If I am changing my domain for my website and want to keep using the same Google Analytics account to keep the data from the old domain. How should I proceed?

[brianhughes]

If I am changing my domain for my website and want to keep using the same Google Analytics account to keep the data from the old domain. How should I proceed? Do I have to start a new Google Analytics account for the new domain? If so how do I keep the old data? Or can I use the same GA account?

Thank you.

[brianhughes]

Yup, that's what I thought. Nope, no domain in the code. Thank you very much for the help Jared.

[JaredMumford]

Right - analytics doesnt actually use the domain in the tracking code, unless you are doing special types of tracking, so as long as you are doing regular Analytics tracking, you can simply port over the code.

Go take a look at your code, and see if there are any setDomain parameters or anything else where your domain is listed right in the tracking code. If not, you're OK.

Also, I would go to the analytics profile and then the ADMIN > PROPERTY SETTINGS and change the default URL (though this doesn't affect tracking code, its good for continuity.)

[brianhughes]

Hello Jared,

Here is an example of what I'm doing. The domain I was tracking was www.originaldomain.com for my website and now I have switched to a new domain www.newdomain.com. Still the same website but a different domain. I am cancelling the old domain and just using the new domain from now on.

So if I keep the same GA account and change the domain in the settings, will the old data stay or will I lose it?

[JaredMumford]

Hi Brian -

Simply use the same analytics account - you can usually copy paste the code, but make sure if your tracking is different (maybe you are tracking a subdomain now, or maybe you are an ecomm site where variables need to be edited for ecomm tracking).

When you add it to the new site, make an annotation in Google Analytics showing that you made the domain change on that date (its just handy when youre looking back at October a year from now).

Dont forget to 301 your old pages to your new ones!