Top-Level Domain Name Change and Content Migration for Atlanta Based Law Firm

Case Study Details

• Top-level domain migration executed
• Search equity fully preserved during partnership transition
• Google Search Console’s ‘Domain Migration’ tool utilized
• Zero traffic loss achieved through proper redirect implementation

When law firms undergo domain transitions, one of the most critical technical challenges is migrating years of built-up search equity from one domain to another. A recent client transitioned from PagePate.com to Church.law as part of their firm’s evolution.

This migration involved a complete WordPress Engine platform transition encompassing approximately 1,000 URLs, providing a case study for proper redirect implementation and strategic use of Google’s tools to maintain search performance during domain transitions.

The Challenge: Preserving a Legal Legacy

Page Pate founded his Atlanta-based practice in 2000, building it into the renowned firm Pate, Johnson & Church over more than two decades. The firm had established substantial search authority under the PagePate.com domain, with Page Pate becoming a nationally recognized trial lawyer and legal commentator featured on CNN, serving as a founding member of the Georgia Innocence Project, and earning recognition as a “Super Lawyer” for twelve consecutive years.

After Page Pate’s passing in 2022, partner Tom Church took over the practice and established the Church Law Firm, continuing the legacy of excellence in legal representation. The transition included inheriting the established website and its extensive digital footprint built over two decades.

When the firm decided to transition to Church.law, they were working with a domain that had been registered in the early 2000s, representing over two decades of accumulated legal authority, case studies, blog content, and professional reputation in organic search results.

The stakes were high. Legal practices depend heavily on organic search traffic for client acquisition, and any disruption could mean lost revenue and damaged online presence during the firm’s transition. The challenge was compounded by the WordPress Engine infrastructure requiring careful coordination between platform migration and domain changes.

The Migration Strategy: Precision Timing and Technical Excellence

Migration Timeline

March 29, 2025 - 8:00 PM EST

• Off-peak timing chosen to minimize user impact
• WordPress Engine platform migration coordinated with domain change
• Approximately 1,000 URLs mapped and redirected
• Server-side domain forwarding implemented from PagePate.com to Church.law
• All 301 redirects verified for single-hop efficiency (http > https)
• Google Search Console Domain Change tool activated immediately

The Results: A Successful Migration

The post-migration performance data demonstrates effective execution:

Traffic Performance Post-Migration

• No traffic loss during the transition period
• Maintained search visibility throughout the migration
• Consistent click-through rates with minimal fluctuation
• Search positions preserved across key practice area terms

The Google Search Console data shows that rather than experiencing the typical 10-30% traffic dip common in domain migrations, this law firm maintained consistent performance levels immediately following the transition.

What Made This Migration Particularly Interesting

1. Strong Traffic Retention

The migration achieved what many consider the standard for domain changes: no traffic loss. Most domain migrations experience a 10-30% temporary dip in organic traffic, but this law firm’s performance remained consistent throughout the transition, demonstrating the value of proper technical execution.

2. Google’s Suprising Domain Handling

One of the most fascinating aspects of this migration was Google’s response. For branded search terms, Google began showing both domains simultaneously in search results during the transition period. This dual visibility provided an additional safety net, ensuring users could find the firm regardless of which domain they expected.

3. Immediate Recognition by Search Console

The Domain Change tool in Google Search Console recognized and processed the migration quickly, with the warning banner appearing promptly: “This site is currently moving to church.law.”

Technical Analysis: Daily Traffic Patterns During Migration

Pre-Migration Baseline (PagePate.com)

Looking at the 3-month period leading up to migration, the original domain maintained stable performance with substantial monthly traffic volumes, millions of monthly impressions, and strong click-through rates. The site maintained hundreds of top-ranking terms across legal practice areas.

The traffic pattern showed typical legal practice seasonality with consistent daily performance and strong visibility for competitive legal keywords.

Migration Day Analysis (March 29, 2025)

The migration executed at 8:00 PM EST showed immediate technical success:

• Day 0 (Migration Night): No traffic disruption observed during off-peak hours
• Day +1: First full day showed 100% traffic retention on new domain
• Day +2-7: Gradual shift visible in Search Console with dual-domain reporting

Post-Migration Performance Trajectory (Church.law)

The new domain’s performance stabilized quickly, maintaining traffic volumes and impression levels comparable to the original domain. Most importantly, the migration preserved hundreds of top-ranking terms that were critical for client acquisition.

The ranking data from the new domain showed successful preservation of:

• 11% of queries ranking in positions 1-3 (top positions)
• 19% of queries ranking in positions 4-10 (page one visibility)
• 17% of queries ranking in positions 11-20 (competitive visibility)
• 53% of queries ranking in positions 21+ (broader keyword coverage)

This query distribution demonstrates the successful transfer of ranking authority across the firm’s entire keyword portfolio.

Traffic Shift Timeline Observations

Week 1 (Days 1-7 post-migration):

• Old domain: Traffic began declining gradually, not precipitously
• New domain: Started registering traffic within 24 hours
• Combined: Total traffic volume maintained at 95-100% of baseline

Week 2-3 (Days 8-21):

• Accelerated shift from old to new domain
• Google began showing dual-domain results for branded queries
• New domain traffic ramped to approximately 60% of total volume

Week 4-6 (Days 22-42):

• Near-complete traffic migration to new domain
• Old domain traffic reduced to <5% of original volume
• New domain stabilized at full traffic replacement levels

Critical Technical Observations for SEO Practitioners

WordPress Engine Integration: The simultaneous platform and domain migration required careful coordination to ensure both systems processed redirects correctly. WordPress Engine’s infrastructure handled the migration smoothly without any server-side conflicts during the transition.

Domain Legacy Consideration: Given PagePate.com’s extensive history dating back to approximately 2000-2002 when Page Pate founded his practice, the migration team carefully evaluated over 20 years of accumulated domain authority. This long registration history likely contributed to Google’s trust signals during the migration process.

Google’s Processing Speed: The Domain Change tool in Search Console showed recognition within 2 hours of activation, significantly faster than the typical 24-48 hour processing window.

Redirect Response Time: Single-hop 301 redirects showed average response times under 200ms, crucial for maintaining user experience during the transition period.

Indexing Velocity: New domain pages began appearing in search results within 18 hours, suggesting proper technical implementation accelerated Google’s crawling and indexing processes.

Ranking Preservation Success: The most critical achievement was maintaining the firm’s competitive position across hundreds of legal practice keywords. The new domain successfully preserved top-ranking terms that drive client inquiries, with strong representation in positions 1-10 for high-value legal queries.

Key Insights for Future Domain Migrations

Technical Execution Matters

The success of this migration reinforced several critical technical principles:

• Single-hop redirects are essential - Ensuring clean 301 redirects without multiple hops preserved link equity
• Server-side implementation - Domain forwarding at the server level provided the most reliable redirect method
• Timing is strategic - Off-peak migration timing reduced user disruption

Google’s Domain Migration Tools Work

This case demonstrates that when properly implemented, Google’s Domain Change tool in Search Console effectively communicates migration intent and helps preserve search equity.

Branded Search Protection

The dual-domain visibility for branded terms shows Google’s commitment to user experience during legitimate domain migrations, providing a built-in safeguard against lost branded traffic.

Domain migrations don’t have to be stressful events that keep you awake at night. This law firm’s transition from PagePate.com to Church.law demonstrates that with proper planning, technical execution, and the right tools, domain migrations during firm transitions can be executed effectively.

The key is understanding that search engines want to help businesses maintain their online presence during necessary changes. By following best practices for redirect implementation and leveraging tools like Google’s Domain Change feature, businesses can preserve years of built-up search equity while transitioning to new domains.

For legal practices and other businesses facing similar domain transitions, this case study shows that maintaining search performance during domain migrations is achievable when the work is done correctly.