Google Search Console adds Change of Address tool to new interface

Google announced on Twitter that they have added the Change of Address tool to the new interface of Google Search Console. The change of address feature was available in the old Search Console but was not migrated when Google shut down the old interface.

What is the change of address tool. This tool is a way to communicate to Google that your site has moved to a new address. Google says you can “use the Change of Address tool when you move your website from one domain or subdomain to another: for instance, from example.com to example.org or example2.com.” This tool tells Google about your change and helps to migrate your Google Search results from your old site to your new site.

What does it look like. Here is a screenshot of the new look for the Change of Address tool. You can access it under “Settings” in the new Search Console.

The announcement. Here is Google’s tweet announcing this update:

Why we care. The change of address tool is one of the fundamental tools used by SEOs and webmasters when migrating a site from one URL to another. It helps Google pick up on the change faster and helps site owners communicate the change has occurred. With it now migrated to the new interface, the community no longer needs to worry if Google will be killing off this feature — it is now in the new interface, which implies it will be around for the foreseeable future.

About The Author

Barry Schwartz

Barry Schwartz a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land and a member of the programming team for SMX events. He owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry can be followed on Twitter here.