Can You Change Your Domain On WordPress ?

If you’re running a WordPress website, there may come a time when you ask:

Can you change your domain on WordPress?

The answer is yes, but how you do it depends on whether you’re using WordPress.com (hosted) or WordPress.org (self-hosted). Changing your domain involves careful steps to avoid downtime, broken links, and SEO issues.

This guide explains everything in clear, practical terms, with step-by-step instructions, best practices, and SEO considerations.

Why You Might Want to Change Your Domain

Changing your domain can happen for several reasons:

1. Rebranding – Updating your business or website name.
2. Better SEO – Choosing a more memorable or keyword-friendly domain.
3. Correcting mistakes – Fixing typos or poor domain choices.
4. Moving to a new TLD – Changing from .net to .com or similar.

Whatever the reason, it’s important to handle it properly to protect your site traffic and search rankings.

Can You Change Your Domain on WordPress.com?

Yes, but the process is slightly different from self-hosted WordPress.

Step 1: Purchase a New Domain

1. Go to WordPress.com → Upgrades → Domains.
2. Click Add a Domain.
3. Search for and purchase your new domain.

You can also use a domain purchased elsewhere, but you’ll need to map it to your WordPress.com site.

Step 2: Set the New Domain as Primary

1. Go to My Site → Domains.
2. Select your new domain.
3. Click Make Primary.

This will redirect traffic from your old domain to the new one automatically.

Step 3: Enable Redirects

• WordPress.com automatically redirects your old domain to the new one, preserving SEO.
• If you purchased the old domain from a different provider, you may need to set up a 301 redirect manually.

Step 4: Update External Links

• Social media profiles
• Email signatures
• Third-party directories

This ensures visitors find your new domain and avoid 404 errors.

Can You Change Your Domain on WordPress.org (Self-Hosted)?

Yes, but it requires more technical steps.

Step 1: Purchase a New Domain

• Buy your new domain from a registrar like GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Google Domains.
• Ensure you have DNS control.

Step 2: Update WordPress Settings

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Go to Settings → General.
3. Update:
   • WordPress Address (URL)
   • Site Address (URL)
4. Save changes.

Warning: After saving, your site may log you out. You’ll need to log in at the new URL.

Step 3: Update Your Database

• WordPress stores old URLs in the database.
• Use a plugin like Better Search Replace to replace the old domain with the new domain in posts, pages, and settings.
• Alternatively, run SQL queries in phpMyAdmin (advanced users only).

Step 4: Set Up 301 Redirects

• Redirect old domain traffic to the new domain using .htaccess (Apache) or server rules (Nginx).
• Example for .htaccess:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^olddomain\.com [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://newdomain.com/$1 [L,R=301,NC]

This preserves SEO and ensures visitors automatically reach your new domain.

Step 5: Update External Links and Services

• Google Search Console – add and verify new domain
• Google Analytics – update property settings
• Social media profiles
• Email campaigns
• Backlinks (contact site owners if possible)

SEO Considerations When Changing Domains

Changing a domain can affect search engine rankings if not done correctly.

Best Practices:

1. Use 301 redirects – tells Google the site moved permanently.
2. Update internal links – avoid broken links inside your site.
3. Update sitemap – submit to Google Search Console.
4. Maintain old domain for a few months – ensures old bookmarks and backlinks still work.
5. Check for broken links – use plugins like Broken Link Checker.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Skipping 301 redirects
• Forgetting to update the WordPress database
• Changing domain without updating external services
• Ignoring SSL certificates (HTTPS)
• Not updating robots.txt or sitemap

Each mistake can lead to downtime, lost traffic, or SEO penalties.

Tools That Make Domain Change Easier

• Better Search Replace (WordPress plugin) – update URLs in database
• Redirection (WordPress plugin) – manage redirects easily
• UpdraftPlus – backup your site before making changes
• Google Search Console – verify new domain and submit sitemap
• Broken Link Checker – find and fix old URLs

Step-By-Step Summary

WordPress.com:

1. Purchase new domain
2. Set as primary
3. Enable redirects
4. Update external links

WordPress.org:

1. Purchase new domain
2. Update WordPress URL settings
3. Replace old URLs in database
4. Set up 301 redirects
5. Update external services and links