Site Change of Address - best method?

[RiceMedia]

When changing domains, there's the obvious anxiety about sacrificing the value of your old domain.

A client recently changed domains, immediately killed the old site (did everything properly with 301s, Webmaster Tools etc etc etc) and lost rankings completely for weeks.  Turns out the site had been 'burnt' by the previous owner and it took a reconsideration request from Google before things recovered.  Cost them rankings and cash with extra PPC spend.

My question is: In order to avoid this potential hazard, what are your thoughts on submitting a change of address in Webmaster tools, but then leaving old site live for a few weeks to see how things pan out?

I have never tried it and it seems to go against the grain, but interested to hear other people's experiences and how they have managed to change domain with minimal temporary damage.

Thanks.

[RiceMedia]

Hi Marcus,

Yes I'm afraid so, the client in question removed a word from their company name and therefore they need to change the URL.

I'm pretty happy that we'll be able to do it with the minumum of damage, just wanted to put the question out here in case someone had an alternative method based on experience.  I agree there's no perfect way to do it, however I think building some strength for the new site before killing the old one is as good a plan as any.

Thanks again.

[Marcus_Miller]

Quick question, do you have to change domain? It really is best to avoid that if possible as there is no 100% perfect way to do it.

[RiceMedia]

Hi Marcus,

Thanks for your response - I had read that post with interest just before I posted my question (and gave you a thumbs up, of course!).

The issue is the old site has a PR of 5, the new site has a PR of 0!  So naturally I'm concerned that if we just kill the old site, we'll lose that considerable value and trust.

I've decided that I won't do the change of address in Webmaster Tools straight away, rather I think it's wise to get the on-site set up and do a month of off-site work to help build strength.  Then we'll do the full 301 / change of address next month.

Thanks for your input!

[Marcus_Miller]

There is always some temporary problems but it can be pretty quick, a few weeks even before things start picking up but that said, it's not something to take lightly.

I just covered this in some detail here:
http://www.seomoz.org/q/how-to-retain-link-juice-moving-to-new-site-cms-and-servers

Cheers
Marcus