Facts checked October 25, 2026, against the sources listed at the end.

Changing website companies usually won't cost you your Google ranking. Three things need to stay put: your web address, each page's address or a forward to its new home, and your Google Business Profile. Google does warn that rankings can wobble for a few weeks or more during a move.

Check this first: log in to the company where your web address is registered. That company is called the registrar. If you can't log in, or the account is in your web company's name, fix that before you talk about moving anything.

What actually changes when I switch website companies?

Three different things can change in a move. Each one carries a different amount of risk.

  • Only the company that hosts the site. Your web address and page addresses stay the same. Google's guide on this kind of move says a short dip in how often Google visits your site is normal. It adds that visits rise steadily over the next few days.
  • The page addresses. Say your old "Services" page lived at one address and the new site puts it somewhere else. Google treats that as a site move and asks for a forwarding setup, covered below.
  • The web address itself. Moving from one domain to another is the biggest change. Google has a separate step for it in Search Console, its free tool for site owners, called the Change of Address tool.

If you keep your web address, only the first two apply. If anyone suggests a new domain as part of the deal, ask why.

Will my rankings drop for a while?

They might, and Google says so plainly. Its site-move guide says to "expect temporary fluctuation in site ranking during the move." It also says a site's rankings "will settle down over time."

On timing, Google says a small to medium site can take a few weeks for most pages to move. Larger sites take longer. Google does not promise every page lands back where it was. It also gives no number for how far rankings might move. Anyone who promises "no change at all" is promising more than Google does.

Google's guide also flags mistakes that can stop the new site from being fully added to Google Search. Three are worth checking. Don't skip the list matching old pages to new ones. Don't send every old page to the home page. Don't leave test-site blocks switched on after launch.

What is a 301 redirect, and do I need one?

A 301 redirect is a forwarding notice for one page. When someone, or Google, visits an old page address, the server sends them straight to the new one. "301" is the code that tells Google the move is permanent.

If any page address changes, you need one for each old page. Google's guidance is specific:

  • Use permanent redirects set up on the web server itself. Google names the 301 and 308 codes.
  • Send each old page to the closest matching new page. Sending many old pages to one unrelated page, like the home page, can confuse visitors. Google may treat it as a missing page.
  • If a page is truly gone, let it show a "not found" error instead.
  • Avoid chains, where page A forwards to B, which forwards to C. Point straight to the final page.
  • Keep the redirects "for as long as possible, generally at least 1 year."

Google also says permanent redirects don't cost you the credit your pages earned from other sites linking to them. That credit is part of what Google calls PageRank.

Does changing website companies touch my Google Business Profile?

Not by itself. Your Business Profile is your listing on Google Search and Maps. It lives in your Google account, not on your website. A website move doesn't change it unless someone edits it.

Two things are worth checking. First, the website link on your profile should still open a working page after the move. Second, know who owns the profile. A profile can have several owners but only one primary owner. That should be you.

Your website still matters to the map. Google names three main factors in local ranking: relevance, distance and prominence. It describes prominence as how well-known a business is, based partly on how many websites link to you and how many reviews you have. A clean move protects the links pointing at your pages.

Who owns my domain and email, me or my web company?

You should. ICANN is the body that oversees domain names. It says it is "not recommended" to list designers, hosting providers or other third parties as your domain's registrant. The registrant is the owner on record. ICANN also says to register with an email address that isn't on the domain itself. It says never to give anyone your account login.

Email is the part owners forget. If your email ends in your web address, it runs on settings called MX records, kept where your domain is managed. Google's own help page warns that email "might not work correctly" if old or incorrect MX records are left in place. If the move touches those settings, your email settings must be copied exactly.

What should I hand the company that does the move?

Print this list and ask them to answer each line in writing before the move starts.

  1. The domain registrar login. Who holds it today? Confirm the account is in your name, with an email address you control that isn't on the domain.
  2. Email on the domain. Where does your email run today? Will the move change any domain settings? If so, who copies the email settings, and who sends a test message after?
  3. Redirects. Ask for a list of every old page address next to its new address. Ask that each one uses a permanent 301 redirect and stays in place at least a year.
  4. Search Console. Are you an owner of your site's Search Console account? Google notes that some ways of proving ownership can break in a move, so ask them to confirm yours will keep working. If the domain changes, ask who files the Change of Address.
  5. The sitemap. A sitemap is a file that lists your pages for Google. Google says to submit the new one in Search Console so it learns the new addresses.
  6. The form. Who tests the contact form on the new site? Where do submissions go, and does a real person get them?
  7. Phone tracking numbers. List every phone number on your site and your Google profile. Who owns each one? Does it stay with you if you leave? Google's rules say the number on your profile must be under the direct control of the business.
  8. A check one to two weeks after the move. Put a date on the calendar now, with the company, to go through the checks below.

What should I check one to two weeks after the move?

  • Open a few old page addresses from an old email or bookmark. Each should land on the right new page, not the home page or an error.
  • Send yourself a message through the website form and confirm it arrives.
  • Call each number on the site and on your Google profile.
  • Send an email to your business address from a personal account.
  • In Search Console, check that the new sitemap was read and that Google is picking up the new page addresses. Google suggests watching traffic shift from the old addresses to the new ones.
  • Compare your search numbers with the same weeks last year, not just last month. Google's own guide to traffic drops suggests a year-over-year view, so a normal seasonal dip doesn't fool you.

Google doesn't say exactly when a slide stops being "temporary." If the numbers are still falling after several weeks, go back to the redirect list first. It is the longest list, so it is the easiest place to miss a page.

So is changing website companies ever risk-free?

No. Any move carries some risk, and Google says to expect a wobble. But the risk is mostly in steps you can check yourself. Keep your web address, forward every old page, and leave your Google profile alone.

Where does Alloro fit in?

This is Alloro's own work. Alloro builds and hosts websites, and moves the current site over. The domain and content stay yours, with a copy whenever you ask. Every change Alloro drafts waits for your okay. It costs $499 a month per location, with no contract.

Sources

How this article was made: AI helped draft it. A person checked every fact against the sources listed above and approved it before it was published.