Changing Your Company Name: What to Do If You Have a Website

As your business grows and changes, you might find yourself rethinking your company name. Maybe the name that once felt like a perfect fit no longer represents what you do. Or perhaps, there’s another company with a similar name, and you’re worried about potential confusion. Whatever the reason, rebranding is a big decision, especially when it involves changing your website's domain name and ensuring your customers can still find you online. Here are some best practices to follow when you decide to take the leap.

1. Why You Might Want to Change Your Company Name

There are many reasons why businesses decide to change their names. Perhaps the name you originally chose doesn’t quite reflect the direction your business has taken over time. For example, if you started trading under your own name but as you've grown, hired staff and exanded to a broader market, a more universal name might be a better fit.

Or, perhaps you used to a specialise in a particular niche, such as antique lighting, but now you want to sell a broader arrange of items.

Another common issue is similarity with another company’s name. If a competitor or even an unrelated business has a similar name, it can create confusion for your customers, making it harder for them to find or remember your business. Changing your name can help you stand out and ensure your branding is truly unique.

2. Changing Your Domain Name (Web Address)

Once you've settled on a new company name, the next step is to secure a matching domain name. Your domain name is crucial as it’s often the first impression customers have of your online presence. Here’s what to keep in mind:

Check domain availability

Before committing to a new name, ensure the domain is available. It’s also a good idea to grab as many versions of it as possible, including different top-level domains (TLDs) like .com, .co.uk, and others that may be relevant to your business. This prevents competitors or others from using similar domains and stealing your website visitors, or clients not being able to find your website because they've typed in .com instead of .co.uk for example.

If you have (or are thinking) of getting a website with us, we can register your domain names for you and advise on what is and isn't available.

Redirect your old domain

After you’ve secured your new domain, you’ll need to set up a permanent 301 redirect from your old domain to the new one. This ensures that anyone visiting your old website or clicking on outdated links is automatically sent to your new site. It also helps search engines know that your website has moved, preserving the SEO rankings you’ve worked hard to build.

If you have a website with us you can do this via the Settings section of your website manager. For websites with other providers, consult with them on how to do this (but it's usually pretty easy).

3. Ensuring You Don’t Disappear from Google

One major concern when changing your company’s name and domain is staying visible in search results. Here’s how to make sure Google knows about the change and continues to rank your site correctly:

Use Google Search Console

Google provides a handy tool within its Search Console for changing your domain name. By letting Google know you’ve moved your site, you can ensure that it recognises the new address and carries over your existing SEO value to the new domain.

Here's an article from Google on how to do this:-
https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9370220?hl=en

Update your Google Business profile

Your Google Business profile is crucial for local search visibility. If you don't have one already, or don't know what one is, click here to read our article on Google Business profiles.Make sure to log in and update your profile with the new company name, web address, and any other relevant information. This will help keep your customers informed and prevent any drop in local search rankings.

For details on how to update your Google Business profile, please see:-

https://www.google.com/intl/en_uk/business/articles/how-to-make-changes-to-your-business-profile/

4. Making sure you can still be found by your old company name

Why this matters

Clients not aware of your name change may still Google for you using your old company name. Whilst your old web address (domain name) will redirect to your new one, any searches for your old company name in Google won't automatically show your new company name instead. So it's important to take some steps to make sure you're still visible under your old company name.

What to do

a) Feature your old and new company names in the page title of your home page

• In the short/medium term, we'd recommend the main page title (what's known as the "title tag") be changed to say something like:-
  "My new company name (formerly old name)"
• With our websites this is just a case of going to the "Settings" section, then "General settings" and updating the company name.

b) Update your about page

• In your about page text, or any "about" type text on your home page, include a sentance or two referencing your old company name. Having this will help you be found under the old name once you've done the name changes.

c) Create a page on your website with your old company name, eg "My old company name"

• Not everyone will need to do this step. Do this if you find you still can't be found under your old company name
• Create a page named after your old company name, eg "My old company name"
• Don't put this in your main navigation (as it'll make your website look untidy). Instead put it in any navigation in the footer of your website, or link to it in text on your about page
• On this page explain that you used to be called “My old company name”, and make sure that the old company name features in the text a few times.

Related articles

• What is Google my Business and why should I use it?
• 7 reasons to maintain consistency in your company branding
• How can I cheat my way to the top of Google? New dogs | old tricks

Photos from Freepik