Did changing my WordPress site URL break my SEO

[urbanfoxfire]

I have a new WordPress site that I had gotten up to number 4 in our preferred Google searches (mostly through blogging with backlinks to our blog). I registered a URL that more suited our business and went into the WordPress dashboard, clicked, Settings, General, WordPress Address (URL), and changed the URL to reflect the new address. Suddenly we don't show up in Google searches. The backlinks on our existing Facebook posts were not changed so still reference the old blog page. I went into Google Webmaster tools and tried to do an address change on the page but I think it's looking for the old site and it says it can't find it. The new site address appears to be verified though it says it can't find the old one.

This is a first time for me so I'm stupid on this. Can you help??

[Test-ok]

It's going to take a little time for google to index your new url, it's a new site from googles view point. Don't worry about changing the links else where, do a 301 redirect from the old url to the new one. That will redirect any old links to your new url. 301, wordpress

[urbanfoxfire]

I installed the Redirect plugin into Wordpress and when I put a redirect from the old url (root) to the new url (root) and bring it up in Safari, I get a "Can't display the page. Too many redirects"!!

Could that be because both names actually resolve to the same site? The site didn't move and it's accessible through both names (on my hosting web console). Should I remove the original from my hosting account?

It's going to take a little time for google to index your new url, it's a new site from googles view point. Don't worry about changing the links else where, do a 301 redirect from the old url to the new one. That will redirect any old links to your new url.