What is the best way to change the URL along with the brand name change & having a minimal affect on the traffic

[sharp_instincts]

We are changing our brand name & hence our URL should change as well What is the best way to do that keeping in view we donot want to take a hit on the existing traffic to our ecommerce site as we get a good revenue from the site. Can someone give me the best strategy to approach this or share there experience with a similar issue they have dealt earlier

[sharp_instincts]

Thanks for the response @Nicholas White . We are thinking about duplicating the site and updating the content and imagery on the new site and leave the other one active.

Once we hit critical mass then we setup the redirects as to now take the hit in the short term.

What do you think? Anybody done this before?

[NickW816]

Depending on how large the website is, I would make sure that each page on the old website 301 redirects to the most similar and relevant page on the new website, assuming you are offering the same types of products or services. Unfortunately, there will probably still be a lapse to getting your rankings and traffic back up to where they were, but making sure all of the pages 301 redirect to new pages on the website (not all to the homepage), and then using a service like Moz Local or Yext to make sure all of your directory listings are switched over to the new brand name and website will make the transition smoother.

P.S.: This may also be a good time to take advantage of a press release, writing a blog post about the name change, and additional social promotion, this will allow you to explain why you made the brand change, and what your new values, services, etc. are.