Replacing a domain name with new one and SE

[Corwin]

EDIT - SE Indexing

[Manu]

simply put: you cant switch the name.

Keep using the domain you have highly ranked and simply point the new domain you have to that url.

If you do want to use the new name, then you will have to do what you did to your last website - Search Engine Optimizing the pages so they are picked up, use exisitng meta tags on the new domain name, but maybe produce a carbon copy of your current site so it is under the new domain name - this way you will have 2 physical websites, both with content + high ranking in search engines

[wyvern]

Making a carbon copy and keeping both sites up is not the answer, you will get punished for having duplicate content.

One solution would be to move all content to the new site and make the old site a 301 permanent redirect. The se's would pick up that the old site has been replaced with the new and theoretically no loss in the serps.

[Kazam]

I think keep the name as it is and just point the new one to it without submitting it to search engines. Lots of pros and cons but thats what I do.