site redesign and moving to a new domain name

[itsawebthing]

After procrastinating forever, I'm finally getting around to learning wordpress. I have a half dozen static websites that I will be using the multisite/one install feature of WP for.

The biggest concern other than moving them to WP, is one site that is the oldest, a travel site. Has a PR of 3 (used to be a 4). The domain name is not travel related and I want to change the name to a travel related one (which I'll need to register with copyright office and make sure a similar one is not being used).
I'll be using much of the content from the current site for it, and plan to sell the current site (for the domain name only). The domain I believe would be attractive for certain businesses to have that use it. The content on the sites are static, so it wouldn't be a matter of exporting, and the content will need to be reworded some to optimize and make current.
Wondering if there is a comprehensive checklist online for something like this for me to go by where you're moving content from an old domain name to a new one, and how to not get pinged by Google for multiple content and to get the best SEO for the new site.
I realize that this will all take time.
Any other comprehensive checklists out there for doing WP with multiple domains, the key plugins, security measures to take, and moving existing content? Also wanting to have the pages optimized for mobile devices.

[morestar]

The biggest concern other than moving them to WP, is one site that is the oldest, a travel site. Has a PR of 3 (used to be a 4). The domain name is not travel related and I want to change the name to a travel related one (which I'll need to register with copyright office and make sure a similar one is not being used).

So far, this could be OK but I don't think you need to. If the site is old, it has a certain level of credibility to wit you don't need a new keyword rich domain name to make it any better.

I'll be using much of the content from the current site for it, and plan to sell the current site (for the domain name only).

This is where you could run into problems. If you change the domain of your oldest site, you will want to add what are called Redirects from your old site to the new one. In case you don't know, one of the main reasons is so that links pointing to your website will all be redirected to the new pages on your new site. That way no links are broken and users who recognize your current site (the old one) will also be redirected there as well if they've bookmarked your site and so forth.

The file that holds the "redirects" will have to reside on the old website's server - at least for a couple of years until you can manually change the link location on all the links pointing to your site as of now.

Key plugins?

• Get SEO Ultimate for the SEO aspect of your site
• Security measures: don't make your administration name in Wordpress "Admin" - change it to something no one will guess.
• Moving existing content: just install Wordpress on your new domain, Add New pages, fill in the pages with the same content.
• Mobile optimization: There are some free and premium plugins available that will enhance your mobile users' experience.

[itsawebthing]

The site has been around some 16 years. Maybe I'll continue the blog part on the new domain and slowly integrate the two.
Great tips on the other.

[chrisJumbo]

Why not just add the blog to the existing site? Why mess with something that has been round for 16-years? Changing domains just seems like you might be looking for trouble. :O)

[claybutler]

This is where you could run into problems. If you change the domain of your oldest site, you will want to add what are called Redirects from your old site to the new one. In case you don't know, one of the main reasons is so that links pointing to your website will all be redirected to the new pages on your new site. That way no links are broken and users who recognize your current site (the old one) will also be redirected there as well if they've bookmarked your site and so forth.

The file that holds the "redirects" will have to reside on the old website's server - at least for a couple of years until you can manually change the link location on all the links pointing to your site as of now.

Quite agree. This is a common misperception with switching domains. The redirects only work as long as you control the old domain. I've pulled it off in three months when my client was forced to relinquish a domain due to contractual obligations. I negotiated a three month transition period. By the time I was done, the old domain was basically worthless and all the PR had been transferred to the new domain. That also gave me enough time to contact our biggest referrals and have them update their links. They thought they were going to steal this high ranking domain property that my client had been been building for a couple of years but they didn't and still don't understand how things really work. So they got this awesome expired PR 0 domain with no backlinks. Hah.

[lily_link]

All position in google will be damaged or not? If You change domain name.

[claybutler]

All position in google will be damaged or not? If You change domain name.

Not if you know what you are doing. I've done it many times with no loss of SERPs.

It's really simple.

1.Full site wide 301 redirects or just a domain 301 if all the file names and folder structures are the same.

2. Contact the biggest link partners to have them update their links.

3. Keep the old domain in your control. Hopefully forever, but if not, shoot for six months minimum.

[limelight]

Thank you Clay - your last post was extremely helpful. Each of the steps is pretty clear, but I do imagine # 2 being the most challenging to carry out. So, I imagine you would simply check inside your analytics to determine the top referring domains, and then work on getting the links updated with them? Google's webmaster blog has a helpful entry about this as well: googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2008/04/best-practices-when-moving-your-site.html

[claybutler]

Thank you Clay - your last post was extremely helpful. Each of the steps is pretty clear, but I do imagine # 2 being the most challenging to carry out. So, I imagine you would simply check inside your analytics to determine the top referring domains, and then work on getting the links updated with them? Google's webmaster blog has a helpful entry about this as well: googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2008/04/best-practices-when-moving-your-site.html

Yeah, just look at your Google referral stats for like the last three months and that will give a short list of people you should contact. If you can keep your old domain indefinitely, it's less stressful.

[dgswilson]

I'm wondering why you decided to use the multisite network route. While this uses separate tables for each site I think it uses one database. This would cause me to consider what I might want to do, or have to do, in the future and what that might involve where the database is concerned.

I'd be prone to keep my sites as independent as possible. I have 3 websites/domains using wordpress. For me it's easier to manage them if they are searate entities as all potential futures hold unkown variables.