What to remember:

  • During a domain migration, you must submit a change of address request for all variants of the old domain, not just the main version.
  • This includes subdomains, www version and non-www version (e.g. en.example.com, www.example.com and example.com).
  • All these variations should be verified in Google Search Console before submitting requests.
  • Google reminds that domain migrations work best when all variants are migrated correctly.

The “Change of Address” tool must cover all variations of the domain

When you move a site from one domain to another, the Google Search Console “Change Address” tool is one of the essential levers to indicate to Google that the content has migrated and that it must transfer the signal to the new domain.

Until now, many webmasters simply submitted the request for the main version of their domain. This is an error that Google explicitly corrects in its updated documentation.

The Mountain View firm added a box in his guide to site migrationswhich specifies: if you move your site from one domain to another, you must submit change of address requests for all subdomains and www and non-www variants of the old domain nameeven if you don’t actively use them.

The example given is: if you migrate to new-example.net, you have to submit requests from en.example.com, www.example.com and example.com. All three.

Why it matters even for unused variants

The key point in Google’s update is the clarification: “even if you don’t actively use these variants.” In practice, a domain can have a www and non-www version that both redirect to the same canonical URL. It is often thought that the secondary variant does not need to be formally migrated since it is not really used.

Google now specifies the opposite. Each variation may have accumulated independent signals in the index, and not migrating one of them may leave part of the site’s SEO heritage behind.

For the migration to work correctly, all these properties must also be checked in Google Search Console beforehand. Without verification, the change of address request cannot be submitted.

An official clarification, not a technical change

Barry Schwartz, relaying this update on Search Engine Roundtable, notes that this is probably not a new development in the way the tool itself works, but a welcome clarification in the official documentation. The behavior of the tool remained the same, but the recommendation was not made as explicitly.

For SEO teams supporting re-branding or brand migrations, this is something to consider now. Before completing a migration, verify that each variation of the old domain has its own change of address request submitted in Search Console.

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