How do I move my website to a new domain or hosting without losing my Google ranking?

Before you move

1. 1Take a full backup of files and database.
2. 2Export a list of every current URL, from your sitemap or a crawl, plus your most visited pages from analytics.
3. 3Note current rankings and traffic for key pages so you can compare after the move.
4. 4Lower the DNS TTL a day or two before the switch so the change spreads faster.

Changing hosting only

If the domain and URLs stay the same, Google mainly cares that the site keeps working. Copy the site to the new host, test it using a temporary URL or your hosts file, then point the domain's DNS to the new server. Keep the old hosting running for a few days, and check that SSL works on the new server so visitors do not see security warnings.

Changing domain

1. 1Set up the site on the new domain with the same page structure.
2. 2Add permanent 301 redirects from every old URL to the matching new URL, not all to the home page.
3. 3Verify both old and new domains in Google Search Console.
4. 4Use the Change of Address tool in Search Console on the old domain's property.
5. 5Submit the new sitemap and update your Google Business Profile, social profiles and important backlinks to the new domain.
6. 6Keep the old domain registered and the redirects live for the long term.

After the move

• Spot-check old URLs to confirm each one redirects to the right page in a single hop.
• Watch Search Console for crawl errors and pages that drop out of the index.
• Expect some fluctuation for a few weeks; a lasting drop usually points to missing redirects or changed content.