Why a website domain change is a new name, not an edit
A registrar will not rewrite the domain you already bought. A rebrand uses a second domain: the new name serves the site, and the old name stays registered so old links still resolve.
Google ranks URLs. The host name is part of every URL, so the whole set changes. A 301 on each old path says that address moved. Sending every old URL to the new homepage drops the page that used to rank.
| Piece | What happens in the rebrand |
|---|---|
| Registered name | Leave it. Register the new domain beside it. |
| Files and database | Copy them. Replace the old address inside the database. |
| Create mailboxes on the new domain. Keep the old domain receiving mail if the host allows it. | |
| Old domain | Renew it for at least a year so the 301s have a live account. |
| File change of address only after those 301s return 301. |
What to back up before you change the website domain name
Copy the site before you change DNS or the site address. Save the files, save a database dump, and export the URLs that already get visits. That list is the redirect map.
- Files from the document root, including a hidden .htaccess file.
- The database, and a note of the table prefix.
- Mailbox names on the old domain, so you can recreate them.
- Which account registers the domain, and which account holds the DNS.
Write down why the name is changing: a new brand, a shorter name, or a different extension. If the only problem is text on a page, edit that page. Changing visible text is not a domain change.
Keep the old domain serving the current site until the 301s are tested. If a step fails, you still have the backup and a working address.
How to put the website on the new domain
Register the new name through domain registration and confirm you control DNS. Point it at the hosting account with the host's nameservers, or with an A record for the account IP. The new name should open, even on a default page, before you announce it. DNS can take up to 48 hours.
On cPanel, add the domain as an addon, or change the primary domain. The clicks for a primary-domain change are in how to change the primary domain in cPanel. Put the copied files in that domain's document root.
Replace the old URL in the database, including https and the www form. In WordPress, set WordPress Address and Site Address under Settings, then General, to the new https URL. Use a search-replace that keeps serialized data. A raw SQL replace breaks widgets and menus.
Open Settings, then Permalinks, and save once so rewrite rules rebuild. If wp-config.php defines WP_HOME or WP_SITEURL, change those lines. After DNS resolves, issue a certificate for the new name. On cPanel, AutoSSL does that once the domain is on the account.
If you want WebJi® to copy the account, use the website migration service. Free migration is subject to terms and approval. Any paid scope is quoted by email before payment. This page does not list a domain-change price.
- Register the new domain and point DNS at the host. Confirm the new name loads.
- Back up files and the database, and keep a list of live URLs.
- Copy the site into the new document root and replace the old address in the database.
- Turn on path-preserving 301s on the old domain, then test a sample of URLs.
- Submit Search Console change of address, and submit the new sitemap.
How to 301 the old domain to the new domain
Leave the old domain on a live hosting account. In its document root, use a 301 that keeps the path. Replace the two host names below with yours.
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(www\.)?olddomain\.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://newdomain.com/$1 [L,R=301]olddomain.com/pricing then lands on newdomain.com/pricing, not on the homepage. On Nginx the same job is one line: return 301 https://newdomain.com$request_uri;
Test before you announce the brand. Request a few old URLs and read the status. You want 301 and a Location header with the same path. A 302 is temporary. A 200 on the old host means the rule did not run.
Keep both www and the bare host on that rule. Do not let the old domain expire. When it expires, the 301s stop, and the signals those redirects were passing stop with them.
How to tell Google the website domain name changed
Add the old site and the new site as properties in Google Search Console, and verify each one. The 301s have to return 301 before you use the move tool.
On the old property, open Settings and use Change of address. Select the new property. If that control is missing, verification or the property type is not ready. Submit the new XML sitemap anyway, and fix verification instead of deleting the old site.
Do not remove the old pages when the tool says the move has started. The redirects are the move. Deleting the old site, or taking the old domain off the account, stops them.
What else to update after the domain name change
Update the address anywhere a person or a tool still types the old host. That includes email signatures, social profiles, the Google Business Profile, ads, and invoices. Recreate mailboxes on the new domain and point MX records at the mail host.
Keep the old domain's mail working until people have switched. Inside the site, canonical tags, the sitemap, and analytics should use the new host. Ask sites that link to important URLs to update them. The 301 covers everyone else, which is why it has to stay up.
A Hindi website name list is a naming exercise, not this change. If the new brand is written in Hindi, register a Latin domain people can type, or an internationalized domain name, and still 301 the old domain.
How to know the domain name change worked
The move worked when a sample of old URLs returns 301 to the same path on the new domain, and those new URLs load the right page over https. Search Console on the new property should start to show those URLs.
Rankings often move for a few weeks after a real domain change. A drop that does not ease usually means every old URL hits the homepage, the new site is set to noindex, or the old domain stopped resolving. Fix that map. A new hosting plan does not fix a bad redirect.
If the 301s are confirmed and the new name still will not resolve, email support@webji.services. The desk replies in Hindi and English, and the average first reply is under 60 minutes.
Questions about a website domain name change
Can I change my website domain name?
Yes. You add a new domain and move the site onto it. The registrar will not rewrite the old name into the new one. Keep the old domain registered so a 301 can send each old URL to the same path on the new domain.
Can I change my domain name for free?
No. You pay to register the new domain, and you keep paying to renew the old one so the redirects stay online. This page has no domain-change price. A migration is quoted by email before payment, and free migration needs terms and approval.
How do I redirect my entire old domain to a new one?
On the old domain, add a 301 that keeps the path. olddomain.com/page should return 301 to newdomain.com/page. A 302 is the wrong status. Sending every old URL to the new homepage is the mistake that drops rankings.
How long should I keep 301 redirects after a domain change?
Keep them for at least a year, and longer if those old URLs still get visits. The old domain has to stay registered and on a live account the whole time. When the domain expires, the redirects stop.
Will traffic drop after a website domain name change?
A short dip is common while Google recrawls the 301s. A drop that lasts usually means every old URL lands on the homepage, the new site is noindex, or the old domain no longer resolves. Path-preserving 301s limit that damage.
How do I move WordPress to a new domain?
Copy the files and the database. Under Settings, then General, set WordPress Address and Site Address to the new https URL. Run a search-replace that keeps serialized data, then save Permalinks once. If wp-config.php sets WP_HOME or WP_SITEURL, update those lines.
Is it easy to change a website domain name?
A small site can move in a day once the new domain resolves. A shop or a blog with years of URLs needs a backup, a database replace, a redirect map, and Search Console. The map is the hard part, not the DNS edit.