Using Google's Change of Address Tool When You Switch Domains

You've decided on a better name. Maybe your old one was hard to spell, or nobody could say it out loud. Now you're moving your website over. Good.

But there's one step people skip, and it costs them. When you switch domains, Google doesn't automatically know your new name is the same business as the old one. You have to tell it. The tool for that is the Google Search Console change of address tool, and it takes about a minute to use once your redirects are ready.

This post walks through what it does, when to use it, and how to run it without breaking anything.

What the tool actually does

Think of it like filing a change of address with the post office. You're not moving your mail one letter at a time. You're telling one central place, "Everything for the old address now goes to the new one."

Google's tool does the same job. It sends a signal to Google that your site has permanently moved from your old domain to your new one. That tells Google to speed up moving your search rankings over, so the pages that used to show up under your old name start showing up under the new one faster.

Here's what it does not do. It doesn't redirect your visitors. It doesn't set up anything on your website. It doesn't work on its own. It's one signal you send to Google, and it only works if you've already done the real plumbing first.

What has to happen before you use it

The tool needs your redirects in place. If someone types your old web address, they should land on the matching page of your new one automatically. That's called a 301 redirect, and it's the single most important part of any domain move.

If your redirects aren't set up, the change of address tool won't let you finish. So do that first. We wrote a step-by-step walkthrough here: How to Set Up 301 Redirects So Google Follows You to Your New Domain.

You also need both domains verified in Search Console — the old one and the new one. That means Google has to confirm you actually own both. Before you touch the tool at all, it's worth running through the full move: The Checklist to Run Before You Move Your Site to a Better Domain.

How to set it up, step by step

Here's the short version. You'll do most of this inside your old domain's Search Console account.

1. Add and verify your new domain in Search Console first. Google won't let you point to a site it can't confirm you own.
2. Set up 301 redirects from every page on the old domain to the matching page on the new one. Test a few by hand — type an old address and make sure it lands where it should.
3. Open Search Console and switch to your old domain.
4. Go to Settings, then find Change of address.
5. Pick your new domain from the list. Google runs a quick check on your redirects and verification.
6. If everything passes, submit it.

That's it. Google walks you through it, and it flags problems before you submit. If it says your redirects aren't working, don't force it — go back and fix them, then come back.

Google keeps its own instructions current, so it's worth reading their page too: Google's official change of address guide.

When the tool is the right fit — and when it isn't

This tool is built for one specific situation: you're moving your whole site from one domain to another, and the content is basically the same. New name, same business, same pages.

It's the right call if:

• You bought a cleaner, easier-to-say name and you're retiring the old one.
• Your old site was on a long or confusing web address and you want the new name to earn the search traffic.

It's not the tool for:

• Moving to a new name but rebuilding all your content from scratch. Google treats that more like a brand-new site.
• Merging two websites into one, or splitting one into two.
• Just adding a second domain that points at the same site without retiring the old one.

If you're still weighing whether to shut the old name down at all, read Keep the Old Domain or Let It Go After You Switch? first. The change of address tool assumes you're moving on from it.

What happens after you submit

Nothing dramatic, and that's normal. Google starts shifting your rankings to the new domain over the following weeks. Keep your redirects live the whole time — don't turn them off the day after you submit. Google needs them to stay in place so it can keep following the trail.

You may see a dip in traffic for a little while as things settle. That's expected. If you want a realistic sense of the timeline, we broke it down here: How Long Does It Take to Get Your Rankings Back After a Domain Move?

And if something goes wrong, it's usually one of a handful of predictable slip-ups. Save yourself the headache: 5 Mistakes That Tank Your Rankings When You Change Domains.

The change of address tool is a small step, but it's the one that tells Google your hard-won search history should follow you to the better name. Skip it and you're hoping Google figures it out on its own. Use it and you've made your move official.

If you're still deciding whether a better name is even worth the switch, take a minute to browse names for your city or trade — or send us one name you're curious about and we'll tell you straight.