This was a problem we had moving a site from one domain to another using the Google Search Console Change of Address Tool.
The validation was failing with a 301-redirect from homepage failed, even though all redirects were working properly. Knowing the Google Search Console can be a bit finicky we gave it 24 hours, but still the issue persisted.
What finally worked was going back to the main Search Console page and using the URL Inspection Tool on the homepage we wanted to move, then running the Change of Address Tool again.
The Search Console throws up false positives from time to time such as ‘Text too small to read’ or ‘Clickable elements too close together’. Logging in and inspecting a page fixes most issues – even moving domains.
Now, all the old site’s URLs and organic history are redirected without hurting SEO and losing any website traffic.
What we tried first
Initially we assumed the issue might simply be a delay within Google Search Console.
After setting up the redirects, we waited 24 hours and tested again, but the same validation error continued to appear.
What fixed it
The solution turned out to be surprisingly simple:
- Open Google Search Console
- Go to the original domain property
- Open the URL Inspection Tool
- Inspect the homepage URL you are moving
- Request indexing if available
- Return to the Change of Address Tool and run validation again
After doing this, the validation completed successfully.
Why this might happen
Google Search Console occasionally reports issues that don’t always reflect the current state of a website.
Examples include:
- Text too small to read
- Clickable elements too close together
- Redirect and indexing inconsistencies
- Delayed updates after site changes
In some cases, manually inspecting the affected page appears to force Search Console to refresh its understanding of the URL.
A few checks before moving a domain
Before running the Change of Address Tool, make sure:
- 301 redirects are correctly configured
- The old and new domains are verified in Search Console
- Redirects point directly to the new equivalent URLs
- The new domain is crawlable
- Important pages are not blocked in robots.txt
Final thoughts
If you’re seeing ‘301 redirect from homepage failed’ during a domain migration, it may not necessarily mean your redirects are broken.
Running a URL inspection on the homepage before repeating the Change of Address process solved the issue for us and could save a lot of unnecessary troubleshooting.
Once the move completed successfully, Google was able to follow the redirects and transfer signals across to the new domain.
