---
title: "Domain Change Traffic Loss: 42% of Moves Lost Half"
url: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/domain-change-traffic-loss
description: "Across 50 domain moves, combined US search traffic three to five months later was a median 65.3% of the old domain's, and 42.0% of moves lost more than half."
lang: en
---
Data Study ยท Website Migration
# Domain Changes: 42% of Domain Moves Lost Half Their Search Traffic
Across 50 sites that moved to a new domain, combined US search traffic three to five months later was a median 65.3% of what the old domain had before, and 42.0% lost more than half.
- 50 domain moves
- PageSpeed Matters, Sept 2026
Matt Suffoletto: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/author/matt-suffoletto
Founder, PageSpeed Matters Published Oct. 19, 2026 4 min read
## Key Findings
1. Three to five months after 50 domain moves, combined estimated US search traffic across the old and new domains was a median **65.3%** of the old domain's prior traffic. Copy stat
2. 64.0% of the 50 moves lost more than 10% of their traffic, **42.0%** lost more than half and **32.0%** came out ahead. Copy stat
3. The new domain picked up a median **56.9%** of the old domain's traffic. Copy stat
4. 44 of the 50 moves went to a domain that had under 5% of the old domain's traffic beforehand, and these kept a median **58.2%**. Copy stat
5. In a 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). Copy stat
Median combined search traffic kept after a domain change
Strict set 65.3%
Old domain 1,000+ visits 64.3%
Old domain under 1,000 visits 77.1%
Moved in 2025 64.3%
Moved in 2026 77.1%
Source: PageSpeed Matters, Sept 2026. US traffic estimates, June 2024 to Sept 2026.
The strict set is 50 moves; the other bars come from a wider set of 99 moves with looser rules.
In this study
## 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
Paste this on your site to embed the chart. It links back to the source automatically.
Source: Domain Changes: 42% of Domain Moves Lost Half Their Search Traffic - PageSpeed Matters
## 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 (https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/services/seo-migration).
Share
How we measured
## Methodology & Source
Data source
Monthly US search traffic estimates for 50 domain moves found in the HTTP Archive crawl, June 2024 to Sept 2026
Collection date
September 2026
Sample
50 domain moves
Release
PageSpeed Matters, Sept 2026
Old domains in the top 500K, live six months or more, that dropped out of HTTP Archive and now lead to a different registrable domain with a live page; only moves to a smaller or new domain were kept. Combined US traffic estimates for both domains three to five months after the move were compared with the old domain's prior traffic. A short study of 50 moves using US estimates only. Moves were not confirmed as rebrands, so these are domain moves rather than confirmed rebrands, and some may be acquisitions. Size, rank and year splits use a wider set of 99 moves with looser rules.
Using this data?
## Cite this study
Link back to the study when you cite it.
APA
Matt Suffoletto. (2026). Domain Changes: 42% of Domain Moves Lost Half Their Search Traffic. PageSpeed Matters. https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/domain-change-traffic-loss
Plain link
Domain Changes: 42% of Domain Moves Lost Half Their Search Traffic - PageSpeed Matters - https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/domain-change-traffic-loss
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- Website Migration Migration Recovery: 57% of Sites That Dropped Hadn't Bounced Back: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/migration-recovery
- Website Migration ccTLD to .com Moves: Half of Brands Lost 30%+ of Local Traffic: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/cctld-to-com-migration
- Website Migration Backlinks Lost in Migration: Median Site Loses 23%: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/backlinks-lost-in-migration
- Website Migration Website Death Rate: 1 in 5 of 2024's Top 1M Sites Have Vanished From Chrome's Data: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/website-death-rate
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