The new name is chosen, the domain is bought and the launch date is set. The part that usually gets left to the last fortnight is the move itself: taking everything that points at the old domain and pointing it at the new one without dropping anything on the floor.
Done well, a rename costs a dip in traffic that recovers within weeks. Done badly, it quietly loses search rankings, breaks single sign-on and sends customer email into nowhere.
Keep the old name, forever
The most expensive mistake is letting the old domain lapse once the new one is live. Every link, bookmark, printed card and old email signature still points at it. If it expires, someone else can register it and inherit all of that traffic.
Renew the old domain for as long as the registrar allows, keep it in the same custody as the new one, and treat it as permanent infrastructure.
The move, in order
- Map every old URL to its new equivalent, page by page, not just the homepage.
- Serve permanent redirects from each old URL to its match, and keep them in place indefinitely.
- Tell the search engines. Most offer a change of address tool for exactly this.
- Keep the old mail domain receiving and forwarding for at least a year, and longer for customer-facing addresses.
- Update the integrations: sign-on callbacks, payment and webhook endpoints, app store listings and analytics.
Redirects are not a launch task. They are a permanent part of the new site.
What to check the week after
Watch for errors on old URLs in your server logs and search reports, and fix any that fall through to the new homepage instead of the right page. A redirect to the wrong place is treated much like a missing page.
Then check the less visible things: password reset emails, invoices, calendar invites and anything else your systems send that might still carry the old name in a link.
Before the name is chosen
A rename is also the moment to check that the new name can be held cleanly: the exact match available or acquirable, the obvious variants secured, and no conflicting marks in the markets you operate in. NameGood handles the recommendation and clearance side; the earlier it is involved, the fewer of these problems reach launch week.
