Do Old Links Still Work After You Move to a New Domain?

You picked a better domain name. Good move. But you've got old links out in the world—on Google, in your Facebook posts, on invoices, printed on a truck. So the real question is simple: do old links work after moving to a new domain?

The short answer: not by themselves. When you move to a new domain, your old web address stops pointing anywhere useful unless you tell it to. But this is a solved problem. With one setting, most of those old links keep working just fine. Here's how it actually plays out.

What happens to an old link when you switch domains

Think of your domain like the address on the front of your shop. If you move to a new building, mail sent to the old address doesn't magically find you. Someone has to forward it.

A web link works the same way. When a customer clicks a link to your old address, their browser goes looking for a page at that address. If you've shut down the old site and done nothing else, they hit a dead end—an error page that says the site can't be found. That's true for every kind of old link:

• Links Google shows in search results
• Links other websites made to you
• Links you posted on social media
• Links in old emails and email signatures
• Web addresses printed on cards, flyers, and vehicles

None of those update on their own. But the fix is the same for almost all of them.

The one setting that keeps old links alive: a 301 redirect

A redirect is a forwarding rule. You keep your old domain, and you tell it: "Anyone who comes to the old address, send them straight to the matching page on the new one."

The one you want is called a 301 redirect. The 301 part matters. It means the move is permanent. When you use it, two good things happen:

• Customers land in the right place. Someone clicks an old link and lands on your new site without noticing anything went wrong.
• Google understands the move. A 301 tells Google the page has a new home for good, so the trust your old site built starts moving over to the new one. Google explains this in its own guide to site moves and redirects.

Do it right and every page gets forwarded to its match. Your old contact page sends people to your new contact page. Your old services page sends them to the new services page. This is called a page-by-page, or one-to-one, redirect. It's the version you want.

What to avoid: sending everything to your homepage

Some people set up a lazy redirect that dumps every old link onto the new homepage. It technically works, but it annoys people. Someone clicks a link for your pricing page and lands on your front door instead. They have to hunt for what they came for, and many won't bother. Map each old page to its real match when you can.

How long do you need to keep the old domain?

Keep your old domain registered and forwarding for at least a year. Two is safer. Here's why: some links out in the world take a long time to get clicked. An old customer digs up an email from last spring. A directory nobody's touched in years still lists your old address. As long as the redirect is running, all of that keeps working.

Letting the old domain expire too soon undoes all your careful work. The forwarding stops, and every one of those old links breaks at once.

The links a redirect can't fix

A redirect handles anything a person clicks. It can't reach into the physical world or into other people's records. A few things you'll want to update by hand:

• Your business listings. Google, Yelp, Facebook, and industry directories store your web address as plain text. A redirect keeps the old link working, but you still want each listing showing your new, better name. That's the real win of the whole move.
• Printed materials. Business cards, signs, vehicle wraps, and flyers all show the old address in ink. Update these as they come up for reprint.
• Your email address. If your email used the old domain, that's a separate decision worth thinking through.

For the listing side, start with the big one: updating your Google Business Profile after a domain change. Then work down the list with this simple checklist for fixing business listings and the steps for fixing your Yelp, Facebook, and directory links. If you're weighing your email too, here's how to think about changing your email address.

Who sets up the redirect?

You don't have to be technical. If someone built or hosts your site, ask them to "set up 301 redirects from the old domain to the new one, page by page." That's the whole request. If you manage things yourself, your domain registrar or web host has a help page for it—most of them make it a few clicks. Look for "domain forwarding" or "301 redirect" in their support docs, or ask their support team directly.

So, back to the question. Do old links work after moving to a new domain? On their own, no. With a one-to-one 301 redirect and an old domain you keep paying for, yes—and you keep them working for years while you update your listings at your own pace.

If you're still deciding whether a better name is worth the move, browse names for your city or trade and see what's out there. Or send us one specific domain you're eyeing and we'll tell you straight what it'd take. That takes about a minute, and there's no pressure either way.