In this guide · 7 sections
Short answer
Build the site on the new domain, 301-redirect every old URL to its new match, then use Search Console's Change of Address tool. Add the new domain to your email system and keep old addresses as aliases. Keep redirects for at least a year and keep renewing the old domain.
The order of work for a domain change
The safest sequence keeps the old domain fully working until the new one is ready, then switches everything over in one planned window. Pick a quiet week, not the week before a sale or a tender deadline.
Register the new domain in the company's name
Use a company-owned registrar account with MFA, and register obvious variants (with and without hyphens, .com and .com.sg) if they matter to you.
List every URL on the old site
Export from your sitemap, CMS and Search Console's pages report. This list becomes your redirect map.
Build and test the site on the new domain
Same content and URL structure where possible. Changing domain and redesigning at the same time makes problems harder to trace.
Add the new domain to your email system
Add it to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, set SPF, DKIM and DMARC, and test sending and receiving before anyone switches.
Switch on 301 redirects
Each old URL redirects to its exact new equivalent. Test a sample of old links, including ones in printed QR codes.
Submit Change of Address in Search Console
Verify both domains and all their variants, then submit the move.
Update everything that points to the old domain
Ads, profiles, invoices, payment links and signatures. The checklist further down covers the common ones.
Redirects and Google's Change of Address tool
Google's site move guide asks for server-side permanent (301) redirects from each old URL to the new one, and says to keep them 'for as long as possible, generally at least 1 year'. Expect rankings to fluctuate for a while during the move. Redirecting every page to the new homepage loses the value of individual pages, so map them one to one.
After the redirects work, use the Change of Address tool in Search Console. Its help page sets out a few rules that are easy to miss:
- Run it only after the move and the redirects are in place.
- It does not move subdomains, including www. Submit a change for each variant you have (example.com, www.example.com) and verify them all in Search Console.
- Search Console shows a 'move in progress' notice for 180 days, and Google asks you to keep redirects for at least 180 days, longer if old URLs still get search traffic.
- After 180 days Google treats the old site as unrelated if it is still online.
- Don't chain moves: you can't immediately move A to B and then B to C.
Our guides to moving a website without losing SEO and redirecting several domains and www cover the redirect rules in more detail.
Moving email to the new domain without losing messages
Email is where rebrands go wrong most often. Customers, suppliers and banks have your old address saved, and some will keep using it for years. The fix is to make the new address primary and keep the old one as an alias on the same mailbox, so both arrive in one inbox.
Microsoft 365
- Add the new domain under Settings, Domains
- Domain Connect registrars can add DNS records automatically
- Set each user's new address as primary, keep the old one as an alias
- Update shared mailboxes and groups too
Best for: Businesses already on Outlook and Teams.
Google Workspace
- Add the new domain as a secondary domain, then change the primary domain
- Old domain can stay as an alias so mail still arrives
- Rename users in bulk with a spreadsheet
- Users are signed out and sign in with the new username
Best for: Businesses on Gmail and Drive.
Microsoft's add a domain guide and Google's change your primary domain page give the exact clicks. Google notes that switching the primary domain is an involved process and some account types can't do it, so read its 'before you begin' list first. Our guide to adding a domain to Microsoft 365 walks through the DNS records.
Phones and laptops may need users to sign in again with the new username. Warn staff a day ahead, and check that apps signed in with the old address, such as accounting software and bank portals, still work.
Everything else that still points to the old domain
Search and email are the big two, but the old address is usually printed and linked in many other places. Work through this list in the week of the switch.
Rebrand domain checklist
Google's Business Profile help says a business name change after verification may require you to verify again, so plan that step if the trading name is changing too.
How long to keep the old domain and redirects
Google gives a minimum: redirects for at least 180 days, and the domain for at least a year. For a business, think in years rather than months.
| Item | Minimum | What we suggest |
|---|---|---|
| 301 redirects | 180 days (Google) | As long as you own the old domain |
| Old domain registration | 1 year (Google) | Renew indefinitely while it receives email or traffic |
| Old email addresses as aliases | No rule | At least 2 years, then review |
| Old Search Console property | No rule | Keep verified to monitor leftover traffic |
Do it yourself or get help?
A small brochure site with one or two mailboxes is a manageable weekend job if you follow the order above. The risk grows with the number of pages, mailboxes and connected systems, and the costly mistakes are missed redirects, an MX change before mailboxes exist, and a lapsed old domain.
Our Website Migration (S$490) moves the site with redirects kept, a planned DNS cut-over and a post-move check of every page and form. Email Migration (S$390 for up to 5 mailboxes) moves mail, contacts and calendars with a planned cut-over and the old mailbox kept until you confirm. IT Sorted is a Singapore-based team of developers with over 10 years of experience; you pay upfront, send the brief in writing and follow progress on your order page.
Frequently asked questions
Expect some temporary movement. Google says rankings can fluctuate during a site move. With page-by-page 301 redirects, the Change of Address tool and the same content on the new domain, most sites recover. Changing the domain and redesigning at the same time makes drops more likely and harder to diagnose.
Google asks for at least 180 days and longer if old URLs still get search traffic, and its site move guide says generally at least one year. For a business, keep them for as long as you own the old domain, because old links in emails, directories and printed QR codes keep working.
Yes. In Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, keep the old domain in the account and add the old address as an alias on each mailbox. Mail sent to either address arrives in the same inbox, and replies go out from the new address.
No. Google recommends paying for the old domain for at least a year so nobody else can buy it and misuse it. Anyone who registers an expired business domain can receive email sent to your old addresses and pose as your company. Keep it on auto-renew.
No. Google's help page says the tool does not move subdomains, including www. Verify every variant of the old domain in Search Console and submit a change of address for each one, even variants you don't actively use.