How to update the site URL in browser search? Domain name change is not appearing on search results

Hi Team,

I would like to change/delete my Shopify managed domain that I can’t edit from my end.

The actual issue is the domain name was changed and made as Primary domain so the site is pointing to the primary domain but still my customers are able to see the old domain name in google/ or any browser search, which is confusing the users.

Issue: Primary Domain URL is not appearing on browser results.

For example:

Actual site URL: luxortarding.ca (current primary domain)

but in a browser search, it shows: antarlab.ca (my previous domain name)

Please see attached screenshots of browser results vs actual site URL and my domains list on my account in word doc. Kindly check and provide a solution to solve this issue.

Thank you!

Hey @Ismail_2021 ,

How long ago did you set your primary domain to be luxortarding.ca? You just might want to update Google on the change of name. The best way to do that is to submit your sitemap to Google. In essence, Google needs to be informed of what your store status is and the information on it.

Resubmit Your Sitemap

All Shopify stores automatically generate a sitemap.xml file that contains links to products, product images, pages, collections, and blog posts. Your sitemap is located at the root directory of your primary domain name.

All you have to do is navigate to your Google Search Console account, go to the left navigation bar, and click on Sitemaps under Index. Now, where it says Enter sitemap URL, simply enter your domain https://www.luxortarding.ca and add /sitemap.xml. Then click submit! Easy as that.

We have a fantastic guide that walks you through finding and submitting your sitemap below:

Primary Domain

Keep the old domain on file, and set the new domain as the primary (with the redirection box checked below where you set the primary). It’s definitely a good idea to keep your old domain for as long as you can and redirect it to the new domain. This way, you won’t miss traffic from old links that were posted on your Social Media or saved by your customers. Another thing you can do is set up URL Redirects. This way, when you do retire your old domain, the dead links will still redirect to your new domain.

If you would like the original domain permanently removed from your admin, we’ll need to access your account directly. While we’re not able to provide account-specific support via the Shopify Community at this time, we’d be happy to continue assisting you through live chat, email, or callback. Please visit https://bit.ly/3cJkx8V and log in to your account to create a support request.

SEO

Whilst we are on the topic of search engines, what steps have you taken to improve your search engine ranking so far? People who find your online store in Google are probably looking for products like yours, so they are more likely to buy something. One area of your store that can really help drive organic traffic is adding unique Meta Descriptions. Products, Collections, and Pages all have Meta Descriptions that you’re able to customize yourself, in the Edit website SEO Section at the bottom of their admin pages.

There are a couple of things that you should keep in mind in order to have an SEO description that ranks well. You want to write the description as if you’re writing it to a potential customer, touching on descriptive words about the product and its use. A lot of the time merchants list keywords without any structure, thinking the more keywords the better - but this is not the case. We have a great blog with further detail on this right here.