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Keep SEO PageRank from current domain, transfer to a new domain name

A customer has been using their current website domain name for the past 5 years and it’s earned them a PR of 5 with good SEO. But the owners of the company have changed and now the domain name doesn’t reflect the company properly. Is it possible to create a whole new website with a different domain name (more descriptive of what they do) and not lose their PR of 5 plus the SEO benefits that they’ve built up for the past 5 years? what is the best strategy to not lose what they have built in terms of SEO? Thanks for your advice in advance.

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3 answers

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deanfortythree [ Editor ]

301 redirect will keep links going to the right place.  If they have some really nice (PR 7+ links), write a nice email or call, ask them to change the URL to reflect the new one.  That will keep all your link juice nice.  Write a press release about the new owners & URL change- that will get new links going to the new URL.  Spend some time link-building with the new URL so search engines see links going to the new site, not just redirecting.

I know I’ve said it before, but do a in-depth on-page analysis as well, make sure that your content is optimized for the right keywords with the URL change (maybe re-optimize some things- do the new owners open new opportunities?).

Lastly, don’t panic if you get ‘sandboxed’ for a while (3-4 months is entirely possible with a new URL)– spend the time link-building & baiting, writing a blog & articles, etc and their PR should be fine, even if it does dip for a while.

Dean Richard

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michaelcyger [ Admin ]

is correct in all accounts. Don’t sweat losing your PR for a few months…I’ve seen it happen too, and come back quickly (within a couple of months thereafter).


The domain name change appears to be purely a vanity decision. If it’s not a legal decision (that they must change the domain name as a result/condition of a sale), then the owners need to balance the short-term loss in traffic due to the high PR/SEO with the long-term benefits of having a domain name that makes them feel good about the business.

Also, there’s a similar domain migration question posted that might interest you.
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  • 0

grannelle [ Editor ]

I coucur. If this is a legal necessity, so be it. But the name of the game is always the same; communication. Saturate the various venues with the understanding of the move, and like it has been pointed out, there may be a dip, there’s no reason that the numbers can’t be picked back up.

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