What's the correct way to handle domain address changes?

[hwaback]

Hello,

Current active domain: Not WordPress, complex URL structure with many query pages, 300 pages indexed in Search Console, 1800 pages not indexed.

New site to migrate to: WordPress, same topic as existing site but very different URL structure.

In this case, how should I handle 301 redirects to the new site domain?
The 300 indexed pages will be redirected to matching topics.
The problem is, what should I do with the 1800 non-indexed pages?

1. Redirect all to homepage
2. Handle with 404

ChatGPT suggests handling them with 404s, but I'm concerned there might be penalties if suddenly over a thousand pages become 404 pages. What do you think?

 

[Peter Ngo]

Just set up a proper lead gens 404 page to collect leads or signups. It is quite common to have 404s pages, I don't think that would cause any issue, especially non index pages.

What's important is you need to set up "site move" from google search console to notify Google your new domain.

Edit: Tool is called Change Of Address Tool.

https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9370220?hl=en

 

[hwaback]

Just set up a proper lead gens 404 page to collect leads or signups. It is quite common to have 404s pages, I don't think that would cause any issue, especially non index pages.

What's important is you need to set up "site move" from google search console to notify Google your new domain.

Edit: Tool is called Change Of Address Tool.

https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9370220?hl=en

Thank you for your answer.
Is it the best practice to add link to the new site on the 404 page of the previous site, and handle all pages with 404 errors except for those pages that have 301 redirects set up?

 

[HenryObi]

The problem is, what should I do with the 1800 non-indexed pages?

If they are not indexed, they would not result in issues anyway. If you intend to rank the content on those pages, you should definitely recreate them.

 

[hideath]

Why the pages are not indexed in the first place? and why you're making the changes?
A high percentage of non-indexed pages is usually tied with an algo penalty,
Does the website have any traffic? Is it ranking for any decent number of keywords?

To answer your question, it depends on the new URL structure,
If permalinks preserves some sort of pattern, you can use regex redirects (htacess) to get things done,
This is fairly easy to do, just use AI to generate the code, input a detailed prompt about the exact changes in the URLs and it should work,

If you're using a different structure & custom permalinks for each of the new pages, then you have to do it manually,
You can use a redirect plugin (there are plenty), or just use htaccess to get things done,
You can make a script that would automate things, but it would need a way to match the pages (old/new), titles for example,

For the non-indexed pages, if you're planning to get rid of them, use 410/404s,
If you intend to create new versions of these pages, then you can 404/410 or 301,
Again, depending on why the pages are not indexed in the 1st place

 

[GeeLark AI]

Hello,

Current active domain: Not WordPress, complex URL structure with many query pages, 300 pages indexed in Search Console, 1800 pages not indexed.

New site to migrate to: WordPress, same topic as existing site but very different URL structure.

In this case, how should I handle 301 redirects to the new site domain?
The 300 indexed pages will be redirected to matching topics.
The problem is, what should I do with the 1800 non-indexed pages?

1. Redirect all to homepage
2. Handle with 404

ChatGPT suggests handling them with 404s, but I'm concerned there might be penalties if suddenly over a thousand pages become 404 pages. What do you think?

There is a plugin named something like "301 Redirect to Homepage."

it'll redirect all of your 404 pages to the homepage, you can try this plugin if you want

 

[Lunar Vita]

To handle domain address changes, back up your site, set up 301 redirects, and update internal links. Register the new domain, configure SSL, and notify search engines through Google Search Console.
Update social media, backlinks, and external listings. Monitor traffic and rankings post-move, checking for broken links. Communicate the change to your audience.

 

[hwaback]

Why the pages are not indexed in the first place? and why you're making the changes?
A high percentage of non-indexed pages is usually tied with an algo penalty,
Does the website have any traffic? Is it ranking for any decent number of keywords?

To answer your question, it depends on the new URL structure,
If permalinks preserves some sort of pattern, you can use regex redirects (htacess) to get things done,
This is fairly easy to do, just use AI to generate the code, input a detailed prompt about the exact changes in the URLs and it should work,

If you're using a different structure & custom permalinks for each of the new pages, then you have to do it manually,
You can use a redirect plugin (there are plenty), or just use htaccess to get things done,
You can make a script that would automate things, but it would need a way to match the pages (old/new), titles for example,

For the non-indexed pages, if you're planning to get rid of them, use 410/404s,
If you intend to create new versions of these pages, then you can 404/410 or 301,
Again, depending on why the pages are not indexed in the 1st place

Most of the unindexed pages are noindex meta and search query pages.

 

[hwaback]

There is a plugin named something like "301 Redirect to Homepage."

it'll redirect all of your 404 pages to the homepage, you can try this plugin if you want

Google says that redirecting all the remaining pages to the home page could result in penalties for Soft404. But I know that the advice of real experienced people is more important than Google's guides. So I'm wondering if the migration was successful even when I redirected all the other pages to the home page other than the important ones.

 

[hideath]

Most of the unindexed pages are noindex meta and search query pages.

it won't be a problem to 404/410 these, they don't contribute directly to your website SEO,
you should block search pages from being crawled in the first place (via robots.txt), to save crawl budget for other pages

 

[JohnCN]

Okay, so when you're switching domains, you gotta watch out to make sure your SEO doesn't tank. Definitely redirect those 300 indexed pages to the right spots on the new site. As for the 1800 non-indexed ones, if they're not getting traffic or have hardly any links pointing to them, 404-ing them is totally fine – just make sure your 404 page isn't a total bummer for users.

and don't forget to tell Google about the move using their Change of Address Tool in Search Console!

 

[David Boost]

For non indesxed 1800 pages recreate the pages again with your new domain.

 

[Zubaria]

The correct way to handle a domain address change is to set up 301 redirects from old URLs to new ones, update your Google Search Console, inform users via email or social media, and update backlinks where possible. Monitor traffic and rankings to ensure a smooth transition.

 

[broadway101]

301 redirect the 300 indexed pages to their closest matching URLs on the new site. For the 1800 non-indexed pages, check if any have backlinks or traffic—redirect those to relevant pages. If they have no value (thin content, duplicates, or auto-generated queries), a 404 or 410 is better than mass redirecting to the homepage, which can be seen as a soft 404 by Google.

 

[DorthyHorn1791992JUL]

Map URLs, backup and audit old site. Configure new domain with SSL and content. Implement 301 for all URLs. Fix internal links, sitemap and robots.txt. Submit to search console and use change of address tool. Update backlinks, social profiles and affiliate links. Test redirects, track rankings and fix errors. Announce the change and build links to the new domain.

 

[calebBoost]

To handle domain address changes correctly, set up 301 redirects from old URLs to new ones, update internal links, inform Google via Search Console, and revise sitemap and robots.txt files. Maintain consistent branding and monitor traffic changes. Notify users and partners to ensure a smooth transition and SEO continuity.

 

[ethanShift]

The correct way to handle domain address changes is by setting up 301 redirects from old URLs to new ones and updating all internal links and sitemaps accordingly. This ensures SEO value is preserved and users are seamlessly directed to the updated site.