Switching from one domain name to another and the impact on search engine rankings

If you want to switch domain names there are certain procedures you should follow to minimise the impact to your live website and any SEO you've already carried out on the existing domain. 

With regards to SEO, you might see some short-term losses, but if the change is done the correct way (as outlined below) there shouldn't be any problems. However, we would encourage you to do your own research with regards to the potential impact on your rankings, to make sure you are happy to do it.

Steps for switching domains are as follows:

1. Register the domain.
2. Change the name servers of the domain as you did with your existing one.
3. Point the new domain name to your PromoteMyPlace website at the same time as the existing one.
4. Setup a 301 redirect from the old domain to the new one
5. Login to Google Search Console and tell Google you've moved - https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/83106 

Further info can be found here - https://www.123-reg.co.uk/blog/domains/how-to-move-to-a-new-gtld-like-a-champ-without-hurting-your-seo/ 

NB: We will need to do steps 3 & 4 for you.

Switching to one of the new TLD's such as .uk?

One possible negative of switching to a new TLD such as a .uk domain, is that people are not used to typing these directly into the browser and will naturally put .co.uk or .com on the end. So you may lose some direct traffic that way.

Therefore our recommendation would be to secure your new TLD domain and redirect it to your existing domain. Then perhaps think about switching when there's more evidence that the  new TLD domain names have been accepted by the public and are able to rank well in the search engines.