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Now that there are so many options for top-level domains, your website name can be more descriptive or brandable than ever. For example: designers, architects, illustrators, and other creative professionals can describe who they are and what they do by using a .design domain name.
However, professionals who created their website before the availability of other domain options have a tough decision to make: do they continue to use their old-school domain, or make the jump to a new domain?
Let’s imagine a graphic designer named Jane Smith with 10 years of experience. At the beginning of her career, the best domain name she could get was JaneSmithGraphicDesign.net. Now she wants to switch to the much shorter and more elegant JaneSmith.design. But how can she make this happen without losing all the traffic and search optimization she’s built up over a decade?
Migrating domain names can seem like an overwhelming prospect, but as domain experts, we’ve compiled a list of tips that can help professionals with established websites take advantage of all the new options for top-level domains.
Pick An Awesome New Domain!
Make sure your new domain is worth it! It’s a great idea to use new top-level domains that help your brand stand out. Top-level domains like .design are a great example because they include a relevant keyword within the domain. In our example above, Jane Smith gets the elegance and simplicity of a shorter domain name, while retaining the descriptive benefit of the “design” keyword. You can find more detailed tips about choosing a great domain name here.
Do Your Research: Make A Plan
Don’t jump into a domain migration project without making a plan to get you from A to Z. Google has a very helpful guide to domain migrations that will give you an overview of what’s involved.
Next, you should research the documentation provided by your web hosting/design platform. Most commonly used platforms have knowledge base articles that explain the steps involved in migrating a domain. Whatever platform you use, follow their documentation carefully to ensure that your domain migrates successfully.
URL Mapping and Forwarding
You don’t want any existing links on sites outside your control to become dead links after your migration. You’ll need to ensure that every URL on your old site automatically forwards to the most similar page on your new site by using a URL forwarder. If your web host doesn’t support this feature, you can use NameSilo’s Domain Forwarding service and select the Dynamic URL Entry feature. Detailed instructions are available in this guide.
Use Google Search Console
Google Search Console is one of the most powerful tools you can use to improve your search optimization with Google. You can check the indexing status of your domain and optimize its visibility in Google’s search results.
Here’s the trick: make sure you’ve verified your existing domain with Google Search Console before starting the migration. After setting up your new domain and completing the migration, you’ll come back to Google Search Console and verify your new domain. Finally, use the Change of Address tool to alert Google that the new domain is correct and give your new domain the best possible standing in search results. You don’t want all your good SEO mojo to go to waste!
When In Doubt, Ask an Expert
If you have a particularly complicated website, or your website is extremely critical to your business, you might want to consider hiring a domain expert to help you manage your migration. For example, an online retailer or other small business that does all of its client acquisition from an existing site will need to use extra caution, and in such a case, seeking out some extra professional help is probably worth it.
On the other hand, if you are updating a personal portfolio site or you don’t have a lot of traffic yet, migrating a domain is a great opportunity for you to improve your personal knowledge of domains and search engine optimization — skills that will help you establish your online presence for years to come.
Conclusion
We hope these tips are helpful for you, but please remember that this is not a complete or exhaustive list of steps to follow for migrating your domain name. Each migration is unique and affected by numerous variables, so it’s very important to research multiple sources before you attempt to do anything yourself. Think through your unique situation and your goals with the project before you dive in head-first!
Even though migrating a site to a new domain can seem daunting at first, you will reap the benefits of having the perfect domain name if you do it correctly. For JaneSmith.design, her memorable domain name will enhance her website, business cards, and email address. Search now to find your new perfect domain name!
Visit our domain name marketplace now to find your ideal domain name!
Manisha Sandhu
thanks for this post. such an informative blog.
Nick
I have what I believe to be a simple and common problem (email only, no web hosting involved). My current email provider (Rogers/Yahoo) sends emails in a form which cannot be downloaded by my email client (some kind of authentication problem) but which is accessible using the webmail browser interface. The web interface is, however, painfully slow and has limited functionality compared to my email client (OEClassic in this case).
My solution was to add a different email provider and email address (compatible with my client), and forward my emails to that address using the email forwarding feature of Rogers web email. This works well but is slow because each email has to be forwarded individually; bulk or automatic email forwarding is not a feature implemented in the Rogers/Yahoo email system, at least for Rogers customers.
I would like to use a system like yours to redirect my emails automatically from [email protected] to [email protected]. Note that (evidently) rogers already redirects to yahoo, which could complicate the situation.
There are only two email addresses involved and only on the receive side for the rogers account; I can use my new working account for sending.
Can this work? If I use NameSilo for forwarding, are advertising messages added to my incoming emails?
Note that when I forward using Rogers webmail, the email headers are modified which makes all my incoming emails appear to be sent from the same FROM address. I believe this is because rogers implements forwarding and not redirection, which (apparently) leaves the headers untouched. Can you comment on the desirability of redirection vs. forwarding? I believe the distinction can be made based on the content of the MX record.
Thanks
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Nick
NameSilo Staff
Hi Nick – sorry to hear about your email forwarding issue. We understand that you’re facing challenges with your current setup, where emails from your Rogers/Yahoo account are being forwarded to an email address with a different provider. Your goal of streamlining this process for efficiency and ease of use is clear.
Regarding your query about using our service for email redirection, there are a few points to consider:
Domain and Email Provider Compatibility: Since your current email address is under the Rogers/Yahoo system and your preferred new address is not registered yet (@localisp.ca), compatibility between these systems and ours needs to be assessed. Our forwarding service is typically designed for domains managed by us, and there might be complexities when integrating with external providers like Rogers/Yahoo.
Redirection vs. Forwarding: You’ve correctly identified the difference between redirection and forwarding. Redirection tends to preserve the original sender’s email address in the header, making it easier to manage incoming mails. Forwarding, as you’ve experienced, can alter headers and make all emails appear as if they come from the same address. Unfortunately, our service primarily focuses on forwarding, which might not resolve the header modification issue you’re facing.
Advertisement Insertion: Regarding your concern about advertisements being added to forwarded emails, our service does not insert any advertisements into the emails that pass through our forwarding system.
MX Record Configuration: The configuration of MX records is crucial for email redirection or forwarding. However, this setup depends heavily on the capabilities and restrictions of your current email providers (Rogers/Yahoo and your local ISP).
To provide you with the most accurate advice, we would need more information about the specific capabilities and restrictions of your current email setup, including any options they provide for bulk forwarding or redirection.
Please contact our support team (at [email protected]) and we’ll help to explore a solution to your specific issues.