Google clarifies domain migration rules for SEO signal preservation

Image credit: Abondance

MOUNTAIN VIEW — Google clarified its guidance for using the ‘Change of Address‘ tool in Search Console on Tuesday, emphasizing that webmasters must submit requests for all variants of an old domain during migration to prevent the loss of accumulated SEO signals.

The updated documentation explicitly addresses a common oversight where many webmasters previously submitted requests only for the primary version of their domain, potentially leaving other variants unmigrated.

According to Google’s revised instructions, all domain variants, including subdomains, ‘www’, and ‘non-www’ versions, must be verified in Google Search Console before any change of address requests are submitted. This applies even to variants that are not actively used.

Barry Schwartz, writing for Search Engine Roundtable, reported that this update is a clarification of existing functionality rather than a technical alteration to the tool itself. The guidance aims to provide explicit instructions for SEO teams handling domain changes.

Failing to migrate all domain variants can lead to a significant loss of SEO signals that those variants may have accumulated over time, impacting search engine rankings and visibility for the new domain. Google said that comprehensive migration ensures the proper transfer of these signals.

The company stated that this clarification would help webmasters execute more complete domain migrations, thereby preserving their search performance during transitions.

Source: Abondance