In recent years, domain hosting has almost become a necessity for businesses. With the right NZ domain name and domain hosting, you can establish a professional brand identity online.
However, irrespective of how perfect your registered domain name is, you may want to change it for several reasons.
In this article, we will discuss some reasons to consider changing your domain name and how to do so.
Top Reasons Why You Should Consider To Change Your Domain Name
You should change your domain name if you relate to any of the points mentioned below.
1. You Are Planning To Rebrand
You should consider changing your domain name if you want to expand the range of products you sell on your website, change your current domain name TLD, or change the feel of your website.
2. Type Of Business Has Changed
You might have chosen an appropriate domain name depending on the type of business you owned several years ago. However, if the type of business you own changes and that domain name no longer fits your current business, you should change your domain name.
For example, if you were previously into selling baby clothes and chose a domain name related to that business but now want to sell clothes for women and men, changing the domain name becomes important.
Therefore, when the type of business you own changes, you should change your domain name to ensure an appropriate domain name that defines your business or brand.
3. Your Desired Domain Name is Up For Sale
Maybe when you were choosing a domain name for your business, the domain name you wanted was not available, so you settled for another domain name. However, now the domain name you wanted earlier is available. This is an appropriate reason to change your domain name.
4. You Want To Relocate
Let’s assume you are planning to relocate your business from Australia to the United States. You probably registered a domain name TLD that was country-specific, like “.au.” However, when you relocate your business to the US, you will have to change your domain to “.us.”
This is a strong and appropriate reason to change your domain name. You can check whether your current domain name is available with the .us TLD; if not, you can always register a new domain name.
How To Change a Domain Name?
- Below is a step-by-step guide to change your domain name successfully.
- Determine the reason you want to change your domain name.
- As a safety precaution, back up the contents of your website.
- Before signing up with a new provider, check if your current website builder or hosting provider allows you to change your domain name.
- Before changing your domain name, download all the files you backed up to your computer.
- Transfer all the website and blog content from your current domain to the new one.
- Use a “301 Redirect” to redirect all your website visitors from your domain to your new one. Follow the steps mentioned below to set up a “301 Redirect.”
- Go into your old domain settings.
- Click on the admin section of your hosting account.
- Select “manage redirects” or “add redirect”(This may be labeled differently, depending on your hosting account)
- Enter your new domain name and your old domain to redirect the location.
- Once you have followed all the steps mentioned above, save the settings. A redirect code will appear at the bottom of the page.
To Wrap It Up
There are a few risks associated with changing your domain name. These risks include loss of time and money, loss of rankings and search traffic, loss of backlinks, and loss of brand awareness.
Therefore, make sure you spend adequate time planning why and how you will change your domain name. By implementing all the steps and tips mentioned above, you can limit the risks of changing your domain name.
