Does changing a website’s URL affect a site’s SEO and its position in search engine results?
The short answer is YES!
Google’s Search Advocate John Mueller has warned against changing a website’s URLs just for SEO reasons. He said that, in most cases, changing URLs will negatively impact your site’s SEO and that you definitely shouldn’t do it for SEO reasons only.
John also wrote on Reddit:
Such strong language used against changing URLs for SEO reasons!
In fact, digital marketing professionals have warned businesses for years against changing their site URLs for just SEO reasons.
If you change your URL incorrectly, all of your SEO efforts will be in vain, causing your website’s ranking and search traffic to decline.
If you’re really considering changing your website’s URL, beware that there are crucial factors you need to take into account before changing any URL!