What is the best way to move website to another domain without ranking loose?

[Fli]

Hi,

my domain is too expensive so i want to move website from site1.com to site1.site2.com
simply not renew domain, but use it as subdomain of my other domain..

How to do this without ranking loose? When domain is lost and backlinks pointing to it, there is no way to let google remember that they should credit links to my other domain?

[naeemgari]

I would not recommend moving to a sub-domain. site1.com appears to have brand value. A sub-domain would be difficult from a marketing and branding perspective. Additionally, sub-domains won't be preferred from an SEO perspective as your competitors will have domains that will be preferred by search engines and overall users. If you are still planning to move websites then you should make a list of all pages that (a) have driven conversions in the last 12 months (b) have maximum traffic contribution in the last 12 months (c) have backlinks pointing to the page.

Duplicate these valuable pages on the new domain / sub-domain keeping the URL, and content exactly the same as the existing landing page. Next, set up one-to-one 301 redirection rules for each page. Ensure that there are no staging URLs on the new domain when the new site is moved to production. Remember to set up address change in Google Search Console and submit a new XML sitemap for the new domain. Ensure that the new domain does not have technical issues, is mobile-friendly, and the website loads fast (between 1-3 seconds).

Assuming you have setup 301 redirection rules and followed the items mentioned above you can expect to minimize the loss. However, based on my previous experience, there is a certain downtime. Depending on cases if all things are done right it can still result in a loss in visibility in SERPs for approx one quarter. Then performance gradually picks up. If there are issues in implementation then it can span to over a year as well.

[saichavhan]

Our best practice guide to changing URL focuses on the steps to take when you're ready to launch your website on your new domain

Implement 301 redirects.
Update links.
Crawl the site.
Set up Google Search Console.
Submit your sitemap.
Submit a change of address.
Continue to own and host your old domain name.

[Neetu123]

How do I change my domain without affecting SEO?
5 tips for changing domain names without losing your search engine ranking

Keep the same domain owner.
Create a site map and make it available to search engines.
Create 301 redirections to new pages.
Update backlinks.
Inform Google of the domain name change.