Moving your website to a new domain isn’t only about redirects. Google also needs to understand that the new domain replaces the old one.
Redirects do most of that work. But Search Console has a tool that speeds things up: Change of Address.
It only takes a few minutes, but it has strict requirements. Here’s how to use it, based on Google’s own documentation.
What the Change of Address tool does
It tells Google that your old domain has permanently moved to a new one. According to Google, it then:
prioritises crawling and indexing the new site
forwards signals from the old site to the new one
prefers the new site when choosing canonical pages
The effect lasts 180 days from the start of the move.
When to use it, and when not to
Use it when the domain itself changes:
oldbrand.com → newbrand.com
Don’t use it for:
HTTP to HTTPS on the same domain. Google detects that on its own.
www to non-www on the same domain. Use redirects and canonical tags instead.
Path changes within one site, like
/blogbecoming/journal.Moving hosts or CDNs without changing URLs.
Merging several sites into one at once. Google recommends moving one site at a time.
Before you start
Set up 301 redirects first. At minimum from the old homepage to the new homepage, ideally from every important page to its equivalent. The tool checks a few of them.
Verify both domains in Search Console with the same Google account. You must be an owner of both.
Verify every variant of the old domain you want to move, such as
wwwand non-www, if they’re set up as separate properties.Submit the new sitemap in the new property.
Our website migration redirect checklist covers the redirect side in detail.
How to submit the move
Open the old domain’s property in Search Console.
Go to Settings → Change of address.
Choose the new domain from the list.
Run the checks. Google confirms ownership and tests some of your 301 redirects.
Fix any critical failures. Warnings don’t block the request, but read them.
Submit. Both properties show a “move in progress” notice for 180 days.
What to watch after the move
Indexed pages. In the new property, indexed pages should rise as they fall in the old one. Google says it can take a few weeks or more for medium-sized sites.
404s on the old domain. Any old URL without a redirect loses its signals. Add rules for those with real traffic.
Queries and clicks. Expect some movement. A short dip is normal during a move.
Redirect chains. Make sure old URLs go straight to final pages, not through extra hops.
Keep the old property
Don’t delete the old domain’s property from Search Console after the move. It’s where you’ll see which old URLs Google still crawls, which ones return 404, and how quickly the old site drops out of the index.
Check it every week or two during the first months. When old URLs keep showing up with impressions, they still need redirects.
How long to keep the redirects
Google recommends keeping redirects for at least 180 days, longer if old URLs still get search traffic, and keeping the old domain for at least a year. In practice, keep both much longer. Old links never fully disappear.
That’s the main reason redirects shouldn’t depend on the old website’s hosting. With Redirect Supply, the old domain keeps redirecting long after the old site is gone. See how to rebrand a website without losing traffic.
If you change your mind
You can cancel within the 180 days. Google’s steps are to remove the 301 redirects from the old site, add redirects from the new site back to the old one, and select Cancel move in the old property.
