Changing your Salla store domain without losing SEO, while maintaining Google Merchant Center and keeping your products in search engines.
Changing the (Domain) of your (Salla) store can be a great move for your brand, but if it’s done incorrectly, it can cause a major drop in (SEO), create issues in (Google Merchant Center), and make your product pages start disappearing from search results (Search Results).
The goal here is to move your store to the new domain while keeping your product rankings, setting up the (Redirect) correctly, and verifying the new domain in (Search Console) — without losing the “power” of the old domain.
Why does changing the domain affect SEO?
Google treats any (Domain) as a new website. So if you migrate without a (301 Redirect) and the rest of the required settings, Google will see:
- Old links are dead (404 Not Found)
- Product pages are broken / disconnected
- Re-indexing (Indexing) almost from scratch
That’s why the most important step in an (SEO Migration) is a (301 Redirect), because it transfers visitors and helps Google move (Signals) from the old domain to the new one.
Before you start: preparations that prevent disasters
Before changing your (Salla) domain, pay attention to these points:
- Keep (URLs) stable: Try not to change product (Slugs) or category names.
- Stick with (HTTPS): Don’t migrate without an (SSL Certificate).
- Have your (Sitemap) ready: So you can submit it immediately in (Search Console).
Step 1: Connect the new domain in (Salla)
From the Salla dashboard:
- Store settings → (Domain)
- Add the new domain and connect it using the method Salla provides (usually (CNAME) or (Name Servers))
- Wait for activation, then set the new domain as (Primary)
The goal here is to make sure the store runs fully on the new domain before changing anything else.
Step 2: The most important SEO step — (301 Redirect) from the old domain to the new one
Don’t do a “homepage-only redirect” and leave—this is what kills product pages.
Golden rule:
Every old link must go to the exact same link on the new domain, keeping the same (Path):
olddomain.com/products/product-1
becomesnewdomain.com/products/product-1
Best approach (clear and short)
- If you use (Cloudflare): Create a 301 redirect rule with “Preserve path”
- If your domain provider supports forwarding (URL Forwarding): Choose Permanent (301) and make sure it keeps all paths
Quick test:
Try 10 old product links… if any link sends you to the homepage instead of the product page, your redirect is wrong.
Step 3: Verify the new domain in (Search Console)
This officially connects Google to your new domain and starts the “indexing transition”.
3.1 Add the new website (Property)
- Add the new domain as a (Domain Property)
- Verify it via (DNS TXT)
3.2 Submit the (Sitemap)
- Submit the (Sitemap) for the new domain to speed up product (Indexing)
3.3 Change of Address tool (Change of Address)
After confirming the 301 redirect works 100%:
- Open the old domain property in (Search Console)
- Use (Change of Address) and select the new domain
Step 4: Set up (Google Merchant Center) without product disapprovals
This part needs precision because Merchant Center is sensitive.
4.1 Update the website URL inside Merchant Center
In Merchant Center:
Settings → Business information → Website
Set it to the new domain.
4.2 Verification and (Claiming)
You must do:
- Verify (Verification) then Claim (Claiming) the new domain
Often the easiest way is via (Search Console) if your account is linked.
4.3 Update product links in the (Feed)
Every (link) in the (Feed) must point to the new domain, otherwise you’ll get issues like:
- Mismatched domain
- Crawled but not found
Step 5: After migration — monitor SEO so product rankings don’t drop
During the first 14 days, monitor in (Search Console):
- Pages / Coverage : Are there any 404 errors?
- Performance : Are visits starting to move to the new domain?
- URL Inspection : Check your top products
Important: Don’t shut down the old domain or stop the 301 redirect too soon. Keep it running for a long period so Google can finish transferring signals.
Common mistakes that ruin SEO and Merchant Center
- Redirecting only to the homepage (Homepage Redirect)
- Changing the domain + changing slugs (Slugs) at the same time
- Forgetting Change of Address (Change of Address)
- Forgetting to update the feed (Feed) in Merchant Center (Google Merchant Center)
