When a Brand Changes Its Name: Keeping Your Links Straight
Companies rename themselves, merge and move domains. Each change leaves old links, bookmarks and accounts pointing somewhere you need to check.
Why renames matter for links
Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, symbol or design is created for an established brand. For users, the visible part is often a new web address. Done well, the old address redirects to the new one for years. Done badly, the old address simply stops working, or is later picked up by someone else.
What can happen to the old address
- A clean redirect. The old domain sends visitors to the matching page on the new one. This is the best case.
- A redirect to the home page only. Deep links break, though the brand is still reachable.
- Nothing. The old domain stops responding.
- A new owner. The old domain expires and is bought by an unrelated party, who may use the old name's reputation to attract visitors.
How to tell a genuine rename from an impostor
- Look for an announcement on the old site or in an account email before the change.
- Check that the old address redirects to the new one, rather than a message simply telling you the brand has moved.
- Compare company details in the terms and privacy pages on both addresses.
- Be cautious when a message says "we have moved, log in here" and gives a link. Navigate to the new address yourself.
Researching a renamed service
When a service has changed its name, reviews and complaints may be split between the old and new names. Search for both. Independent pages that connect the two are useful, as long as they say where their information comes from. In the gaming sector, for example, this Traditional Chinese review page looks at whether one gaming brand has been renamed and collects its promotion terms from the platform's own event pages (必贏娛樂城評價). The approach is worth copying for any renamed service: establish whether the old and new names really are the same operator, then read the current terms on the current site rather than relying on what applied under the old name.
Tidy up after a rename
- Update bookmarks to the new address and delete the old ones.
- Update saved passwords so your password manager recognises the new domain.
- Check that account emails now come from the new domain.
- If you publish pages, update outbound links to the new address rather than relying on redirects.
Keep a short record
A note in the bookmark description, such as the old name and the date you updated it, makes it much easier to recognise both names later.
Last checked 2026-11-09