The site is being planned for rebranding, including the name of the site, the domain name, and the domain zone, from "DE" to "INFO".

Although it might seem clear after reading a lot of material, doubts still persist:

1. Is the domain zone important for ranking a site in German searches, especially for "info"?

2. Should the CMS be transferred from one domain to another?

3. What can be expected in general? How long does it take for the site to recover from rebranding? Has anyone had any personal experience, and what difficulties have been encountered? Should subscribers on social media be notified about the upcoming rebranding?

With all these questions looming, it's natural to feel unsure about the situation and to have more questions than answers. It's important to consider all the potential implications before proceeding with the rebranding process.

It's crucial to consider the implications of rebranding, especially when it involves changing the domain name and zone. Let's address each of the concerns:

1. The domain zone does play a role in determining the geographic relevance of a website, especially for local searches. While "DE" signifies Germany, "INFO" is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) and doesn't carry the same geographic association. However, search engines have advanced algorithms that can understand the target audience of a site, so the impact on ranking may not be significant if other factors such as content and backlinks are strong. It's important to ensure that the website has content relevant to the German audience and consider using geotargeting settings in Google Search Console.

2. When transferring the CMS from one domain to another, it's essential to set up 301 redirects to inform search engines that the page has permanently moved. Additionally, updating internal links, sitemaps, and informing the CMS provider about the domain change is crucial. This process needs to be carefully planned to avoid any negative impact on SEO and user experience.

3. Rebranding can have varying impacts on a site's performance. It's common to see fluctuations in rankings and traffic during the initial phase after rebranding. Recovery time can range from a few weeks to several months, depending on the thoroughness of the migration process and the strength of the new brand. Personal experiences with rebranding often involve challenges related to maintaining consistent messaging, losing some organic traffic temporarily, and ensuring the smooth transition of social media followers. Notifying subscribers on social media about the upcoming rebranding is important to manage expectations, maintain engagement, and convey the evolution of the brand.

A mirror site is essentially a duplicate or partial copy of a website that is also being indexed by search engines. Having a mirror site means that some of the page ranking weight is distributed to the mirror, which is generally not beneficial for SEO.

While having a mirror site may pose some drawbacks for SEO, it also comes with its own set of advantages. It can help eliminate trailing slashes in URLs and potentially improve the effectiveness of search engine optimization efforts.

When everything is implemented correctly, a temporary issue may arise, resulting in a drop in the site's position. Search engines are bound to react, even if the changes are made for the right reasons. However, the decrease in positions is typically temporary, usually around 15%, and does not lead to the site being completely removed from search results. Normally, the positions should return within 3-4 weeks, assuming weekly updates are in place, although updates are now less frequent.

To ensure a smooth transition, it's essential to follow a structured plan:

1. Prevent the new mirror site from being indexed, establish the site structure, implement linking and breadcrumbs, and transfer content.
2. Create a comprehensive list of redirects if there have been changes to the site structure, accounting for nested pages and paths.
3. Open the site for indexing and set up 301 redirects page by page, ensuring to address www and http variations.
4. Fine-tune the robot file, configure the sitemap, and add the mirror site to the webmaster panel.
5. Verify that all old links do not result in 404 errors but instead open at the new addresses.
6. Set the landing pages for reindexing (with a limit of 20 per day).
7. Exercise patience through several updates, possibly refraining from link building until search engine dоcuments are updated and the new mirror site is recognized by search engines.

It's crucial to approach each step meticulously and allow sufficient time for search engines to acknowledge and accommodate the changes. This process demands attention to detail and adherence to best practices to ensure a smooth and successful transition.