Change of domain name does not appear in search engines

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  helgsledger · Member · Apr 3, 2020 at 2:13 am

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  I changed my domain/ site name and now when one searches my new site nothing comes up in any searches, but searching the old name still comes up as my blog, with the message of ‘this blog is no longer available’. Can you help me – how I could get the search engines to recognise my site name and forget the old one?

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  kokkieh · Staff · Apr 4, 2020 at 8:19 am

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  Hi there,

  This is normal.

  When you change the URL for a site, search engines will need to re-index the site at the new address before they will start showing results for the new address, and this can take several weeks.

  If you’d previously verified your site in Google Search Console, you can use the Address Change tool in that dashboard to inform Google that the site’s address has changed, which will speed up this process.

  If you haven’t verified your site there yet, doing so now should also help to some extent:

  https://en.support.wordpress.com/webmaster-tools/

  But as long as you keep posting new content to your site, this will fix itself regardless within a few weeks.

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  helgsledger · Member · May 13, 2020 at 10:24 pm

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  Thank you for your message. I have done as you said after reading your suggestion early April, and verified my account via Google.

  It still hasn’t changed. And now even if I search a public blog title, or Helgs Ledger wordpress nothing at all comes up. Can you help me?

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  supernovia · Staff · May 13, 2020 at 11:57 pm

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  Can you look at Google Search Console and see if you can resolve any issues mentioned there?

  I am wondering if they’re having trouble because several of your posts are password protected.

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  helgsledger · Member · May 15, 2020 at 9:58 pm

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  Thank you , Supernova. I wrote them but they haven’t got back to me yet. What is strange is that my old domain name ( Hailey Ledger) still comes up in search – with ‘ this is no longer available ‘ message – but nothing on my current domain name, not even on the 10th page of search. Its like it doesn’t exists. :/

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  staff-doublebassd · Staff · May 16, 2020 at 3:41 pm

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  Hi there,

  Yeah, it can take 4-6 weeks for Google to properly index your site and as@supernovia mentioned, I wonder if several of your posts being password-protected is further delaying the indexing.

  Please keep us updated when you hear back from Google. For it is them that will be able to resolve any issues that are preventing the site to appear in search engines.

  Thanks,