Bing Outshines Google In Handling Domain Name Changes

I have had the unfortunate experience of changing domain names on two sites the last month. In both cases, Google failed miserably while Bing shined like a bright morning star.

Here are the steps that were taken for both domain name changes.

• New domain name was set up and double checked for URL integrity, etc.
• Both the new and old domains were verified in Google webmaster tools
• The change of address form was completed in Google webmaster tools
• A 301 redirect was set up for both domains using .htaccess to redirect all pages to their new page location

The only issue that occurred, was a problem with an indexed SSL page for one of the sites that was not redirecting properly. After fixing the issue, it was dropped from the index. However, the experience for both sites was remarkably similar.

End of week 1

• Google: traffic drops by 90%. Continues to hold the home page of the old domain in index ahead of new domain home page.
• Bing: Rankings drop by 40%. However, much more of new domain is indexed and old domain pages drop out of the index.

End of week 2

• Google: Everyone is seriously bummed by lack of traffic (and revenue). Traffic is pitiful to say the least. Very little change in the amount of pages indexed by Google for both sites. Major keyword rankings slip even further in the SERPS. Both old and new domains appear to be in the sandbox.
• Bing: A greater rate of indexation occurs. A strong upward movement in rankings for major keywords including several top ten rankings for keywords previously in the top ten.

End of week 3

• Google: An alarmingly high number of pages from the old domains still remain within Google’s index. Only 50% of pages found in the SERPS are showing the new domain name. Rankings have not recovered at all.
• Bing: 98% of all related searches in Bing now reflect the new domain name. All keyword rankings have returned and several are actually stronger than before.

Some take aways:

Google:

• Google may not immediately (or ever) transfer all of the domain metrics along with Page Rank to the new domain.
• Trust from domain age may not be transferred. I noticed that the sites started receiving very long tail keyword traffic with no major rankings as a new domain would with initial link building.
• Even though it seems there is a system in place to facilitate smooth domain name changes, it just doesn’t work. As a matter of fact, it failed to meet any of its implied expectations.
• If you depend on organic traffic, do not change your domain name unless you absolutely have too.

Bing:

• Bing indexed the new site much faster and carried out the 301 redirect, even without notification through their version of webmaster tools.
• All rankings quickly recovered
• Some rankings significantly improved based upon the new domain names
• Changing your domain name with a proper 301 redirect will only cause a short term loss in traffic.

18 Responses to “Bing Outshines Google In Handling Domain Name Changes”

1. Norris Hall says:

   December 30, 2009 at 9:38 am

   I maintain some forums and blogs.
   Bing fails to identify them using common search terms.
   Google finds most of them
   So I’m encouraging my potential readers to search using Google.
2. Jason says:

   December 30, 2009 at 1:06 pm

   @Norris, I am not encouraging my readers to do either. I figure they can use any search engine that they want. Just a matter of understanding how each works for webmasters.
3. Brian says:

   December 30, 2009 at 10:36 pm

   I had just purchased a new domain about a week ago, although Google had it listed right away, my old sub-domain name still does better in the search results under the same search terms. Go figure!
4. DavidBlizzard says:

   December 31, 2009 at 8:09 pm

   Jason, thanks for sharing your experience. Changing domain names has always been a tough decision and there needs to be a very good reason to do so. Branding or trademark issues are two items that might justify a name change anything else should really be questioned for an established name. I hope it all works out for you.
   .-= DavidBlizzard´s last blog ..Link Building – White, Gray, and Fade to Black =-.
5. tommy@home improvement says:

   January 2, 2010 at 1:13 pm

   The shining Star BING VS The Monster GOOGLE
   yeah it’s gonna rock in the future, but for some reason i think i still like google than bing because 85% my traffic from google .-= tommy@home improvement´s last blog ..Quick Repair For Leaking Pipes =-.
6. Kai says:

   January 3, 2010 at 12:46 am

   This is interesting because I never really paid attention to Bing until now. I just wish it would be easier to figure out how to rank high with Bing for SEO.
   .-= Kai´s last blog ..SEO =-.
7. Eren Mckay says:

   January 5, 2010 at 12:52 pm

   I’ve always suspected this to be true. That’s one of the reasons I’m very very cautious as to making this kind of change. Thanks so much for sharing your tests. Awesome - I’m gonna tweet it now.
   All the best,
   Eren
   .-= Eren Mckay´s last blog ..How to stay calm while being more productive =-.
8. james@cheap electric guitars says:

   January 5, 2010 at 5:13 pm

   I’ve noticed that I’ve been having a lot better experience with bing than I have been with google. Even general SEO and promotion efforts seem to be more viable with bing than Google. For one website, I’ve been consistently sliding in google but consistently climbing in bing and yahoo.
   .-= james@cheap electric guitars´s last blog ..Beginner Guitars: How to Choose =-.
9. How to do a .htaccess 301 redirect says:

   January 7, 2010 at 12:12 pm

   [...] Bing Outshines Google In Handling Domain Name Changes Categories : SEO 301 [...]
10. Mushtaq@backup software says:

    January 8, 2010 at 10:10 am

    We have paid attention to bing, So bing is important things towards page ranking
11. Todd@newport news moving companies says:

    January 8, 2010 at 3:05 pm

    This is a really interesting case study. From my experience, Google has always been slow to notice changes and reflect them in the search results. It’s nice to know that Bing is doing a decent job of it. I have a site for which Google still shows an old page in the search results even though that page was removed a whole month ago!
12. Anne says:

    January 18, 2010 at 3:36 am

    Good case study there. Looks like Google will actually have to put more into improving their search engine in lieu of the new competition.
    .-= Anne´s last blog ..Does Skype Owe You Money? They’re Willing to Pay =-.
13. Gomez@windshield repair says:

    January 20, 2010 at 6:43 am

    That’s messed up… I have a friend who is about to move his blog’s URL, just because he “feels like it.” I think a friendly “heads up” is in order…
    .-= Gomez@windshield repair´s last blog ..Winter survival kit part one: windshield broom/scraper =-.
14. Paul@Best HD Camcorders says:

    January 31, 2010 at 6:59 pm

    Google has been real flaky lately. They don’t index correctly also. I had a website that it indexed only the about page. And if you make any drastic changes your site will fluctuate dramatically while Bing and also yahoo stays steady.
    .-= Paul@Best HD Camcorders´s last blog ..The Inexpensive Memorex MCC228RSBLK HD Camcorder =-.
15. Alberta Business Plans says:

    February 1, 2010 at 10:56 am

    I have been with google. Even general SEO and promotion efforts seem to be more viable with bing than Google.
    .-= Alberta Business Plans´s last blog ..Government of Canada Grants $900,000 in Funding to Viandes Laroche Inc =-.
16. Alan@Tulsa Real Estate says:

    February 4, 2010 at 2:32 am

    The problem is that google takes a while to transfer the credentials of the old one to new site, but i havent tracked the changes with bing yet. Your post provides some interesting insights to what happens with domain changes. Lots of things to be implied from the above.
    .-= Alan@Tulsa Real Estate´s last blog ..Feng Shui Tips for buying a home =-.
17. James@Long Beach Bars says:

    February 8, 2010 at 12:35 pm

    I am really happy to hear that Bing is getting some credit for what they did. I have been using Bing and seriously I kind of like it better.
18. Camile@ Turning Winds says:

    February 8, 2010 at 5:04 pm

    I’ve haven’t been trying using bing before. But with your test regarding the great changes on handling domain names really is a kicker. I would consider it and try it as well.

    Thanks for sharing this to me as a rookie in blogging, I need to learn more. A lot! .-= Camile@ Turning Winds´s last blog ..Welcome to Simple Wishes! =-.