rebranding-strategy

When the user wants to plan or execute a rebrand—domain change, 301 redirects, migration, or announcement. Also use when the user mentions "rebranding," "reb...

Security Scan

This is an instruction-only rebranding guidance skill that is internally consistent with its purpose and does not request extra credentials or install code.

Purpose & Capability

The name/description match the instructions: the SKILL.md provides checklists, timelines, redirect guidance, and communication plans appropriate for a rebrand. It references related subskills (domain-selection, domain-architecture) which is coherent for this domain.

Instruction Scope

Instructions are principally advisory and scoped to rebranding tasks. They do instruct the agent to read project context files if present (.claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md) to gather brand/product info — this is reasonable for tailoring advice but does grant the skill read access to those project files. The skill suggests tools (curl, Screaming Frog) and actions (update GSC/GA4) but does not itself request credentials or contain commands that exfiltrate data.

Install Mechanism

No install spec or code files — instruction-only. No downloads, no binaries to install, and nothing is written to disk by the skill itself.

Credentials

The skill declares no required environment variables, credentials, or config paths. Suggested actions (updating Google Search Console or GA4) would in practice require credentials, but the SKILL.md does not request them, which is appropriate for a guidance-only skill.

Persistence & Privilege

Skill is not marked always:true and uses default invocation properties. It does not attempt to modify other skills or system-wide configuration; no elevated persistence is requested.

Assessment

This skill is guidance-only and appears coherent for planning a rebrand. Before installing: be aware it will try to read any project-context files (.claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md) if present — make sure those files don't contain secrets you wouldn't want read. The skill recommends operations (e.g., updating GSC/GA4, running curl or Screaming Frog) that in practice require credentials or local tooling; the skill does not itself request those credentials, so it will only provide instructions unless you supply access separately. If you need an agent to perform live actions (run curl, modify DNS, or call Google APIs), provision credentials/tools explicitly and review the agent's permissions first.

Strategy: Rebranding

Guides rebranding execution: domain change, 301 redirects, migration checklist, and communication (social media, internal). Plan for months, not days or weeks. See domain-selection for initial domain choice; domain-architecture for domain structure decisions; multi-domain-brand-seo when multiple domains coexist.

When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

Initial Assessment

Check for project context first: If .claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md exists, read it for brand and product info.

Identify:

1. Scope: Full rebrand (name, domain, identity) vs partial (logo, messaging only)
2. Domain change: Yes or no; old → new mapping
3. Timeline: Target launch date; typical 4–12 weeks
4. Channels: Website, social, product UI, directories, email

Rebranding Timeline (Typical)

Phase	Duration	Focus
Audit & plan	Weeks 1–2	Brand audit; inventory touchpoints; migration plan
Prepare	Weeks 2–6	New assets; redirect mapping; staging; backup
Pre-launch	Week 6–8	Internal announcement; social handle check; teasers
Launch	Week 8+	Go live; 301 redirects; multi-channel announcement
Post-launch	2–4 weeks	Monitor search, traffic; fix 404s; iterate

Principle: Plan for months. Avoid changing domain and major structure in one migration—split into smaller migrations when possible.

301 Redirect Best Practices

Practice	Purpose
1:1 mapping	Each old URL → most relevant new URL; never redirect all to homepage
301 (permanent)	Use 301, not 302; 302 does not fully transfer SEO equity
No chains/loops	Old URL → final destination directly; avoid A→B→C
Redirect mapping sheet	Document every old→new mapping; prevents ~80% of migration failures
Don't block in robots.txt	Redirected URLs should not be disallowed

Common Mistakes

• Redirect chains (multiple hops)
• Redirect loops
• Redirecting everything to homepage
• Using 302 for permanent moves
• Blocking redirected URLs in robots.txt

Domain Migration Checklist

Pre-Migration

• Create SEO migration plan
• Collect benchmarks (GA4, GSC, rankings)
• Run site crawler; inventory all pages
• Create redirect mapping sheet (old URL → new URL)
• Purchase new domain; configure DNS
• Technical SEO audit
• Staging environment; backup
• Check for manual penalties on both domains

Launch

• Implement 301 redirects
• Update Google Search Console (change of address)
• Update sitemaps, robots.txt
• Verify new site works; test redirects (curl, Screaming Frog)
• Add GA4 annotation for migration date

Post-Migration

• Monitor GSC coverage; fix "Page with Redirect" issues
• Fix 404s immediately
• Expect temporary ranking fluctuation (2–4 weeks)
• Do not delete old site as fallback

Social Media Announcement

Three Phases

Phase	Actions
Pre-Launch	Finalize new identity; audit social presence; secure handles across platforms; internal alignment
Build Anticipation	Tease with sneak peeks; cryptic visuals; influencer/ambassador previews; avoid announcing too soon
Execute	All platforms updated together; new bios, handles, visuals; compelling rebrand story (why, not what)

What to Avoid

• Don't list steps or technical details—focus on story and benefit
• Don't announce before all pieces are in place (mixed messaging)
• Don't rely on one channel—multi-channel rollout
• Don't bombard with "why we rebranded" unless it resonates

Rebrand Story

• Anchor: Emotionally resonating narrative; why now; how it benefits customers
• Avoid: "We changed our logo" / "We updated our website" without context

Internal Communication

• Brief all employees before public launch
• Explain strategic reasons; equip them to answer customer questions
• Update email signatures, Slack, internal docs
• Internal FAQ for common rebrand questions

Output Format

• Timeline (phases, milestones)
• Redirect mapping approach (template, tools)
• Migration checklist (customized)
• Social announcement plan (phases, channels, content angles)
• Internal communication (briefing, FAQ)

Related Skills

• domain-selection: Domain choice (Brand/PMD/EMD, TLD); informs new domain choice when rebranding
• domain-architecture: Domain structure before/after rebrand
• website-structure: New site structure after migration
• schema-markup: Update Organization schema on new domain
• multi-domain-brand-seo: When old and new domains coexist during transition
• branding: Brand strategy, identity; rebranding implements the change
• brand-protection: Sync impersonation checks when rebranding; update official domain declaration
• gtm-strategy: Repositioning GTM; when repositioning includes rebrand