Understanding Google's Explanation for Inconsistent Domain Migration Results
Gain valuable insights from Google's John Mueller on the varying outcomes of three related domain name migrations, despite following the same procedures. Discover the reasons behind the differences in results and how they can impact your domain migration strategy.
Migrating To Different Domain Names
John Mueller from Google shared some insights on why the domain name migrations between multiple language versions of the same website had varying outcomes, even though the same process was applied to each of the three websites.
The person had three websites under three different country code top level domains (ccTLDs): .fr (France), .be (Belgium), and .de (Germany). They were working on migrating from one domain name to another within each ccTLD, like example-1.fr to example-2.fr.
Each site had the same content but in different languages corresponding to the countries targeted by the ccTLD. Since everything about the migration was the same for each site, it was expected that the outcome of the migration would be identical for all three websites.
But that wasn’t the case.
Two out of the three site migrations failed and lost traffic. Only one of them experienced a seamless transition.
What Went Wrong?
The person asking for information about what went wrong tweeted:
“Hi @JohnMu,
AlicesGarden (.fr, .be, .de …) migrated to Sweeek (.fr, .be, .de …)
.FR and .BE lost a lot of traffic in Oct. 23
Other TLD performed well.
Redirects, canonical, hreflang, content, offer = OK
Search console migration = OK
What else could be wrong ?”
Original tweet:
Hi @JohnMu,
AlicesGarden (.fr, .be, .de …) migrated to Sweeek (.fr, .be, .de …)
.FR and .BE lost a lot of traffic in Oct. 23Other TLD performed well.
Redirects, canonical, hreflang, content, offer = OKSearch console migration = OK
What else could be wrong ? pic.twitter.com/95qRoaZzbL
— Quentin Adt (@Quentin_Adt) April 16, 2024
John Mueller's Response on Different Sites Sharing Content
John Mueller from Google explained that each website should be treated as unique, even if they have shared content assets in different languages.
Mueller tweeted that even if the content is the same, different sites can be affected differently during a migration, especially with ccTLDs. It seems like this migration happened quite a while back.
Here is his tweet:
I'm not familiar with your websites, but even if the content is the same, they are essentially different sites, especially with ccTLDs. So, it's normal for a migration to have different effects on them. It seems like this has been going on for quite some time now.
— John … (@JohnMu) April 23, 2024
Are Site Migrations Essentially Equal?
Possible Reasons for Site Migration Impact
John has brought up an interesting point regarding the potential impact of site migration on its place in the Internet. It seems that user response to changes in template or domain name could play a significant role in determining how well a site integrates into the online landscape. In his experience with domain name migrations, John noted that while there was a temporary decrease in traffic, the transition went smoothly. However, it is important to consider that this was for a single domain at a time, not for multiple domains simultaneously.
Someone in that discussion tweeted to ask if they had used AI content.
The person asking the original question tweeted their response:
Yes, there was a bit of AI used for short descriptions, mostly on category pages. However, it wasn't anything that could mislead the users.
Could it be that the reason two site migrations failed and the third one succeeded was because they happened to coincide with an update? Considering that the AI content was minimal, it's probably not the case.
The important takeaway is what Mueller said, that they’re all different sites and so the outcome should naturally be different.
Featured Image by Shutterstock/William Barton
Editor's P/S:
The article highlights the complexities of domain name migrations, particularly when involving multiple country-specific websites. Despite following the same migration process for three websites, only one experienced a successful transition. John Mueller's insights emphasize that each website should be treated uniquely, as even sites with shared content may respond differently to migrations, especially when using different country code top-level domains (ccTLDs). This suggests that factors beyond the migration process itself, such as user behavior and website context, may influence the outcome.
While the article touches on potential reasons for the failed migrations, including the use of AI content and the timing of the migrations, it remains unclear why some sites succeeded while others failed. It would be valuable to further explore these factors to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the variables that can impact the success of domain name migrations, particularly when dealing with multiple websites with shared content.
