The key points at a glance
On June 17, 2026, Google updated the Search Central documentation on domain migrations. Anyone moving a website to a new domain should now verify each subdomain, as well as each WWW and non-WWW variant, separately in Search Console and submit a separate Change of Address request, even if the variant isn't actively used. We just went through this ourselves and are sharing what we learned.
What Google now says
The old recommendation was: verify the old and new domain in Search Console, submit a Change of Address request. Full stop. The new wording goes further. Anyone moving from alt-domain.de to neu-domain.de should now also handle www.alt-domain.de, alt-domain.de without WWW, and every subdomain that exists actively or inactively, such as en.alt-domain.de, separately (Google Search Central, Site Moves).
The reason, according to Search Engine Journal: Google sometimes follows its own crawl paths through old link structures. If a single backlink points to en.alt-domain.de and that subdomain is left out of the move, it can delay the migration or cause ranking losses on the new URLs (Search Engine Journal, June 18, 2026).
From an SME's point of view, we read it like this: what used to count as nice-to-have is now the official path. Skip it, and you risk incomplete signal transfer.
What this means in practice
A concrete list of the mandatory steps for a domain migration under the new Google documentation:
- Verify all variants of the old domain. With WWW, without WWW, HTTP and HTTPS, plus all subdomains.
- Verify all variants of the new domain. The same list, for the new address.
- Set up 301 redirects. One matching 301 per old variant, pointing to the new target. Including inactive subdomains, where they exist.
- Submit a Change of Address request per old variant. In Search Console under Settings.
- Keep redirects active for at least 12 months. Google calls this the minimum duration for signal transfer.
- Submit the new domain's sitemap. Including content that formerly lived on subdomains, where it has been consolidated onto the new main domain.
That sounds like routine, but on growing sites it isn't. Anyone who ran an English-language subdomain or an old blog on a sub-subdomain has an inventory to do here.
Our experience moving to waterproof.agency
In June 2026, we moved our own main domain from waterproof-web-wizard.de to waterproof.agency. At the same time, we switched the CMS from WordPress to TYPO3 14 LTS. Doing both steps in parallel was a deliberate decision: if you're going to migrate once, get it all done in a single pass.
Three points from our own practice that also affect others in the SME space:
1. Taking inventory of subdomains costs more time than expected. Alongside the main domain, we still had a test subdomain, an old newsletter endpoint, and a forgotten staging environment. Three entries that were in the DNS, but not all of them in the Search Console account. We had to verify first, then redirect, then submit the Change of Address request.
2. 301 redirects on TYPO3 need their own concept. WordPress usually handles redirects with plugins. TYPO3 has the system extension redirects built in directly. We mapped around 240 old URL patterns onto the new TYPO3 URLs. About 60 of those were pure slug corrections; the rest were new path structures.
3. Search Console data takes time. Three days after the move, we were still seeing old impressions on the old domain. Only after around 10 days did the data start shifting toward the new domain. That matches Google's statement on the 12-month minimum duration for signal transfer.
What typically goes wrong with SME sites
We look after WordPress and TYPO3 sites across the DACH region. These are the mistakes we often see with domain migrations:
- Only the main domain gets redirected. The WWW or non-WWW variant points nowhere. The result: rankings on the wrong variant vanish.
- The sitemap still shows old URLs. If you don't regenerate the sitemap after the move, you send Google the wrong signals.
- Robots.txt forgotten. The old robots.txt sometimes blocks paths that should be open on the new domain.
- Internal links stay on the old domain. Skip a search-and-replace in your editor and you have hundreds of internal links still running through the redirect.
- Hreflang tags point nowhere. A common problem on multilingual sites.
With a systematic list, you avoid most of the traps. Start a migration without a plan, and you lose rankings, measurably.
Why it's worth acting now
The May 2026 Core Update has been fully rolled out since early June (Google Search Status). If you lost visibility in that update, you may be thinking about technical cleanup. A domain migration is a good opportunity to close several open fronts at once: tracking setup, URL structure, robots.txt, sitemap, schema markup, Core Web Vitals.
One thing to keep in mind: a migration is not a ranking booster. It's a consolidation. Expect ranking gains and you'll be disappointed. Plan realistically and you'll have a clean foundation for the years ahead.
The Google update fits a bigger pattern. Since the May 2026 Core Update and the GSC AI Performance Report in June, Google has been tightening its requirements in several places. An SME that already works cleanly today has a head start over competitors who only move at the next update.
Checklist before every domain migration
Nobody plans a migration on the spur of the moment. We recommend this order:
- DNS inventory: list all subdomains, A records, and CNAMEs.
- Search Console inventory: which variants are already verified, and which are missing.
- Prepare the 301 mapping: old URL against new URL, ideally as a CSV.
- Prepare the tracking setup: Google Analytics, Search Console, Tag Manager for the new domain.
- Soft-launch the new domain: noindex first, then test, then release.
- Change of Address per variant: submit once the new domain is indexing stably.
- Monitoring for 12 months: coverage report, impressions, click distribution.
Stick to this order and you get a controlled migration. Skip steps and you risk the ranking losses that give migrations their bad reputation.
What we advise SME clients
A migration is not a DIY weekend project. It's a process spanning several weeks that covers research, planning, implementation, and monitoring. If you have that in-house, good. If not, bring in support.
What absolutely has to stay in-house: the decision of whether and when to migrate. What can be outsourced: the technical implementation, the 301 mapping, the Search Console setup, and the later monitoring. We do this regularly for clients in the SME space. If you're facing a move right now and aren't sure whether every step is covered, you can have the potential assessed.
Conclusion
The Google update of June 17, 2026, is not a paradigm shift. It's a clarification. What used to be recommended informally is now stated explicitly in the documentation. For SMEs that means: if you're planning a domain migration, plan for every variant from the start. If you're in the middle of a migration, check where you stand. If you're done, verify afterwards.
We ran through this on our own site and know the pitfalls. A clean migration is doable, but it takes discipline and preparation. If you can't bring that, postpone the project or bring in support.
FAQ
Do I really need a separate Change of Address request for each subdomain?
Yes, under Google's new recommendation. Even if the subdomain is currently inactive. The reason: Google can crawl to inactive subdomains via old backlinks and, without a redirect path, pick up the wrong signals.
How long does a full migration take in Search Console?
The first data shifts after 7 to 14 days. According to Google, a full signal transfer takes up to 12 months. The redirects have to stay active for at least that period.
Do I always lose rankings when I migrate?
A cleanly executed migration with complete 301 redirects, every variant in Search Console, and a correct sitemap loses little to nothing. A sloppy migration can cost 20 to 40 percent of your organic traffic. The difference is in the preparation.
What should I do if I already migrated before the update?
Check which variants you verified back then. If subdomains or the WWW variant are missing, add them now. Verify, redirect, submit the Change of Address request. Retroactively too.
When is the right time to migrate?
Not during a core update, not in your business's peak season, not right before an important campaign. Instead, in a phase with moderate traffic, no upcoming marketing pushes, and enough time for monitoring afterwards.
Sources:
- Google Search Central: Site Moves and Migrations (Last updated June 17, 2026)
- Search Engine Journal: Google Tightens Requirements for Domain Migrations (June 18, 2026)
- Google Search Status Dashboard
- TYPO3 Extension: redirects