switching to custom domain name
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I was wondering if getting a custom domain name (in my particular case, simply my current domain name just minus the ‘wordpress’) will mess up SEO stuff, links, etc. for posts written under the ‘old’ domain name. I have a feeling there’s not a straightforward ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to that question, but any insights or thoughts would be really helpful. Thank you.
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Hi there,
Your second question first, it won’t mess up your links. The free WordPress.com URL doesn’t go away when you add your own domain. It just becomes hidden. But anyone clicking an existing link for the free address will automatically be redirected to your new custom domain.
It will have an impact on your SEO, though. Search engines will need to re-index your site at the new domain. This takes several weeks, and during that time you might see a drop in traffic coming from search engines. But once the re-indexing completes, that should return to what it was before you made the change.
You can minimize that impact as well, though – if you verify your site with Google’s search console before making the change, you can use the address change tool in Search Console to notify Google of the new domain, which will speed up the re-indexing:
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I really appreciate such a helpful response! Glad to hear that making the change is a very manageable and viable action, especially if I do the additional step you mentioned. Again, thank you very much for your help.
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