Don’t Ruin Your Website! Discover Why a Domain Name Change Can Ruin Your SEO.
- Fennec Group
- Sep 27, 2025
- 3 min read
Changing your domain name may seem like an innocent step, but it can have major consequences for your online visibility and business image. In this blog you will discover why changing your domain name can ruin your website - and how to prevent this. Read on for practical examples, smart strategies and tips to maintain your SEO value.
The Risks of a Domain Name Change for your SEO
1. Loss of Search Engine Position
Your current domain name has built up value in search engines such as Google over the years. This means your website is easier to find when people search for related terms. If you decide to change your domain name, your website will have to start from scratch in building that value.
Practical example: Lisa’s Flower Shop
Lisa, the owner of a successful flower shop with the domain name lisasflowerscorner.com, decides to give her website an international look and changes the domain name to flowersbylisa.shop. What she did not expect was that her website suddenly became less visible on Google.
2. Fewer Visitors – How Does a Domain Name Change Affect Your Traffic?
In addition to the loss of ranking in search engines, a domain name change can cause a drop in visitor numbers. Search engines need time to index the new domain name.
Practical Example: Lisa’s Visitor Numbers
After the change, Lisa saw a sharp decline from 1200 to 400 visitors per month. Google needed time to assign her new domain name the same value as the old one.
3. Loss of authority – What does domain authority mean for your website?
Your domain name has built up authority over time. This means that Google and other search engines view your website as trustworthy. A new domain name does not have this built-up authority, making it more difficult to rank well.
Practical example – Position loss of Lisa
Lisa’s old domain ranked in the top 3 of search results for "flower shop in NY" After the switch to flowersbyLisa.com her website dropped to page two on Google.
4. Loss of Visitor Trust – How Do Visitors Respond to a New Domain Name?
Visitors need time to become familiar with a new domain name. A sudden change can cause confusion and damage your customers’ trust.
Practical example: Lisa’s Loyal Customers
Regular visitors of Lisa’s flower shop wondered if they were still on the right website when they suddenly ended up on flowersbylisa.shop.
5. Problems with External Links – What Happens to Old Backlinks?
When other websites link to your site, these links keep pointing to your old domain name. Without the proper 301 redirects, visitors will run into dead links, which is harmful to your SEO.
Practical Example: Lisa’s Backlink Problem
Many backlinks to Lisa’s old domain name stopped working after the domain change, causing her to lose valuable visitors.
6. Risk of Duplicate Content – What is Duplicate Content and How Does it Affect SEO?
If you place the same content on your new domain name without correctly redirecting the old pages, you run the risk of duplicate content. Search engines may see this as spam.
Practical example: Lisa’s SEO Problem
Lisa copied all her blog articles to flowersbylisa.shop without 301-redirects. Google saw this as duplicate content, causing her website to start ranking worse.
What Is the Correct Approach When Changing a Domain Name? Is a Subdomain a Solution?
1. What Are the Advantages of a Subdomain?
A subdomain such as new.yourdomain.com may seem like a solution to bypass certain problems. Although it remains connected to your original domain, it still brings SEO challenges with it.
Practical Example: Lisa’s Subdomain
Lisa considered a subdomain such as international.lisasflowerscorner.com. This helped to retain part of her SEO value, but visitors still perceived it as a separate site.
2. Why Should You Keep the Old Domain Active?
If you change the domain name, the old domain must remain active to enable 301 redirects. This prevents valuable links and search results from being lost.
Practical example: Lisa’s Domain Name Retention
Lisa decided to keep her old domain lisasflowerscorner.com active, so she could set up 301 redirects and avoid losing visitors.
Conclusion: Changing a Domain Name Is Risky, But With Good Planning You Can Avoid Problems
Changing your domain name carries risks, including loss of SEO value, visitors, and trust. Unless you really need a rebrand, it is often wiser to keep your old domain name. If you do decide to change, make sure you have careful planning and proper redirects.
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