Changing The Domain Name Of An Established PR5 Site?

Hi,

I have an established PR5 site that ranks high in major search engines, the domain name is like health-*****.com, I am thinking to change it to fitness*****.org

I am going to maintain the same URL structure and use 301 redirect on every old page to the new page.

What will happen to the site after changing the domain name? Will the PR and SERPs remain the same?

Thanks!

 

Don't do it, man! Seriously, you will loose both your Google PageRank and your position in the search-engines if you move the content to another domain! It doesn't matter if you use a good redirect script or not. All the inbound links still point to health-*****.com and no redirect script is going to help that. So, if you move all the content to fitness*****.org you will have health-*****.com with a high PR, but its position in the search-engines will float like a brick on water and you will have fitness*****.org with unranked pages. The search-engine position of fitness*****.org is more difficult: at first you will probably notice a comfortably high position because it is a new website, which initially tend to rank relatively well, but then the old backlinks start becoming a problem. These still point at health-*****.com, which would cause fitness*****.org again to float like a brick on water. Double trouble!

 

I think so!
If you change something, google will update database then your site adjusted
PR & ranking!
Becarefully!

 

Why the hell would you change a domain .... that ranks well ....

Regards

 

Yes, if you properly 301 redirect all the old URLs to the new ones the Pagerank and SERP value will be redirected over "in-time". You will see a decrease in search results positioning, but it will return to normal in due time. Depending on the next Pagerank update you might see the site back to a PR5 by that time, if not the following one for sure.

 

@ssandecki: What will happen to the existing backlinks that point to the old URL when you properly 301 redirect to the new URL? They don't move too, do they?

 

How many pages do you have indexed, and how frequently does your site get hit on by Google? One of my business acquaintances did this with a site with approx 800 indexed pages, and he lost almost all traffic from Google for about 2 months, and it took almost 6-8 months for all the traffic to reach the same level again. This was working at it almost 24/7 building backlinks to the new site, with every page 301 redirected to the new position.

Can't be worth the bother in my opinion - don't fix it if it ain't broken, y'all

 

They are properly redirected.

 

Especially from a .com to a crummy .org?

 

Like wikipedia.org? w3.org? rhs.org.uk? oxfam.org? Honestly?

 

pr5 is hard to get, don't risk it, but i think you would infact lose pr even with redirects....

 

100% AGREED !

 

What's your main reason for changing your domain name???
If there is no acceptable reason to change domain name then why put your site at risk???

 

My cousin did the same and he didn't lost PR. How did he do it?

Implementing his .htacess in a way in which the domain is not only redirected but every and each link, including dynamic ones.

As in example, if you type:

www.his-old-domain.tld you are redirected to www.his-new-domain.tld

his-old-domain.tld/faq.php leads to his-new-domain.tld/faq.php

and his-old-domain.tld/search.php?=query-whatever is replicated under the new domain with the corresponding page his-new-domain.tld/search.php?=query-whatever.

Google has still indexed many pages belonging to the old site but as soon as you click on them, you are automated redirected to the same page but under the new domain.

 

Wait...Wait...Don't do it.

Do not..I repeat...Do not!

 

I personnally did it, with a proper 301 redirection (.htaccess level), and even changing my url structure. With a good redirection, I went down for two-three weeks in visits and ranking, and then it went back to initial and even better.
The really important thing if you do that it that you have to keep for ever the old domain name : as LawnchairLarry mentionned, the old backlinks remain. That has no importance as long as you own the domain and can make the redirection (Google transfers the links and ranking), but if somebody else takes it, then you really have a problem.

 

I wouldn't risk it myself. If you have your heart set on it I'd possibly have the new domain forward to the existing one for a time, then start building some links to the new domain. Also if you have inbound links that you have either purchased or from articles you have submitted to the directories you could start migrating these links (by manually editing the links).

Doing this first will give your new domain some links and then simply change the redirect to your 301 for all the content.

But then again I can't see what would be achieved by changing the domain of an established PR5 site. But if it bakes your noodle, go nuts lol

 

A big "NO" changing it. you lose PR, backlinks, indexed pages even if you redirect your old site to new one. you will end up from zero again

 

NO, currently all PR juice backlinks pointing to your health-*****.com. Even if your redirection work flawlessly, your health-*****.com will be useless cos it will always have to stay in the neitherland as a redirector.
Once your fitness*****.org gets high PR and you think its ok to let it stands on its feet so you remove the health-*****.com, guess what, the next PR update fitness*****.org will be low PR again why because backlinks still pointing to your health-*****.com

 

Hi,
i think NO, it's harm full action with your PR and Ranking, because PR 5 is good and it's great achievement so in my suggestion don't do this......