Yes—Google can still show old-domain URLs four months after a site move. Google processes moved pages URL by URL, and says that most pages on a small-to-medium-sized site can take a few weeks to move, while larger sites can take longer. Four months is not, by itself, proof that a migration is either healthy or broken. Check that old URLs redirect to relevant new pages, that the new pages can be indexed, and that Search Console shows progress from the old property to the new one.
Why old-domain results can remain
A domain move is not a single switch that changes every search result at once. Google must discover and process the moved URLs. Its site-move guidance says timing depends on the number of URLs and server speed: most pages on a small-to-medium-sized site may move in a few weeks, while larger sites can take longer. That is a general estimate, not a guarantee or a four-month failure threshold.
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Old URLs may therefore remain visible while Google processes the migration. The title alone does not establish the cause for a particular site; the migration date, redirects, indexing directives, canonical URLs, and Search Console data all matter.
First, identify what kind of move you made
The right migration steps depend on whether the public URLs changed domains, changed only in some other way, or stayed the same.
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- Domain or subdomain change: For example, moving from one domain to another. Verify both sites in Search Console and submit Change of Address from the old property.
- HTTP to HTTPS, www to non-www, or a path change on the same domain: These are URL changes, but they do not require the Change of Address tool.
- Hosting-only move: If the URLs did not change, follow hosting-move guidance rather than treating it as a domain change.
Google describes the distinction and the Change of Address process in its URL-change migration guidance.
Check redirects from old URLs to new URLs
For every changed URL, the old address should return a permanent redirect directly to its relevant new equivalent. Google recommends permanent server-side redirects when a URL has moved. A temporary redirect does not send the same canonicalization signal. See Google’s redirect guidance.
Do not send many unrelated old pages to the new homepage. Google warns that this can confuse users or cause the destination to be treated as a soft 404. Each destination should be an existing, useful page that matches the old page’s purpose.
- Choose representative high-value old URLs, including important pages and any URLs that are still appearing in search.
- Request each old URL and check that it returns a permanent redirect to the corresponding new URL, not an unrelated page or a chain of unnecessary redirects.
- Open the final destination and confirm it returns a usable page rather than an error, an empty response, or another redirect to the wrong location.
- For a large site, crawl the old URL list and review redirect destinations and HTTP errors across the full mapping.
Make sure the new pages are eligible for indexing
A correct redirect cannot resolve a problem on the destination page. Use Search Console’s URL Inspection on representative new URLs and check the following:
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- The page is accessible to Googlebot and is not blocked by a migration-only
robots.txtrule. - The page does not carry a migration-only
noindexdirective. - Its canonical annotation points to the new URL, rather than the old domain or a different page.
- The destination returns a successful response and does not lead to a crawl error.
Google lists redirect errors, crawl errors, and indexing-signal checks among its migration troubleshooting steps. Its crawling-error guidance can help investigate failures reported in Search Console.
Compare old and new sites in Search Console
Look at both properties over time rather than relying on one search for the old domain. Review sitemap status, indexed URL trends, queries, and crawl errors. During a move, Google says the indexed count for the old sitemap should fall as the count for the new sitemap rises. Redirect warnings on the old sitemap can be normal during this process; they do not, on their own, mean that redirects are broken. See Google’s site-move monitoring guidance.
- Submit a sitemap containing the new URLs to the new property.
- Check whether new URLs are being discovered and indexed, and whether old indexed URLs are declining.
- Review queries and traffic across both properties to see whether visibility is shifting to the new URLs.
- Check server access and error logs for Googlebot visits and unexpected HTTP errors.
Search Console data and logs help distinguish slow processing from a technical blockage. A single old-domain result is less informative than the direction of indexed URL counts, crawl errors, and traffic across the two properties.
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Confirm the migration administration is complete
For a move to a different domain or subdomain, verify the old and new Search Console properties and submit Change of Address for the old site, including applicable verified variants. That tool is not required for HTTP-to-HTTPS, www/non-www, or path changes on the same domain.
Keep redirects in place for as long as possible. Google recommends keeping them generally for at least one year to allow signals to transfer and Google to recrawl moved URLs. Check the migration steps against Google’s URL-change instructions.
What to do if the move still is not progressing
If new URLs are not being indexed, or Search Console shows persistent crawl errors, work through the technical checks before assuming the elapsed time is the cause.
- Fix any old URLs that do not redirect permanently to a relevant new equivalent.
- Remove migration-only blocks or
noindexdirectives from pages meant to appear in search. - Correct canonicals that still point to the old domain or to an unintended URL.
- Resolve errors on final destinations and check server logs for failed Googlebot requests or server responses.
- For a domain or subdomain change, confirm Change of Address was submitted for the old property and that the new sitemap contains the new URLs.
Google’s crawling and indexing FAQ provides additional context on discovery and indexing. If redirects, indexing eligibility, and migration administration are all correct, continue monitoring both properties: Google does not publish a universal deadline after which old-domain results prove a move has failed.
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