If you rebrand your business under a new name, you don’t have to shut down your website and build a new one from scratch. You can keep your existing site and even maintain your existing web hosting account. The primary technical change you’ll make is an update to your domain name. In other words, what used to be youroldbrand.com will become yournewbrand.com.
Your website’s domain name is your primary calling card on the internet. It’s the gateway to the goods and services you sell on your site. But it doesn’t have to be set in stone for your business’s entire existence. If your business name changes, you’ll also need to change the web address customers use to find you online.
While changing your domain name isn’t quite as simple as changing your handle on social media platforms, it’s still a relatively easy process that doesn’t require advanced technical skills. You can keep your existing website intact and use the same domain provider and web hosting platform. This lets you recalibrate your brand’s identity for new clients while offering a sense of continuity to existing customers who interacted with your old website. Here’s how to change from one domain to another while preserving site continuity.
Why change a domain name?
- Rebranding
- Boosted SEO and website traffic
- Legal or trademark issues
- Migration to a top-level domain
You can have a healthy, robust business and still decide that you’d benefit from a new domain name. If you determine that your current domain is impairing your branding or SEO rankings, it may be time for a change. Here are some reasons that businesses discard their existing domain names for new ones:
Rebranding
Growing businesses often evolve and adjust their branding as their focus shifts. If your own business is embarking on a new identity or offering new products or services, it may make sense to rebrand under a new name. A domain change comes naturally with the new name.
Let’s say you changed your company from one that makes ceramic bowls to one that makes entire dishware sets. Your old URL might have had the word “bowls” in it, but now you want a domain name that swaps out “bowls” for “dishware.” The new name will reflect your updated online identity. In other words, bowls.com could become dishware.com.
No matter what spurs on your rebrand, a domain change is appropriate whenever the organization changes its name.
Boosted SEO and website traffic
Some businesses change names as part of a broader search engine optimization (SEO) initiative. A domain name that includes relevant keywords can improve search engine rankings and help users easily find your website.
Some businesses switch because their previous domain name had a long, complex, or hard-to-spell name. Upon switching to a shorter, more recognizable domain, they may notice an uptick in organic web traffic. Improved search visibility can play a role in this.
Legal or trademark issues
Sometimes, a domain name has to be changed due to legal issues. A small but unlucky cadre of business owners may one day receive notice that their current domain name infringes on another company’s trademark or copyright. If you ever find yourself in this situation, you can try battling the other party in court—especially if you feel you have the perfect domain that you couldn’t bear to let go of. But it may prove simpler to change your domain name, as painful as that can be.
Migration to a top-level domain
Some website owners start with a less popular top-level domain (TLD) like .info or .biz due to availability or cost. Later, they may switch to a more credible and trusted extension like .com to improve brand recognition and trustworthiness.
What to consider before changing your domain name
Changing your domain name is a significant decision that can impact your search engine optimization, brand recognition, and overall online store performance. Carefully consider these downstream effects before making the switch:
SEO impact
Your previous domain will likely have built up authority with Google and other search engines like Bing. Although upgrading to a better domain name can improve your SEO, if not handled properly, the switch can result in lost rankings and reduced traffic. Setting up 301 redirects from your old domain to your new primary domain will help you hold onto the benefits of your prior SEO efforts.
Technical requirements
It’s critical that you update your domain name system (DNS) information to ensure a smooth transition. Review your domain host’s features to confirm they support domain migration. Beyond your domain settings, you might also need to update settings within your website platform. Your goal is to preserve internal links and all of your website’s content, from your oldest blog post to your newest ecommerce listing.
Business continuity and communication
Be aware that changing your primary domain name can temporarily disrupt your online store, email, and other services. Plan the transition carefully and communicate the change to your existing customers.
Think of changing your domain like changing your home address. You need to make sure everyone can find your business where it now resides. Consider the difference between your new address and your old address. Are they so similar they’d be confusing? Are they so different you’d need to do a lot of promotion to make it clear you’ve completely rebranded and overhauled your company? Regardless, make sure the switch is easy for users to understand.
How to change your domain name
- Choose your new domain name
- Register your new domain and update hosting
- Set up redirects and update internal links
- Update website data
- Test and monitor your site under its new domain name
Although it’s simpler than creating a new site from scratch, changing your domain name is a multistep process. Carefully implement each step to prevent site disruptions and keep your customers well taken care of. Here are step-by-step instructions for doing so:
1. Choose your new domain name
Select a new, memorable domain name to accurately reflect your business and its suite of goods and services. Shopify offers tools for checking domain availability and for generating domain names from scratch.
Also, think about what kind of top-level domain you want. Most businesses opt for .com, but there are literally hundreds available, so think outside the box when you brainstorm. Many ecommerce merchants have gravitated toward the .shop TLD in recent years. It can pair naturally with an online store, but the ubiquity of .com is still worth noting.
2. Register your new domain and update hosting
Once you’ve selected your new website address, register it through a domain registrar accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Verify that your hosting plan supports domain changes. Check your hosting provider’s requirements for switching domains. In all cases, you’ll need to update your DNS records to point your new domain name to your hosting server.
3. Set up redirects and update internal links
To maintain traffic and SEO rankings, implement 301 redirects from your old domain to the new domain name. That way, if an existing customer types in your old domain or has it bookmarked, they’ll automatically get forwarded to your site. Use Google Search Console’s Change of Address Tool to notify search engines of your new address. Remember to also update internal links across your website.
4. Update website data
Beyond internal links, make sure that everything on your website reflects the new domain name. This includes titles, headers, footers, blog posts, knowledge base articles, ecommerce store listings, and contact forms. You’ll also need to update your domain information in third-party applications like Google Analytics, email services, and payment gateways.
5. Test and monitor your site under its new domain name
Before you go live with your new domain name, check your whole site for broken links and missing pages. Test your website speed and performance. If you run into trouble, your hosting provider’s support team can be a valuable resource for technical assistance with DNS settings, redirects, and other technical aspects of the domain name change. Shopify merchants have access to ample customer support, including a library of articles and guides on maintaining ecommerce websites.
How to change a domain name FAQ
Can a domain be renamed?
In a technical sense, no, a domain itself cannot be renamed. If you want a new domain name for your website, you must register a new domain name and then redirect traffic from the old one to the new one.
How much does it cost to change a domain name?
The cost of changing a domain name varies depending on factors such as domain registration fees, web hosting changes, and technical services needed for migration. Domains themselves may only cost in the range of $10 to $12 per year. However, you may incur domain transfer fees, adjustment fees from your web hosting provider, and SSL certificate fees, which could add up to a few hundred dollars.
Is it a good idea to change my domain name?
It is a good idea to change your domain name if the name of your business has changed. The process will require effort and expense, but it will be well worth it to ensure that your domain name matches your business name as closely as possible.
