Moving to MarkHazleton.com

I recently moved my blog from a subdomain to my own domain, and thought I'd share how it went. It was more straightforward than I expected, but there were definitely some lessons learned along the way.

Why I decided to move

My site was living at markhazleton.controlorigins.com, which worked fine but felt a bit clunky. When I noticed that MarkHazleton.com was available, it seemed like a no-brainer to grab it.

There were a few reasons the move made sense:

  • A cleaner, more professional URL that's easier to remember
  • Better for SEO since search engines treat subdomains differently
  • More control over my online brand
  • More straightforward to manage everything in one place

Plus, having your own name as a domain just feels right when you're building a personal brand.

SEO considerations

The biggest concern with moving domains is losing your search rankings. I'd spent time building up the SEO value of my old domain, so I wanted to make sure I didn't throw that away. Here's what I learned about keeping your SEO intact during a move:

The key steps

1. Plan carefully

I scheduled the move during a low-traffic time and made sure I had a complete backup of everything. I also used Screaming Frog to audit all my current URLs so I knew exactly what needed to be redirected.

2. Set up 301 redirects

This is crucial - you want all your old URLs to automatically redirect to the new ones. I used Cloudflare's Page Rules to set up the redirects, which made it pretty straightforward.

3. Update Google Search Console

Google has a "Change of Address" tool specifically for this situation. You need to verify both domains in Search Console first, then you can tell Google about the move.

4. Update internal links

Go through your site and update any internal links to point to the new domain. Don't forget navigation menus, footer links, and any hard-coded links in your content.

5. Update external links when possible

Reach out to sites that link to you and ask them to update to the new domain. Focus on the high-authority sites first - those are the most valuable.

6. Submit new sitemap

Generate a new sitemap for your new domain and submit it to Google Search Console and Bing.

Tip: I'm a big fan of Screaming Frog SEO Spider for auditing websites. It gives you a complete picture of your site structure and makes planning the migration much easier.

How I did the migration

Here's how I actually went about moving my site from the subdomain to the new domain. My setup uses Azure Static Web Apps for hosting and Cloudflare for DNS, which made some parts easier.

Step 1: Planning and preparation

Before doing anything, I used Screaming Frog to crawl my entire site and create a complete inventory of all URLs. This helped me understand exactly what needed to be redirected and identify any potential issues.

I also set up the new markhazleton.com domain on Azure Static Web Apps with identical content to make sure everything worked before switching over. Both domains needed to be verified in Google Search Console to use their Change of Address tool later.

Step 2: Setting up DNS with Cloudflare

First, I added markhazleton.com to Cloudflare and changed the domain's nameservers to point to Cloudflare. Then I configured the DNS records to direct traffic to my Azure Static Web Apps endpoint.

The key was making sure both A records and CNAME records were correctly pointing to Azure's IP addresses. I kept the old domain's DNS settings active too, since the redirects wouldn't work without them.

Step 3: Configuring redirects with Page Rules

This was the most critical part. I used Cloudflare's Page Rules to set up 301 redirects from the old domain to the new one. The rule pattern was simple: markhazleton.controlorigins.com/* redirects to markhazleton.com/$1

About Cloudflare Page Rules:

Page Rules let you create redirects without touching server configuration. You just set up a pattern that matches your old URLs and redirects them to the new domain.

The $1 variable captures everything after the domain name and appends it to the new URL, so /articles/some-post redirects to markhazleton.com/articles/some-post.

Step 4: Telling Google about the move

Once the redirects were working properly, I used Google's Change of Address tool in Search Console. This officially tells Google that the site has moved and helps transfer the SEO value from the old domain to the new one.

The process took a few weeks to complete, and Google showed a "Move In Process" message during that time. It's important not to panic if you see temporary ranking fluctuations during this period.

Step 5: Cleanup and monitoring

After the technical migration, there was still plenty of work to do:

  • Updated all internal links to use the new domain
  • Generated and submitted a new sitemap to search engines
  • Reached out to high-authority sites to update their backlinks
  • Updated social media profiles and business listings
  • Updated email signatures and any printed materials

What I learned

Overall, the migration went smoother than I expected, but there were definitely some things I wish I'd known beforehand:

Technical insights

Cloudflare makes DNS management easy. Their Page Rules feature is particularly helpful for setting up redirects without needing server-level configuration. The web interface is intuitive and changes propagate quickly.

Keep both domains' DNS active. This was crucial - if you disable the old domain's DNS before the redirects are working, you'll lose traffic. I kept the old domain active for several months to be safe.

Test everything before going live. I set up the new domain completely before switching any redirects. This let me verify that all the content was working correctly on the new domain.

SEO and timing insights

Patience is key. It took Google about 6-8 weeks to fully process the domain change and update the old domain status to "Moved" in Search Console. Rankings and traffic returned to normal well before that though.

Monitor everything closely. I checked Google Search Console and Analytics daily for the first month to catch any issues early. There were temporary fluctuations, but nothing that required intervention.

Timing matters. I scheduled the migration during a low-traffic period to minimize disruption. Having advance warning through social media and email helped maintain audience engagement.

Communication insights

Tell people about the change. I announced it through a blog post, newsletter, and social media. Most people were understanding, and some even congratulated me on getting my name domain.

Update external references gradually. Not everyone will update their links immediately, but the 301 redirects handle that. I prioritized reaching out to high-authority sites first since those links are most valuable.

Common issues and troubleshooting

While my migration went smoothly overall, I did encounter a few bumps along the way. Here are the most common issues and how to handle them:

Redirect issues

Problem: Redirects not working If your redirects aren't working, first check that your old domain's DNS is still active. Then verify the Page Rule pattern in Cloudflare - it's easy to make syntax errors.

Problem: Redirect loops This happens when you accidentally create circular redirects. Make sure your new domain isn't redirecting back to the old one anywhere.

Search Console issues

Problem: "Move In Process" taking too long Google's Change of Address process can take 6-8 weeks. As long as your redirects are working and you're not seeing major traffic drops, be patient.

Problem: New domain not being indexed Submit your sitemap to Search Console and request indexing for your most important pages. Make sure your robots.txt file isn't blocking search engines.

Performance issues

Problem: Slower page loads Sometimes adding redirects can slow things down slightly. Monitor your Core Web Vitals and consider enabling Cloudflare's performance optimizations.

How long it took

Here's the realistic timeline for the entire migration process:

Week 1: Planning and setup

  • Audited current site with Screaming Frog
  • Set up new domain on Azure Static Web Apps
  • Verified both domains in Google Search Console
  • Created backup of all content and settings

Week 2: Technical migration

  • Configured Cloudflare DNS for new domain
  • Set up 301 redirects using Page Rules
  • Tested redirects thoroughly
  • Initiated Google's Change of Address process

Weeks 3-4: Monitoring and cleanup

  • Updated internal links site-wide
  • Submitted new sitemap to search engines
  • Announced the change to audience
  • Reached out to high-priority backlink sources

Months 2-3: Long-term monitoring

  • Monitored search rankings and traffic daily
  • Addressed any crawl errors in Search Console
  • Continued outreach for backlink updates
  • Waited for Google to complete the migration process

The actual technical work took about two weeks, but the full process stretched over 2-3 months. Most of that time was just waiting for Google to fully process the change and monitoring to make sure everything was working correctly.

I did see some temporary fluctuations in search rankings during the first few weeks, which is completely normal. The important thing is not to panic - these usually stabilize once search engines finish processing the move.

How long it took

The actual technical work took about a week to complete, but the full process stretched over 2-3 months. Most of that time was just waiting for Google to fully process the change and monitoring to make sure everything was working correctly.

I did see some temporary fluctuations in search rankings during the first few weeks, which is normal. The important thing is not to panic - these usually stabilize once search engines finish processing the move.

The longest part was waiting for Google to update the old domain status to "Moved" in Search Console. That took about 6-8 weeks, but rankings and traffic returned to normal well before that.

Final thoughts and resources

Moving to my own domain turned out to be one of the better decisions I've made for my online presence. The process was more straightforward than I initially thought, especially with tools like Cloudflare handling the technical details.

The key takeaway is that with proper planning and the right tools, you can migrate domains without losing your SEO value. In my case, the new domain actually ended up performing better than the old subdomain after everything settled.

Key success factors

  • Thorough planning: Taking time to audit and prepare made the actual migration much smoother
  • Proper redirects: 301 redirects are absolutely critical for preserving SEO value
  • Patient monitoring: Don't panic at temporary fluctuations - they're normal
  • Clear communication: Keeping your audience informed helps maintain trust and traffic

Useful tools and resources

If you're thinking about a similar move, I'd say go for it. The benefits of having your own domain - better branding, consolidated SEO, and professional credibility - are definitely worth the effort. Just make sure you plan it out properly, set up those redirects, and be patient while search engines process the change.