Moving to markhazleton.com

The Decision to Migrate to MarkHazleton.com

For a while, my website was nestled comfortably under a sub-domain, doing its job without much fuss. However, I started to notice that having a sub-domain was limiting the potential of my brand in several ways. Search engines often treat sub-domains as separate entities, which can dilute SEO efforts and make it harder to rank consistently. Additionally, having a memorable, authoritative top-level domain carries a certain professional polish that a sub-domain just can't match.

I discovered that the perfect domain, MarkHazleton.com , was available. It was an opportunity too good to pass up! Owning a top-level domain that directly matches my name not only strengthens my personal brand but also consolidates all my SEO efforts under one roof. I knew it was time to pull the trigger and make the move.

Transitioning to MarkHazleton.com felt like a natural evolution, aligning my online presence with the professionalism and clarity I aim to project. It was more than just a domain name change; it was a strategic step forward for my brand.

In this article, I'll walk you through the key steps I took to ensure a smooth migration and how you can do the same for your website.

Migrate Without Losing SEO Rankings

When moving your website to a new domain, it's crucial to maintain your search engine rankings to avoid losing traffic and visibility. Here are the key considerations and steps to help ensure a smooth transition while preserving your SEO.

When planning your move to a new domain, careful preparation is essential to minimize disruptions and preserve your SEO rankings.

  • Analyze Your Current Traffic Patterns:

    Review analytics to understand which times of day, week, or month your site sees the least traffic. Schedule the move during these low-traffic periods to minimize disruption.

  • Communicate with Stakeholders:

    Inform your team, clients, and partners about the planned move in advance. Clear communication helps manage expectations and ensures all necessary parties are prepared for potential downtime or issues.

  • Create a Detailed Migration Checklist:

    Develop a comprehensive checklist that includes all tasks, responsibilities, and timelines. This helps keep the migration organized and ensures that nothing is overlooked during the transition.

Ensure you have a complete backup of your current website, including all files, databases, and settings. Use tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and third-party SEO tools to understand your current performance. Document your top-performing pages, backlinks, and keywords.

I am very fond of Screaming Frog SEO Spider for auditing websites. It provides a comprehensive overview of your site's structure, URLs, and SEO elements, making it easier to plan the migration.

You want traffic to the old domain to seamlessly redirect to the new one. This is important for old links that people are using to access your site. Use 301 redirects to point old URLs to the new ones on your new domain. This tells search engines that the pages have permanently moved, preserving your SEO value.

Cloudflare 301 Redirects Using Page Rules

Cloudflare’s Page Rules allow you to easily set up 301 redirects for your website. To create a redirect, navigate to your Cloudflare dashboard, select Page Rules, and configure a new rule with the URL pattern you want to redirect. Choose "Forwarding URL" and set the status code to "301 - Permanent Redirect."

Cloudflare Page Rules

Learn more about Cloudflare Page Rules

Ensure all internal links point to the new domain, including links within your content, navigation menus, and any hard-coded links. Update canonical tags to reference the new domain.

Contact websites that link to your domain and request updates to the new URLs. While 301 redirects help, direct links to the new domain are preferable. Update your domain on all social media profiles, business listings, and directories.

Add and verify your new domain in Google Search Console. Use the "Change of Address" tool to inform Google about the domain change. Submit the new domain to Bing Webmaster Tools as well.

How to Inform Google About Your Domain Change

Google Search Console Change of Address Tool

The Change of Address tool in Google Search Console helps you migrate your site from one domain to another, such as from example.com to example.org. This tool assists in transferring your Google Search results from the old site to the new one. Use it after implementing 301 redirects and completing any necessary pre-move steps.

When Not to Use the Change of Address Tool
Avoid using this tool for moves such as HTTP to HTTPS transitions, internal site restructuring, or shifting between www and non-www domains. For these, use redirects and canonical tags instead.
Best Practices for Site Moves
Avoid chaining site moves and combining multiple domains into one move. Maintain the same site architecture to help Google pass ranking signals effectively. Always monitor traffic post-move and maintain redirects for at least 180 days.
Requirements for Using the Tool
You must own both the old and new properties in Search Console, and the tool can only be used for top-level domains, not specific paths. Once initiated, maintain redirects and monitor traffic for changes in Search Console.

Track your search engine rankings, traffic, and overall site performance closely after the move. Use Google Search Console to identify and resolve any crawl errors or issues.

Generate a new sitemap reflecting your new domain and submit it to search engines. Update your robots.txt file if necessary to ensure it's not blocking search engines from accessing your new domain.

| Sitemap: https://markhazleton.com/sitemap.xml
| User-agent: *
| Disallow:

Maintain the same content, structure, and URLs as much as possible on the new domain. Consistency helps preserve your SEO value. Avoid making significant changes during the domain move, as it complicates troubleshooting if rankings drop.

Inform your audience about the domain change through newsletters, social media, and a blog post. This helps reduce confusion and ensures they know where to find you.

Ensure your old domain doesn't serve the same content as your new domain, which can confuse search engines and dilute rankings.

Use tools like Google Search Console's Disavow Tool to manage toxic backlinks that could hurt your rankings post-move.

Migrating to markhazleton.com: A Step-by-Step Guide

Moving my blog from markhazleton.controlorigins.com to markhazleton.com involved several technical steps, especially since my site is hosted on Azure Static Web Apps with Cloudflare managing DNS. Here’s how I navigated the process, including setting up DNS rules and routing with Cloudflare.

Step 1: Planning the Site Move

I began by thoroughly planning the move, auditing my current site using Screaming Frog to create a complete inventory of URLs. I set up markhazleton.com on Azure Static Web Apps, ensuring it was fully functional with the same content as the old domain. Verification of both domains in Google Search Console was crucial for using the Change of Address feature.

Step 2: Setting Up Cloudflare DNS

I configured Cloudflare to handle the DNS for markhazleton.com. Here's what I did:

  • Added markhazleton.com to Cloudflare and changed the domain's nameservers to point to Cloudflare.
  • Configured DNS records to direct traffic to the Azure Static Web Apps endpoint.
  • Ensured that both A and CNAME records were correctly pointing to Azure's IP addresses or endpoints.
Step 3: Configuring Cloudflare Page Rules for Routing

To manage routing, I used Cloudflare's Page Rules:

  • Set up a page rule to forward all traffic from markhazleton.controlorigins.com to markhazleton.com using a 301 redirect. This rule was crucial to inform search engines that the move was permanent. You must keep your DNS settings for CNAMES and A records on the old domain so the page rules work correctly.
  • Configured additional rules to cache static content and optimize loading times, which was beneficial given the static nature of Azure Static Web Apps.
Step 4: Updating Google Search Console with Change of Address
I submitted the Change of Address request in Google Search Console to notify Google about the domain change. It was important to confirm that the 301 redirects were fully operational before this step.
Step 5: Updating Internal Links and Sitemaps
After migrating, I updated all internal links to point to the new domain. This included links within content, navigation, and footers. I also generated a new sitemap for markhazleton.com and submitted it to Google Search Console, ensuring the old domain’s sitemap included 301 redirects.
Step 6: Monitoring the Migration Process
Post-migration monitoring was essential. I regularly checked Google Search Console for crawl errors and indexing issues, and I monitored site traffic on both domains using Google Analytics. This helped me quickly address any issues that arose during the migration.
Step 7: Updating External Links and Backlinks
I contacted webmasters of high-value backlinks to update their links to the new domain. Additionally, I updated my profiles on social media, business directories, and other platforms to reflect the domain change.
Step 8: Notifying My Audience and Updating Profiles
I announced the domain change to my audience via a blog post, newsletters, and social media updates. This communication was important to keep my audience informed and to maintain traffic levels during the transition.
Step 9: Final Checks and Ongoing Monitoring
For the first few months, I continued to monitor the migration’s impact on search rankings and site performance. Google’s “Move In Process” message remained visible in Search Console for some time but eventually disappeared once the new domain was fully indexed.

Lessons Learned and Best Practices

Using Cloudflare DNS for Seamless Domain Management
Cloudflare made DNS management and routing configuration straightforward. Its Page Rules feature was particularly useful for setting up efficient and SEO-friendly redirects.
Consistent Branding and Seamless User Experience
Keeping branding consistent across both domains was key to ensuring a seamless transition for users. This helped maintain the trust and familiarity of my audience during the move.
Proactive Monitoring and Adjustments
Regular checks in Google Search Console and Google Analytics were crucial for identifying and addressing any issues promptly. Adjustments were made as needed based on real-time data.

Expected Timeline and Considerations

Total Time Estimate
From planning to post-migration monitoring, the process took approximately 1 to 3 months. This allowed ample time for testing and adjustments to ensure a smooth transition.
Managing Fluctuations in Rankings and Traffic
Temporary fluctuations in search rankings and traffic were expected and occurred as Google processed the domain change. These fluctuations stabilized within a few weeks.
Ongoing Updates and Regular Monitoring
Regular updates and monitoring of both domains in Google Search Console were critical to maintain SEO performance and quickly resolve any emerging issues.

Moving my blog from markhazleton.controlorigins.com to markhazleton.com using Azure Static Web Apps and Cloudflare DNS was a complex but ultimately rewarding process. By following a detailed plan and leveraging the right tools, I was able to maintain SEO performance and provide a seamless experience for my users. If you're considering a similar move, I hope my experience provides a useful guide.

Following these guidelines will help ensure a smooth migration and preserve your site's SEO performance. For further details, always refer to Google's official documentation on the Change of Address tool.