Address Change in GSC

What is Address Change in GSC?

Address Change in Google Search Console is an important tool for website owners who want to change or migrate their domain. This function allows you to inform Google about the website address change while largely preserving search rankings.

Why is Address Change important?

A domain migration without proper Address Change can lead to significant ranking losses. Google must understand that the new domain is the same website as the old one to transfer search positions.

Main benefits of Address Change:

Ranking Preservation - Search positions remain largely intact
Fast Indexing - New domain is recognized faster
Link Equity Transfer - Backlink strength is transferred
SEO Continuity - No restart of SEO efforts

Prerequisites for Address Change

Before you can perform an Address Change, certain conditions must be met:

Technical Prerequisites:

Identical Content - Both domains must have identical content
301 Redirects - Old URLs must redirect to new URLs
HTTPS Encryption - Both domains must have SSL certificates
GSC Access - Both properties must be verified in GSC

Content Requirements:

Same Page Structure - URL paths should be identical
Identical Metadata - Title tags and meta descriptions
Same Internal Linking - Link structure must match

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Preparation of the new domain

CHECKLIST: Domain Preparation

Install SSL certificate
Upload identical content
Set up 301 redirects
Create and verify GSC property

2. Perform Address Change in GSC

Open GSC - Log in to Google Search Console
Select old property - Choose the original domain
Access Settings - Go to "Settings" in the left menu
Start Address Change - Click on "Change of Address"
Enter new domain - Enter the new domain
Verification - Confirm the new domain

3. After Address Change

WARNING BOX

Monitor rankings closely after migration!

Important monitoring steps:

Ranking Checks - Monitor important keywords
Indexing Status - Check Coverage reports
Crawl Errors - Fix occurring errors quickly
Performance Monitoring - Pay attention to Core Web Vitals

Avoiding Common Mistakes

Mistake

Impact

Solution

Incomplete 301 redirects

Ranking loss

Redirect all URLs correctly

Different content

Google penalty

Ensure identical content

Missing HTTPS encryption

Delayed indexing

Install SSL certificate

Too early Address Change

Technical problems

Perform after complete preparation

Timeline for Domain Migration

PROCESS FLOW: Domain Migration

6 steps from preparation to monitoring:

Content Migration → 2. 301 Setup → 3. GSC Verification → 4. Address Change → 5. Monitoring → 6. Optimization

Schedule:

Week 1-2: Content migration and technical preparation
Week 3: Set up and test 301 redirects
Week 4: GSC verification and Address Change
Week 5-8: Intensive monitoring and error fixing
Week 9-12: Long-term optimization

Monitoring after Address Change

Important KPIs to monitor:

Organic Traffic - Development of organic visitors
Keyword Rankings - Position of important search terms
Indexing Rate - How many pages are indexed
Crawl Errors - Identify technical problems
Core Web Vitals - Website performance

STATISTICS BOX: Success Rate

With correct implementation: 85-95% ranking preservation

Best Practices for Address Change

Do's:

✅ Complete Preparation - Check all technical aspects
✅ Step-by-step Implementation - Don't change everything at once
✅ Intensive Monitoring - Watch closely in the first weeks
✅ Create Backup - Backup before changes
✅ Inform Team - Involve all stakeholders

Don'ts:

❌ Hasty Implementation - Without sufficient preparation
❌ Neglect - Ignore monitoring after migration
❌ Simultaneous Changes - Other SEO measures in parallel
❌ Missing Documentation - No recording of steps

Troubleshooting Common Problems

Problem: Rankings have disappeared

Causes:

Incomplete 301 redirects
Different content between domains
Technical crawling problems

Solution:

Check 301 redirects
Ensure content identity
Fix GSC crawl errors

Problem: Slow indexing