5

I recently changed domain names from xxx.com to xxx.ca I created all the 301's submitted sitemaps and submitted a change of address to google webmaster tools on Dec 16th. I've since seen urls change in search results, and things seemed to be working, so I switched the site from drupal to wordpress with identical content with different page templates, etc. Organic traffic has dropped dramatically since the 19th. At first I thought it was the season, but the traffic should have rebounded by now.

I took a look at the index status of the pages for the two domains and this is what I'm seeing for the old domain: enter image description here

and this is what I'm seeing for the new domain:

enter image description here

any idea why the old site is showing up as indexed, while the new site is showing up as "not selected"?

UPDATE: I ran some custom reports and isolated organic traffic in canada vs the US and it seems like canadian traffic has seen a slight uptick while US traffic has gone down dramatically. This is ok with us for the most part since this is a site for a clinic and we treat people in Canada. However... this still does not explain the distribution of which pages are indexed vs not.

3
  • I have a similar problem to yours. I set up 301 redirects 6 weeks ago and Google has still not resolved them. Specifically: Old site: number of selected urls constant, number of not selected urls increasing New site: number of selected urls constant (virtually zero), number of not selected urls increasing Have had many SEOs look at it. No improvement yet :(
    – user21311
    Jan 9, 2013 at 18:38
  • 4
    FWIW we removed the "not selected" graph there since it was much more confusing than helpful. Sorry for the confusion there! Feb 7, 2013 at 22:58
  • 301s show up as not selected. But that's mute now Google have decided to stop reporting that (due to confusion). How are you confirming your redirects are working correctly? Feb 8, 2013 at 13:33

4 Answers 4

1

First of all check your redirection using various tools available online. Whether it is working correctly or not?

Once it is done, check manually by inserting old url and see whether it is redirecting properly or not.

Once it is done, start working on generating quality backlinks for your .ca domain and it will start showing result !!

0

This is a very common issue it seems. Have you checked if your wordpress theme is dropping your individual page descriptions. If so you may need to install an seo plugin.

0

Try going to google.com and use the Google Operator "site:mywebsite.ca" to see how many pages are indexed. If nothing is indexed then, either there is a problem with your WordPress installation or the migration, or your site might have been penalised.

To rule out WordPress/Migration try the following:

  • Check the robots.txt file on the off change that the entire site is blocked
  • Check redirects by using Google Chrome --> Inspect Element --> Network
  • Check the htaccess file for any bad code
  • Check with your hosting provider to ensure the service is reliable (if different)

To rule out penalised, try:

  • Check the domain name you bought, if it came with some bad rep in the past then this might affect overall performance.

Lastly, if you find it necessary, you can file a resubmit request with Google.

0

The problem has resolved itself, after about 1 month. Not sure what the delay was originally, but indexing has returned to normal. Apologies on not updating this thread.

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.