We're Finally Moving Our Domain To idstudio.co.uk

By Neil Kilgallon on Wednesday, 9 October 2024

We've finally secured the domain names idstudio.co.uk and .com and will move to this domain in the coming weeks.

Some Background Information

For over 20 years, we have been using the domain netdreams.co.uk, which may seem strange considering that our company's name is ID Studio. When we started the web design agency over two decades ago, the company name was Netdreams, so the domain name was on brand and perfect for our needs. Several years later, the company was restructured entirely, and at the time, the simplest solution was to close the existing company and start fresh. ID Studio was born.

The issue we faced was that we had undertaken extensive organic Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) on netdreams.co.uk and were in the top 3 for some excellent search terms, such as 'web design London', 'web agency',' web agency London', etc. We knew that changing our domain would likely destroy our hard work, and because Google was our primary source of enquiries back then, we didn't want to take the risk. The fear of upsetting Google meant we were afraid to make the change.

What Changed, Why Are We Switching Domains Now

Our agency is now well-established, and we are starting to work with larger clients, including META, The Associated Press, DHL, and Ralph Lauren. We needed brand consistency to attract and retain these top clients more than ever. The reasons why we needed to move started to outweigh the reasons why we shouldn't:

Additional Ways To Generate Enquiries: While we still rely on Google for new client enquiries, it's not the only channel that generates new work. Half of our new clients come from recommendations from existing clients or businesses visiting websites we have previously designed. We also find that these enquiries are far more likely to convert than those who find us through search. As a B2B company, we've undertaken highly targeted and creative LinkedIn campaigns that put us in front of some great new clients. We have also added additional services to our portfolio, allowing us to generate extra revenue streams. SEO and a new web app security division have helped win and retain new clients. While Google is still important to us, it's not everything, and we feel confident that we can transition to the new domain with minimal business interruption.
Retained Clients: Over the last two years, more clients have been working with us on an ongoing basis and opted to retain us to provide a premium support and maintenance package. Where we previously had to win significant new work each month to operate, we are now in a position whereby half our resources are dedicated to working with existing clients. It has taken the pressure off us to win so many new clients.
We Understand SEO And What We Need To Do: Having an expert team of SEO specialists has allowed us to lose the fear of what will happen when we move to the new domain. We're not naive and realise we will take a hit for a few months. Still, we understand that when implemented correctly, we can minimise this transitional period and potentially generate higher SERPs than we currently have.
We Needed To Consolidate Our Brand. We lost count of the times that clients would ask, 'Why is your company name ID Studio, but your domain is netdreams.co.uk?' and we would need to explain the background behind it all. We also received a call from Google (and thought it was spam). They wanted to know if we were ID Studio or Netdreams! It started to get embarrassing.

When Are We Moving To IDStudio.co.uk?

Moving domains when you have an established business and high SERP listings takes careful planning. It's not something that can be rushed and involves the following steps:

Backup The Old Domain & Test The Staging Server

Back up all our content and files from your existing site to prevent data loss during migration.
Test the website migration on a staging server to ensure it works seamlessly before going live.

Mapping Old URLs to New URLs

Create a comprehensive URL redirection plan. Use 301 redirects to point all old URLs from netdreams.co.uk to idstudio.co.uk. This ensures users and search engines are correctly redirected.
Whenever feasible, ensure a one-to-one correspondence of URLs. If URLs need to change, ensure each old page has a corresponding new one.

Implement 301 Redirects For All Pages On The Old Domain

Implement 301 permanent redirects from netdreams.co.uk to idstudio.co.uk. This informs search engines that our site has permanently relocated, enabling them to transfer most of our existing SEO value (link authority) to the new idstudio.co.uk domain.

Notify Google Of The Domain Name Change

Use Google Search Console's Change of Address tool to inform Google of the domain name change.
Add and verify the new idstudio.co.uk domain in Google Search Console.
Update the XML sitemap in the old and new domains, ensuring the old site points to the new URLs.

Update The Internal Links On The New Domain

Update all internal links on the site to reflect the new domain.
Ensure that canonical tags (if applicable) point to the new domain.

Update External Links Where Possible

Contact external sites that link to netdreams.co.uk and request an update to the new domain. While this may not always be feasible, it can significantly aid in transferring link equity to the new domain.

Check Google Analytics, Search Console & Monitor Traffic

Update Google Analytics and other tracking tools to reflect the new domain.
Monitor traffic, rankings, and crawl activity closely after the migration.

Keep Brand Mentions Consistent Across Social Media Channels

Update all brand mentions across online platforms, including social media profiles, business listings, directories, and third-party sites.
Ensure the new idstudio.co.uk domain is consistently used across all marketing materials.

Submit The Updated XML Sitemap To Google & Bing

Submit the updated XML sitemap for the new domain to both Google and Bing search engines to help them crawl the new URLs faster.

Maintain the Old Netdreams.co.uk Domain

To catch any remaining visitors or search engine crawlers, keep the old netdreams.co.uk domain live for as long as possible with 301 redirects.

Monitor Search Engine Rankings

Check our keyword rankings regularly during the transition. We will expect some adverse fluctuations initially, but with a well-planned move, the impact should be minimal.

Summary

We've outlined our strategic transition from netdreams.co.uk to idstudio.co.uk, driven by the need for brand consolidation and seamless client communication. We've discussed our different client acquisition methods so that we are not solely reliant on Google, from client recommendations to innovative LinkedIn campaigns and broadening service offerings. Our focus on retaining clients has enabled a shift in revenue generation towards ongoing support and maintenance, reducing pressure to acquire new business continually. Our SEO team has meticulously planned every aspect of the domain migration to ensure minimal disruption. After this transition, we aspire to improve our search engine rankings while keeping our brand consistent across all platforms.