Website Redirect Mapping Checklist: Old URLs to Relevant Destinations
Map each changed URL to its relevant destination before a website move goes live. A redirect is useful when it preserves the visitor’s route to equivalent or replacement content. Redirecting every old page to the homepage is not a meaningful map.
Decide whether URLs are changing
A hosting move that keeps the domain and paths is different from a domain change or a new URL structure. Do not create redirects for pages whose addresses remain the same just because the server changes.
Create a working list from published pages, existing sitemaps, important internal links and known external entry points. Add high-value downloads or landing pages that are easy to overlook. Record the source of each URL so missing sections can be investigated.
Assign a destination and a reason
For each old URL, choose an equivalent page, a relevant consolidated replacement or a documented removal outcome. Check the proposed destination before implementing the rule. A page with a similar title may still answer a different question.
Google distinguishes permanent and temporary redirects and recommends permanent server-side redirects when a move is permanent. Choose the response according to the actual change. A temporary campaign detour and a permanent domain migration should not automatically share a rule.
| Check | Evidence to record | Next decision |
|---|---|---|
| Old address | Exact URL and why it changes | Confirm the request must move |
| Destination | Relevant final URL and content match | Approve the replacement |
| Response | Intended redirect status and implementation owner | Match permanent or temporary intent |
| Path test | Actual hops, final response and result | Remove loops and unnecessary chains |
| Links | Updated internal link and sitemap references | Point new navigation at the final URL |
Test the final path
Request representative old URLs and inspect the HTTP response and each redirect hop. Confirm the final page loads and contains the intended content. Include www/non-www and HTTP/HTTPS variants where they are relevant to the site’s existing behavior.
Test a deleted page, a renamed page and a page unchanged by the move. An overly broad rule can capture addresses that should remain available. Check query parameters used by your important workflows rather than assuming every parameter may be dropped.
Update links and page signals
Point internal navigation to the final destination instead of making every click traverse an old redirect. Review canonical declarations and new sitemap URLs alongside the map. These are separate outputs of the same planned move.
If domains change, use the search engine’s current migration guidance for property ownership and applicable notifications. Keep old-domain access and redirect hosting in the transition plan. Do not cancel a service while it still provides the redirect path.
Monitor exceptions after launch
Watch important entry pages and failure reports after release. Save a dated test result for each critical mapping, plus the owner of unresolved exceptions. Compare a reported problem with the actual live path before adding another rule.
Finish with a map that shows both the intended and observed outcomes. A redirect reaching any working page is not sufficient if that page is irrelevant. Preserve the visitor’s purpose and verify that the destination remains available.
A destination should preserve the old page’s purpose
For a hypothetical retired product, map its old URL to a genuine replacement when one exists. Do not assign the homepage solely to eliminate a missing-page report. Record whether the product was replaced, merged or removed and choose handling with the content owner. Test the final destination and its response, then update links and the sitemap to the intended surviving URL.
Sources and scope
Official documentation checked October 6, 2026: Google: Redirects and Search; Google: URL-changing site moves. This is HRL’s verification checklist, not a report of a completed migration or a guarantee of crawling, indexing or rankings.
Related guides
Check canonical consistency · Verify the new sitemap · Investigate route errors