# Moving from heroonline.academy to heroonline.org — checklist

## Before launch (any time)
- [ ] `robots.txt` on .academy is the staging version (`Disallow: /`) — it is, as of 2026-09-05. Do **not** submit .academy to Search Console.
- [ ] In Google Search Console, add and verify **both** `heroonline.academy` and `heroonline.org` as Domain properties (DNS TXT record at Namecheap). Verifying now speeds up the Change of Address later.
- [ ] Export the old heroonline.org's Search Console "Pages" and "Links" reports — a record of what ranked and who links in, to compare against afterward.

## Launch day (heroonline.org account)
1. Back up the WordPress files and database (cPanel → Backup) before touching anything.
2. Upload the `hero-site` contents to `public_html/` on the .org account (delete the WordPress files first, or upload into a clean folder and swap the document root).
3. Replace `public_html/.htaccess` with **`htaccess-heroonline-org.txt`** (rename it to `.htaccess`).
4. Replace `robots.txt` with **`robots.production.txt`** (rename to `robots.txt`).
5. Create the MySQL database + `noreply@heroonline.org` mailbox on the .org account; update `inc/config.php` — `from_email`, `site_url`, and the DB lines. (Export the `contact_submissions` table from the .academy database in phpMyAdmin and import it on .org so no messages are lost.)
6. Spot-check: `https://heroonline.org/about-us/` → lands on `/about.html`; `/docktown-marina/` → `/marine-justice.html`; `/hero-library/` → `/hero-hub.html`; `/kathleen-harris/` → `/about.html#board`; `http://www.heroonline.org/` → `https://heroonline.org/`. Send one contact-form message.
7. Install an SSL certificate on .org if the AutoSSL one is not already active (cPanel → SSL/TLS Status).

## Launch day (heroonline.academy account)
8. Replace the .academy `public_html` contents with just **`htaccess-heroonline-academy.txt`** renamed to `.htaccess`. Check `https://heroonline.academy/contact.html` → `https://heroonline.org/contact.html`.

## Same week
9. Search Console (heroonline.org): submit `https://heroonline.org/sitemap.xml`; use *URL Inspection → Request indexing* on the homepage and the five area pages.
10. Search Console (heroonline.academy): Settings → **Change of Address** → heroonline.org. (Only matters if .academy got indexed despite the robots block — it costs nothing.)
11. Ask hannigcupglobal.org and any partner sites (STRI, MarAlliance, Floating Doctors…) to point their links at the new .org URLs directly — a direct link beats a redirected one.
12. Watch Search Console → Pages for "Not found (404)" over the next 2–4 weeks. Any old URL that shows up there gets a line added to `.htaccess`.

## Later
- Keep `heroonline.academy` registered and redirecting for **at least 12 months** (longer is cheap).
- Expect rankings to wobble for 2–6 weeks; if the redirects are right they come back.