Can a blog URL be changed?

14 years ago

You will have to purchase another URL and then transfer your blog, you cannot change an existing URL. Which is why you should do your keyword research and brainstorm your URL title before jumping in.
Catherine

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Kul

14 years ago

You can do a 301 redirect so that the traffic going to the old URLs reaches the new ones. (Assuming that everything apart from the base domain name will remain the same).

This will help preserve whatever ranking you have in the search engines.

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Kul

14 years ago

In fact, you should read Moving your site - Webmaster Tools Help to see what google has to say about this.

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RareGoodStuff 14 years ago

Originally Posted by Kul

In fact, you should read Moving your site - Webmaster Tools Help to see what google has to say about this.

Thank you so much Kul, I will read now.
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senderbot

14 years ago

You are using Wordpress and can switch domains relatively easy if you have c-panel at your host.

1. Pick a new domain name and register it with a registrar like Netfirms.com
2. Find out what the DNS settings are for the host that hosts your current blog.
3. When you register your new domain go to its dashboard and enter the DNS (be something like dn1.myhost.com, dn2.myhost.com)
4. Wait an hour while the DNS changes
5. Log in to your host at c-panel and add the new domain name as an :"addon domain"

At this point what we do next depends on where the wordpress website is installed. If it is in your root then do this
6. When creating the "add-on domain" simply tell it to access your webroot.
7. Test that you can access the wordpress website ysing your new domain (note as soon as you click a link it will go back to using your old domain name).
8. Now go to the wordpress admin and change the blog and web URL to your new domain name.

If it is in a sub-folder then do this -
6. When it asks for a folder make one up but remember that name.
7. Get a text file and write something like My New Folder. Change its name to index.html and upload it to your new folder.
8. Now check that when you type in your new domain name it brings up the page you just wrote.
9. Now AFTER BACKING UP YOUR WORDPRESS FILES AND DATABASE go into your wordpress admin file and under settings enter the new Wordpress Settings URL and Blog Address (you enter your new domain). Click save settings. Your wordpress blog will now temporarily break (dont panic).
10. Now open up your hosting account with your FTP and you will see the folder that wordpress was installed in. You will also see your new folder with your index file. Delete the new folder with the index file.
11. Now change the name of the folder that contains your wordpress site to the name of teh folder you just deleted.
12. And now your new domain should point to your old wordpress installation and the admin login will work again.

Another way is to buy a new domain name, do the DNS pointy thing to your host so it points to a new folder. In your wordpress admin export the blog as xml files. Create a new wordpress installation in the new folder and import all your xml files, images etc.

That way you will have a duplicate of your blog working under your new domain name. When you are happy it is working you can delete your old blog and put an index.html file in your webroot with a redirect into the folder of your new blog.

The last way of doing it is the safest.

Hope the above isnt too confusing.

Cheers

Max

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RareGoodStuff 14 years ago

Senderbot, thank you so much for your instructions. I will take your suggestions and instructions seriously when I start to change blog url later next week. It looks fairly challenging but I will do it.
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RareGoodStuff

14 years ago

Originally Posted by senderbot

You are using Wordpress and can switch domains relatively easy if you have c-panel at your host.

1. Pick a new domain name and register it with a registrar like Netfirms.com
2. Find out what the DNS settings are for the host that hosts your current blog.
3. When you register your new domain go to its dashboard and enter the DNS (be something like dn1.myhost.com, dn2.myhost.com)
4. Wait an hour while the DNS changes
5. Log in to your host at c-panel and add the new domain name as an :"addon domain"

At this point what we do next depends on where the wordpress website is installed. If it is in your root then do this
6. When creating the "add-on domain" simply tell it to access your webroot.
7. Test that you can access the wordpress website ysing your new domain (note as soon as you click a link it will go back to using your old domain name).
8. Now go to the wordpress admin and change the blog and web URL to your new domain name.

If it is in a sub-folder then do this -
6. When it asks for a folder make one up but remember that name.
7. Get a text file and write something like My New Folder. Change its name to index.html and upload it to your new folder.
8. Now check that when you type in your new domain name it brings up the page you just wrote.
9. Now AFTER BACKING UP YOUR WORDPRESS FILES AND DATABASE go into your wordpress admin file and under settings enter the new Wordpress Settings URL and Blog Address (you enter your new domain). Click save settings. Your wordpress blog will now temporarily break (dont panic).
10. Now open up your hosting account with your FTP and you will see the folder that wordpress was installed in. You will also see your new folder with your index file. Delete the new folder with the index file.
11. Now change the name of the folder that contains your wordpress site to the name of teh folder you just deleted.
12. And now your new domain should point to your old wordpress installation and the admin login will work again.

Another way is to buy a new domain name, do the DNS pointy thing to your host so it points to a new folder. In your wordpress admin export the blog as xml files. Create a new wordpress installation in the new folder and import all your xml files, images etc.

That way you will have a duplicate of your blog working under your new domain name. When you are happy it is working you can delete your old blog and put an index.html file in your webroot with a redirect into the folder of your new blog.

The last way of doing it is the safest.

Hope the above isnt too confusing.

Cheers

Max

I did it, thanks to your help. You are God-sent to me. Awesome!

Thanks

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zoobie

14 years ago

are you saying you need to move to other domains? 301 redirect is a good one.

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RareGoodStuff

14 years ago

Originally Posted by zoobie

are you saying you need to move to other domains? 301 redirect is a good one.

What I want to do is actually transfer the contents of my old blog to a new url that I already have. I want to retain the contents and comments in a new blog url that I recently registered.

What is the best way to do this without Google coming after me? And can it be done?

Thanks
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kcoder 14 years ago

Yes this can be done.

Follow this:

1. keep both the old domain and the new domain

2. Follow the instructions here: www[dot]fayazmiraz[dot]com/wordpress-blog-url-change/ to place all your old content to new location

3. On the old domain, place an htaccess file that will permanently redirect all requests to the old domain to the new domain. (let me know if you need the htaccess code).

Now your blog got a new address and google will not come after you since your old url points to your new url. Within a few weeks your old rating will be reflected to the new url.

I hope this will help.
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Big Squid

14 years ago

Originally Posted by RareGoodStuff

What I want to do is actually transfer the contents of my old blog to a new url that I already have. I want to retain the contents and comments in a new blog url that I recently registered.

What is the best way to do this without Google coming after me? And can it be done?

Simple...

You can use the EXPORT feature from the old blog...

...and then IMPORT it on the new blog.

The only thing with this is that it won't transfer the complete blog - only your posts, pages, comments, custom fields, categories, and tags.

Things like your links, plugins, & settings will NOT be transferred.

There is a way to get everything over - it's quite simple as well - using phpMyAdmin.

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Desaturator

14 years ago

Buy a new domain(do some keyword research and brainstorming before you buy one).. And register both new and old domains over the google webmasters tools and in there google has provided a new feature that enables webmasters to transfer blog. Just follow its steps and Google won't penalize you for anything.

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arnoldsmithh

14 years ago

Yes you can buy a new domain and then place redirection to the old one.

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vgbond

14 years ago

If you use wordpress, you may change url easily. You also may use a new domain. But use have to use 301 .htaccess redirect rules and google web master tools to get existing customer in new url.