Hello! I was wondering if changing the domain or completely removing the site from the index and then placing it on a new domain, while keeping the old domain for redirection, would help eliminate external links.

The main point is this: the site was initially well-prepared and optimized for both visitors and search engines. It started off strong in search engine rankings, reaching the first page for key keywords. However, it started to decline over time. I have long forgotten about the 10k milestone. Interestingly, these changes coincided with the appearance of 4xx responses on unknown links in the webmaster tool. After some investigation, it was discovered that the dropped domain used to belong to another site ten years ago. Now, there are external necro links from 10-15 years ago, most of which are similar to purchased ones, pointing to the site. According to pr-cy version, approximately 80% of SEO links are directed towards the site.

My main question is, if the old domain is solely used for redirecting old customers to the new site, will this have a negative impact on SEO? Or are there other solutions worth considering?

Thank you in advance!

Changing the domain and redirecting the old domain to a new one can have both positive and negative impacts on SEO. On the positive side, it may help eliminate the effects of external necro links from 10-15 years ago that are pointing to the site. By redirecting the old domain to the new one, you can ensure that visitors who try to access the old domain will still find your new site. This can help maintain customer loyalty and prevent them from abandoning your website if they can't find it anymore.

However, there are some potential negative impacts to consider. When you change domains, search engines need to re-index and re-evaluate the new site, which can temporarily affect your rankings. Additionally, any SEO authority that the old domain had acquired over time may not be fully transferred to the new domain. This means that some of the search engine rankings you had achieved with the old domain may not immediately carry over to the new one.

To minimize negative impacts on SEO, it is important to properly set up redirects using 301 redirects, which inform search engines that the old domain has permanently moved to a new location. You should also proactively reach out to websites that have backlinks to the old domain and ask them to update their links to the new domain if possible.

Lastly, it's worth noting that addressing the root cause of the decline in search engine rankings may also be beneficial. If you can identify and resolve any issues related to the 4xx responses or other technical issues, it could help improve your site's overall SEO performance.

In addition to domain changes and redirects, there are a few other solutions worth considering to address the decline in search engine rankings:

1. Conduct a backlink audit: Identify and analyze all the backlinks pointing to your site, both from the old domain and any other sources. Determine the quality and relevance of these links and disavow any low-quality or spammy links that might be negatively impacting your SEO.

2. Focus on creating high-quality content: Content is crucial for SEO success. Ensure your website has valuable, relevant, and well-optimized content that attracts and engages visitors. Regularly update your content and incorporate targeted keywords to boost your search engine rankings.

3. Improve on-page optimization: Optimize your website's on-page elements, including titles, meta descriptions, headings, alt tags, and URLs. Make sure they are keyword-rich, accurately describe the content, and follow best practices for on-page SEO.

4. Build high-quality backlinks: Instead of relying solely on existing links, actively work on acquiring high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites within your industry. Guest posting, participating in industry forums, or engaging in influencer marketing can help you build these valuable backlinks.

5. Monitor and improve page speed: Page loading speed is an important ranking factor. Optimize your website's performance by minimizing file sizes, leveraging caching techniques, and using a content delivery network (CDN) to reduce load times. Regularly monitor your website's speed and make necessary adjustments to enhance user experience and search engine rankings.

To address the problem, changing the site domain can be a viable option in eliminating certain external links; however, it may not be the most optimal solution.

If you want to remove unwanted external links pointing to your site, there are alternative methods you should consider:

1) Reach out to the administrators of the referring websites and request for the removal of the links.
2) Utilize Google Search Console to send requests for link removal (provided you have registered and verified your site).
3) Make use of a disavow file to direct search engines to disregard specific links.

While changing the domain can be beneficial if your current domain has a negative reputation with search engines or lacks user recognition, it is essential to weigh the potential risks involved. These risks may include loss of traffic and the impact on page rankings in search results. Therefore, it is crucial to thoroughly evaluate all aspects and conduct a comprehensive analysis before making the decision to change the domain.

If you find yourself in this situation, it is crucial to acquire a fresh domain. Make sure to verify its clean history by checking web archive and whoishistory.
Regarding the old domain, redirecting it may transfer unwanted links that could interfere with the new site. To avoid this, creating a mirrored site and preventing indexing through robots is the preferable course of action.


When changing domains, it is essential to ensure a clean history for the new domain. This can be done by examining web archive and whoishistory.
Additionally, redirecting the old domain can lead to the transfer of unwanted links that may disrupt the new website. A recommended approach is to create a mirrored version of the old site and prevent search engines from indexing it using robots.txt.