Do you need 301 when you change your Primary Site address?

  • Unknown's avatar
    jbconlineofficial · Member ·

    Hello,

    I am contemplating about changing the Primary address of my site. Currently, I use the free WordPress subdomain (in the format of yourgroovysite.wordpress.com), but would like to go for the more popular .com domain (yourgroovydomain.com) by buying the Premium plan.

    I want to retain my SEO after the switch, so may I know if I am required to do 301 redirect for my website (which has over 3500 posts and pages) and what plug-ins (free ones would be better) could be of great help in that situation?

    If I am not required, what else should I do?

    Thank you.

  • Unknown's avatar
    themagicrobot · Member ·

    I’m not sure if a .com domain is “more popular” these days. There are hundreds of different suffixes but I rarely notice them as I reach places by following links rather than typing URLs into a browser. The only reason I can see to upgrade is to avoid the annoying ads plastered over free sites. The Personal plan would achieve that more cheaply. The Premium plan is more expensive and still wouldn’t allow you to use third party plugins.

    WP
    Domains » Register a New Domain
    in WordPress.com Support
    4 min read
    On WordPress.com, you can register a domain (for example, yourgroovydomain.com) to use instead of your site’s default address (such as yourgroovysite.wordpress.com). This guide will show you how to register a new domain on WordPress.com. Search for a domain now View domain pricing How to Register a New Domain To register a new domain, follow these steps: If you don’t already ha
  • Unknown's avatar
    jbconlineofficial · Member ·

    Thanks for the response.

    But I am upgrading to make the website much more professional looking than it is now. Anyhow, my actual query is about whether I would still need to do 301 redirects for all pages and posts if I upgrade my existing WordPress.com subdomain to my own .com domain?

    Considering that there are 3500 posts and pages, I am also seeking possible plug-ins (if ever it’s required) that could help me efficiently do that process.

    Thanks again!

  • Unknown's avatar
    thecybisarchive · Member ·

    I have a Personal plan and also a custom .com domain, just as you are planning to do. However, as long as the purchased domain name (for example “mysite.com”) is connected to the WordPress account, either version of the URL (“mysite.wordpress.com”) will bring visitors to the same page or post. Thus, I don’t see why a 301 Redirect would be needed.

  • Unknown's avatar
    jbconlineofficial · Member ·

    Thank you for the response.

    Basically speaking then, once I purchase the domain, I would need not to do anything anymore, as WordPress does the work automatically?

  • Unknown's avatar
    aisajib · Member ·

    Hi @jbconlineofficial

    I can confirm that you do not need to set up a 301 redirect. We do this for you.

    On WordPress.com sites, like @thecybisarchive mentioned above, you can set a custom domain as the primary address by following this guide:

    WP
    Domains » Change Your Site’s Primary Address
    in WordPress.com Support
    3 min read
    Your primary site address is the domain that people will see in their browser’s address bar when visiting your site. It is the address you use to promote your website. This guide will show you how to switch your site’s primary address, including how to change it from the .wordpress.com or .wpcomstaging.com address to your own domain. Requirements To use a domain as your site’s primary addr

    Once a primary address is set, all other addresses (which can include multiple domains, in addition to the unique WordPress.com site address) automatically redirect to the primary address.

    That is a 301 redirect, so you don’t need to take any additional steps; simply set your custom domain as the primary address, and you’re all set! :)

    Hope that clarifies things. Let me know if I can help you with anything else!

  • Unknown's avatar
    jbconlineofficial · Member ·

    Thank you for this response, aisajib.

    With that, may I know if I need to resubmit my website to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster to reflect the change of Primary Address (to yourgroovydomain.com) or will these be able to still read my website from the old domain (yourgroovysite.wordpress.com)?

  • staff-oikake · Staff ·

    Hi @jbconlineofficial

    Because WordPress.com automatically sets up a 301 redirect from your old domain (yourgroovysite.wordpress.com) to your new primary domain (yourgroovydomain.com), search engines like Google and Bing will continue to find and index your site without you needing to resubmit it.

    That said, it’s still recommended to add and verify your new custom domain in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster. Doing this helps you track your site’s performance and indexing status more accurately under the new domain.

    You don’t have to remove the old WordPress.com property right away—just keep an eye on both during the transition.

    Hope this helps!

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