SEO Strategy for URL Change

[Jon_KS]

I'm working with a company who will likely have to change their URL because of a trademark dispute. They will be able to maintain the new URL for some period but will soon need to drop the existing URL all together.

Aside from the usual keyword considerations when choosing a URL, are there any SEO strategies I should consider as we execute this change?

[malachiii]

Will you be able to 301 the URL or will you have to lose it all together?  if you 301 everything should be fine.

[Jon_KS]

I'll be able to setup a 301 for a period of time (6 months or so), but eventually they'll lose it all together.

[malachiii]

I hope someone corrects me if im wrong on this but I believe 6 months will be more than enough time for the passed data to go through google.  That being said after the 6 months you'll lose and juice from the links going to the domain currently.  are there significant website linking to it now and could you contact those websites with an updated URL?

[Wayne76]

A couple of obvious ones that folks sometimes forget:

1. Update your XML sitemaps and resubmit to webmaster tools through Google, Bing, etc.

2. Update all your internal links! (This one can be a pain in the...)

Best of luck!

W

[ShaMenz]

Hi,

This video from Matt Cutts talks about how Google will best handle the 301's and how long it might take.

If the site is large and database driven, then using database lookups to generate your 301's would probably be the best solution. Long lists of 301's have a potential to create processing issues - not to mention the pain associated with having to create them!

I would also do the work to at least attempt to get external sites to change any existing links. Given the legal ramifications, I would not want to leave any anchor text out there for the other party to take issue with if I could avoid it. (I would also keep a detailed record of all the work done in this area, just in case there is any kind of legal challenge).

Hope that helps,

Sha