into each of these factors, history says that you should see your traffic revived. It’s an ongoing process and commitment to maintain a fresh and interesting site, and we hope you and your customers see the results you’re looking for!

What kind of content have you found best works for keeping your website up-to-date? Leave a comment and share your ideas!

Is it time to register your site on a new top-level domain? Get your .BIBLE domain name today!