Combined search traffic three to five months after a domain change
| Group | Moves | Median traffic kept | Lost >10% | Lost >50% | Came out ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strict set | 50 | 65.3% | 64.0% | 42.0% | 32.0% |
| Wider set, all | 99 | 69.5% | 59.6% | 42.4% | 37.4% |
| Old domain 1,000+ visits | 33 | 64.3% | 69.7% | 42.4% | 27.3% |
| Old domain under 1,000 visits | 66 | 77.1% | 54.5% | 42.4% | 42.4% |
| Moved in 2025 | 69 | 64.3% | 60.9% | 44.9% | 36.2% |
| Moved in 2026 | 30 | 77.1% | 56.7% | 36.7% | 40.0% |
Source: PageSpeed Matters, Sept 2026. US traffic estimates only. Rows below the strict set use the wider set of 99 moves.
Summary
Moving a site to a new domain is one of the riskiest changes in SEO. Every URL changes at once, and search engines have to transfer what they know about the old domain to the new one.
We looked at 50 sites that moved to a new domain and compared combined US search traffic across both domains three to five months later with what the old domain had before. The median move kept 65.3% of its prior traffic, and 42.0% lost more than half.
What we measured
We looked at old domains in the top 500K that had been live for six months or more, then dropped out of the HTTP Archive crawl and now lead to a different registrable domain with a live page. We kept moves to a smaller or new domain and compared monthly US search traffic estimates for both domains from June 2024 to September 2026.
This is a short study with modest claims. The figures are US traffic estimates only. We did not confirm that each move was a rebrand, so these are domain moves rather than confirmed rebrands, and some may be acquisitions. The size, rank and year splits use a wider set of 99 moves with looser rules.
Most domain moves lose traffic
Three to five months after the 50 moves, combined estimated US search traffic across the old and new domains was a median 65.3% of the old domain's prior traffic. 64.0% of the moves lost more than 10%, 42.0% lost more than half, and 32.0% came out ahead.
The new domain on its own picked up a median 56.9% of the old domain's traffic. Most moves went to a domain with little search traffic of its own: 44 of the 50 went to a domain that had under 5% of the old domain's traffic beforehand, and these kept a median 58.2%.
42.0%
Share of the 50 domain moves that lost more than half of their combined US search traffic three to five months later.
Bigger old domains kept less
In the wider set of 99 moves, old domains with 1,000+ monthly US visits kept a median 64.3% (33 moves), against 77.1% for smaller ones (66 moves). Old domains ranked in the top 500K kept 67.5% (61 moves), against 82.8% for those ranked 500K to 1M (38 moves).
The wider set also splits by year: moves in 2025 kept a median 64.3% (69 moves), against 77.1% for moves in 2026 (30 moves). With groups this small, read these splits as a direction, not a rule.
What this means for your site
A domain move is not a routine change. Plan for a dip and work to keep it small.
- Map every old URL to its matching page on the new domain with a permanent 301 redirect, not a blanket redirect to the homepage.
- Keep the old domain registered and its redirects in place for the long term.
- Use the Change of Address tool in Search Console and submit the new sitemap.
- Ask the sites that link to you most to update their links.
- Track combined traffic across both domains for at least five months.
Sources
- PageSpeed Matters analysis of monthly US search traffic estimates for 50 domain moves, June 2024 to September 2026
- HTTP Archive crawl of the top 1M sites, September 2026
- Google Search Central, site moves with URL changes: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/site-move-with-url-changes
Embed this research
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<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/domain-change-traffic-loss">Domain Changes: 42% of Domain Moves Lost Half Their Search Traffic - PageSpeed Matters</a></p>
Frequently asked questions
How much traffic do you lose when changing domains?
Across 50 domain moves, combined US search traffic three to five months later was a median 65.3% of the old domain's prior traffic. 42.0% of moves lost more than half, while 32.0% came out ahead.
Do bigger sites lose more traffic after a domain change?
In a wider set of 99 moves, old domains with 1,000+ monthly US visits kept a median 64.3%, against 77.1% for smaller ones.
A domain move planned around full URL mapping and careful monitoring gives search engines the best chance to carry your traffic across. Need help with this? See our SEO migration services.