Changing to new url and blog name

  • Unknown's avatar
    sandrapawula · Member ·

    Hi,

    I’ve decided to change to a new url and blog name to broaden the reach of my blog. I’ve set up the new url and blog and have questions on the best way to get my readers there. I’ve only been blogging a few months so I don’t have so many visitors, but I want to encourage them to follow me to the new blog. My questions:

    1. I will need to link my new blog to my user name instead of the old one, right? It will still show my nickname, not my real name, right?

    2. My plan is to post a message on my blog with a link to the new url, explain why I made the change, and encourage people to visit the new blog. Any other suggestions about making the transition?

    3. Would it be helpful to make duplicate posts on both blogs for about a week (or more?) to give people time to make the transition? Or is it better just to have the message on the change and post on the new blog only?

    Thanks very much for your help.

    The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

  • Unknown's avatar
    timethief · Member ·

    (1) You can link your username to your new blog. You can choose to have display name that’s a nickname on your blog. However, in the froum your username will be shown and that cannot be changed.

    (2) That’s a good idea and a link at the top of the sidebar to the new blog may also work well.

    (3) I’m not clear if you intend to keep the first blog and have second blog in addition to it. you are still keeping the first blog then my advice is not to create duplicate content on the new blog.

  • Unknown's avatar
    sandrapawula · Member ·

    Thanks, very helpful. Link in sidebar too is a great idea. I’m not planning to keep the first blog; the new blog is is on similar topics but has an expanded focus and not such a limited title.

  • Unknown's avatar
    timethief · Member ·

    If you are not intending to keep the first blog then what I would do is export all of the contents in it out of it and import them into the new blog.

    (1) Old Blog
    Dashboard > Tools -> Export in your WordPress.com dashboard to download an XML file of your blog’s content. This format, which we call WordPress eXtended RSS or WXR, will contain your posts, pages, comments, categories, and tags.

    (2) New Blog
    Dashboard > Tools > Import

    (3) The Blogroll links must be separately exported form the Old Blog and imported into the new blog http://en.support.wordpress.com/blogroll/import-export-links/

    (4) Change the visibility settings on the Old Blog to exclude search engine access so you don’t create a duplicate content issue. See option 2 here > http://en.support.wordpress.com/settings/privacy-settings/

    (5) Set the front page on the Old Blog to display only 1 post and that post would be the one directing visitors to the new blog.

    (6) At the end of the month I would change the settings on the old blog to “private”. I would then change the theme on the Old Blog to the same one on the New Blog and use it as a test blog where I can try out any new things I may want to add to the New Blog and see how they operate on the Old Blog first.

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