Can I Change Domain Name Of My Website

Can I Change My Domain Name After Registration Godaddy

How to Change Domain Name / Website Address / URL of Your WordPress Site

The short answer is yes. You can change your domain name at any time after registering with GoDaddy.

The process is straightforward and generally takes only a few minutes. To change your domain name, follow these steps:.

1. Log in to your GoDaddy account.

2. On the main page, click the Domains tab.

3. Click the Manage link next to the domain you want to change.

4. On the Manage page, click the Renew link next to the domain name you want to change.

5. On the Renew page, enter the new domain name in the Domain Name box and click the Renew button.

6. After your domain name has been renewed, the new domain name will be active and available for use.

PRO TIP:

How To Change Your WordPress Websites Domain Name

Posted in Performance, WordPress by Abe Selig

Well state right off the bat that frivolously changing your domain name especially on an established WordPress website is not recommended. However, there are legitimate reasons for doing so, and if the need arises youll want to get the job done correctly.

Fortunately, the process is actually surprisingly simple if youre just changing the primary WordPress URL. While youll need to alter some WordPress settings in two different locations, each will be a breeze to deal with.

This post will look at how to change your existing domain name within WordPress, and will also touch on some crucial pointers for doing so successfully. Lets get started!

Create A New Site Clone Or Update Existing Site Address

Once you have a backup of your site, the next step is to update your WordPress URL and site address. There are a few ways you can approach this.

Option 3 Update existing domain

Option 1 Create New Site/Account

Your first option would be to create an entirely new WordPress install with your new domain and then migrate your data over. You would then change the domain after the fact. Why this approach? Sometimes people prefer to leave their old site intact for a while as another backup. Or perhaps you are also moving to a new WordPress host in the process as well.

In this case, you would simply create a second site. If youre a Kinsta client you would want to add a new install and ensure that your new domain is set as the primary domain. You can then migrate a copy of your WordPress site over. Check out our in-depth tutorial using the WordPress Duplicator plugin.

Option 2 Kinstas Clone Feature

If youre a Kinsta customer, you could go an even easier route and to utilize our one-click clone feature. This allows you to instantly create a copy of your existing WordPress site into a second account.

Option 3 Update Existing WordPress URL and Site Address

The third and final option would be to simply update your existing sites WordPress URL and site address. You would still need to follow these steps, even if you created or cloned a new site above.

WordPress Address : The address of your WordPress core files.
Site Address : The address to reach your blog.

Also Check: How To Transfer A Domain From Godaddy To Wix

Risks Of Changing Your Domain Name

Risk is inherent to the nature of business. However, theres never an excuse for exposing your business to more risk than necessary.

Changing your domain name can be a great boon for your business, but it comes with its fair share of risks. Lets explore what those risks are and address what you can do to change your domain name with as little risk as possible.

Wasting time and money.
Losing traffic or search rankings that have previously built up.
Loss of your brand awareness.
Losing backlink traffic and rankings.

Rewrite Urls Of Your Website With The New Domain

How to Change localhost to a Domain Name Complete, Concrete, Concise

Most sites use databases to operate. The tree structure for these nodes is generally built around the domain originally used for your website. Additional actions are required for these sites.

Warning, the operations described in step 2 are extremely sensitive and can have serious consequences for your website if they are not carried out with caution. If you have any doubts, do not try anything and contact a specialist provider.

Before you take any action, we advise retrieving a backup of your FTP storage space and a backup of your database. This will allow you to restore your website in the event of an error.

We will distinguish two types of website:

CMSs such as WordPress, Joomla!, PrestaShop, Drupal
Classic websites designed by you or your service provider

Case 1: Your website is a CMS

Most CMSs can directly replace the domain originally declared for your website with another one via their backend administration panel.

Since CMSs are developed by third-party organisations and are not managed by OVHcloud, you will find below links to the official documentation for the various CMSs offered for installation on our hosting plans:

Please note that for these CMSs, you can also edit the domain names directly in the corresponding database. You will need to change the URL for accessing your website in the table used for your CMS.

Case 2: You have a custom built website

Dont forget to check your .htaccess file to see if you need to update URL rewrites with your new domain.

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Choose A New Domain Name With Lasting Power

The first step is to simply choose a good domain name. For starters, youll want to pick a domain with an appropriate Top-Level Domain .

Its also a good idea to make your new domain easy to spell, type, and pronounce. That way, you can avoid visitors becoming frustrated by frequent typos. It will also encourage users to share your domain name verbally.

Youll also want to make sure that your new domain offers flexibility. This will help ensure that it can grow with your online business and avoid the need for another name change in the future.

Once youre satisfied with your research, you can go ahead and buy a domain name.

Changing Your Domain In WordPress

Before you dive headfirst into changing your websites primary domain name, youll want to keep a few considerations in mind. A little preparation is essential, to make sure the process goes as smoothly as possible. One mistake could bring down your entire website, but getting your resources and knowledge in order before you begin helps you avoid that scenario.

For instance, youll want to make you have a full backup of your website in place before lifting a finger. That way, if the worst happens, you can roll back your changes to a clean configuration and start over.

Also, youll need to use a File Transfer Protocol client for some of these steps. This is a way to access your server directly from your desktop, and although its simple to use, there is a learning curve involved. As such, youll want to download a suitable client and brush up on your FTP skills.

In addition, youre going to need your server credentials to log in via FTP. These can usually be found within your hosting providers admin dashboard.

Finally, were assuming that you already have a custom domain name purchased, and youve gotten it ready by pointing it to the correct nameservers. If not, youll want to make sure this is sorted out before you do anything else.

Read Also: How To Own Your Own Website Domain

The Difference Between A Domain Change And A Domain Transfer

A domain change refers to replacing a websites internet address, which primarily just affects the domain name. A domain change thus differs substantially from a domain transfer.

When a domain transfer occurs, users change the internet provider, which means the entire website is transferred to a new server. Here, changing or registering a new domain is simply an additional option . However, domain changes are simply about altering the website address, meaning the provider generally remains the same as before. Here is a short summary of the differences:

Domain transfer: the internet provider is changed a domain transfer is therefore frequently regarded as a change in providers. The web presence and the domain consequently move to a new web server. Find out how this works in more detail here.

Domain change: this is where the web address changes. With a domain change, an existing website is linked to a new domain.

How Does A Domain Change Work

CHANGE the DOMAIN NAME on your SITEGROUND WordPress Website

Unfortunately, you cant simply change your domain with the internet provider or registrar that provided your web address. When a web address from ICANN the highest authority in the domain assignment industry is supplied to the database of a domain name system, it cant be changed at the drop of a hat. A domain can only be transferred to a different owner or deleted. You must therefore always secure a new domain and connect it with your web presence.

Also Check: How To Register A New Domain Extension

How To Change Domain Name On Godaddy

When working with GoDaddy, it is possible to change the domain name when using the Online Stores standalone version. The following instructions are for sites using this version.

Log into your account with GoDaddy and open the product.

Navigate to the Settings tab and click on Business Info.

You will see a link to Change Domain.

Make sure the domain you want to use is registered with your GoDaddy account for the next step.

Once you have selected your domain, hit the Save button and youre done.

Remember to check links from Facebook and other social media sites you have that point back to the website and update links accordingly.

Reasons Why You Should Change Your Domain Name

Your current domain name doesnt reflect your brand and business.
Industries shift. Perhaps your domain name is no longer relevant or helpful in distinguishing your product and business in the marketplace.

Your domain name doesnt set the right tone for your website.

Maybe your original domain name is just a bit too clever and the attempt at humor isnt the tone you want for your site.

Your domain name isnt getting traction.

Too many hyphens and numbers in your domain name? Or is it super long? All of these decrease your domain names memorability, and if people cant remember your domain name they cant make it to your site.

Pro tip: Make sure the domain name you decide to use passes the Radio Test. If someone were to hear your domain name spoken aloud on the radio and never see it in print, could they be reasonably expected to understand the spelling and make it to your site?

Your business name changed.

For the sake of uniformity and branding, try to change your domain name to match your business name.

You want to change your domain extension.

Maybe the .com domain name you originally desired wasnt in your budget, so you chose a different TLD. But now, youve saved some money and are able to purchase the domain name you always wanted. Inversely, perhaps you bought a .com or .org, and have since discovered a TLD more relevant to your niche that youd like to use, like .tech or .club.

Recommended Reading: How To Check Domain Reputation

Add People To A Work Or School Pc

The best approach is for everyone who shares a PC at work or school to have their own Microsoft account. Learn more about Microsoft accounts in .

To add someone with an existing Microsoft account:

Select Start > Settings > Accounts > Other users .

Under Work or school users> Add a work or school account, select Add account.

Enter that persons user account, select the account type, and then select Add.

If you need to remove that persons sign-in information from your PC:

Select Start > Settings > Accounts > Other users.

Select the persons name or email address, then select Remove.

Read the disclosure and select Delete account and data. Note that this will not delete the persons Microsoft account, but it will remove their sign-in info and account data from your PC.

Important Things To Consider

How can I change the domain name for my WordPress site?

When it comes to changing your domain there are a few caveats and important things to remember.

URL Structure

If you are only changing domain names, then its recommended to keep the same URL structure. Example: olddomain.com/about-us/ to newdomain.com/about-us/. You can theoretically change names and structure at the same time, but generally, when it comes to SEO, the fewer changes the better. A domain change is already a pretty major change.

If perhaps your old site isnt using pretty permalinks , then it would probably be better to change to your new domain name first, wait six months, and then change the structure.

HTTPS

If your current site is running over HTTP, theres never a better time to migrate to HTTPS. This is slightly different than changing your entire URL structure and in the long run, youll reap the rewards. As of July 2018, Google Chrome started Other HTTPS benefits include encryption, better referral data, performance improvements with HTTP/2, and its even an SEO ranking signal.

You can easily migrate to HTTPS while changing domain names.

Also, if youre site is already HTTPS, its important to have a plan in place for your 301 redirects before proceeding. This is due to the fact that the client needs to establish an SSL connection to the host before it sees the redirect. Skip down to our 301 redirects section where we discuss this in detail.

Indexing and Crawling

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Check The History Of Your New Domain

This step is only necessary if you’re buying a domain name that already has a history. For example, if you’re buying a domain at auction.

If your new domain has been used by someone else, its history can reflect poorly on you. Unfortunately, poor-quality content on an old site can be interpreted as the responsibility of the new domain name owner.

If you’re about to buy a used domain name, the first thing you should do is to check it on the Wayback Machine. This is an internet archive which displays old versions of web pages. Check if you can see an old version of a web page using the domain name you’re going to buy.

Does the page have content that looks like spam? Or is it otherwise low quality? If so, keep in mind that the reputation of this page can carry over even after you buy the domain.

To perform an even more thorough investigation, use Ahrefs’ Backlink Checker Tool. You can use the free version of this tool to see a selection of backlinks for the domain.

Backlinks are other sites that link to the domain in question. So, if you’re only seeing very low-quality backlinks, it’s a sign that the domain may have been part of a private blog network or other black-hat SEO scheme. If this is the case, there’s a chance that Google already has a low opinion of it.

To remove Google’s manual actions , submit a reconsideration request. This will help Google to understand that the domain is under new ownership and should no longer be judged by the actions of the past owner.

How To Change Domain Name On Shopify

The Shopify platform uses a similar naming system to WordPress and Squarespace. However, there are a few differences. With Shopify, it is worth mentioning that your .myshopify.com URL cannot be changed as you use it for accessing your account.

However, the primary URL, which your clients see and navigate when they come to your store, can be changed.

Similar to other platforms, domains can be purchased, transferred, and added to the Shopify account.

The following simple instructions are for setting your primary domain for your Shopify web store.

Navigate to Online Store and Domains

You will see the Primary domain section and a button Change primary domain on the screen. Click that button.

Select the domain that you wish to use for your new primary domain and click the Save button on the bottom right.

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Connecting Your Own Domain Name To Shopify

You can also connect your own domain name to Shopify without transferring it. This will allow you to manage your own domain name settings, renew it and make the payments. Here are the steps to connect your domain name to Shopify:

Add your domain to the Shopify store. Go to the Shopify admin panel, navigate to the Online Store section and click on the Domains tab. Choose Connect existing domain and click Next to get started.

If youve purchased the domain name from a third party provider, youll have to edit some DNS settings. Also, edit the A record to point it to a Shopify IP address. This step would impact some other settings like email forwarding.

To modify your settings, login to the domain providers registered account, navigate to the DNS settings section and look for domain management and DNS configurations.

Change the A record to point to the required Shopify IP address and save the changes.

In the DNS settings, find the www.CNAME record and change it so that it points to shops.myshopify.com. Save the CNAME record and activate the Shopify confirmation email to verify the domain name connection.

Check your new Shopify website to check if everything works well. If you need any help, never hesitate in reaching out to Shopify experts.

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How To Make An Audit Of A Site

Changing your website’s domain name

A site audit is important for many reasons, from search engine optimization , to uncovering business potential, to ultimately having a full understanding of your website.

When it comes to moving domain names, youll want to check that everything is relevant and still needed, whether youre moving because of a rebrand or moving just in name.

The content audit

Go through your website with a fine-tooth comb and see if all the pages are needed. It may be that your site has changed focus, and old articles are no longer relevant. When it comes to moving, take the time to do some research into how you can achieve the move For example, if you have a WordPress site and youre migrating to Namecheap, we offer a managed migration service.

The design audit

Check that you have all your assets ready. New logos, new colors, and everything design-related that you could need. Once youve checked, check again! Youll need to have everything in place and ready to go.

Counters and tag audit

Without getting too technical, consider the set up of your , , Facebook pixels anything that you use to track, measure, and analyze your website must be looked at and set up correctly. If you dont want to lose this data, make sure you move the old counters over to your new website.

Check contact details

You want website visitors to be able to reach you! Make sure your email contact details are set up correctly with your new domain name.

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