Which URLs belong in the redirect map?
Start with a current URL inventory from the CMS, sitemap, crawl, analytics, and link records. Include pages, product categories, important downloads, and media that people may access directly. Record each URL’s current status and purpose. Some old URLs are not visible in navigation but still receive search or referral traffic.
Add the intended new route, redirect type, and reason. A simple table gives reviewers a way to catch a mistake before launch. Google advises mapping old to new URLs, updating internal links, and avoiding unrelated mass redirects during a site move.
How do you choose a destination?
If a page moved, the destination is usually the same page at its new address. If several pages were consolidated, the destination should answer the old visitor’s question. Sending every old URL to the homepage avoids the work but rarely helps the person who clicked the link.
Ask what a visitor expected at the old address. A retired service page may point to an updated equivalent if the offer still exists. A discontinued product may point to a close replacement only if it truly serves the same need. If no relevant page exists, a clear not-found or gone response can be more honest than an unrelated redirect.
Do not treat a category page as a universal replacement for specific articles or products. Someone following a link to a technical answer should not have to search a broad archive again. If content is consolidated, make sure the new page contains the substance that made the old link useful.
What else needs to change?
Update internal links so the new site points directly to the new URL. Review canonical references, XML sitemap entries, navigation, buttons, campaign links, and downloaded files. A redirect is a safety net for old links, not a reason to keep building new links through an avoidable hop.
Test the map for loops and chains. Check a sample of high-value URLs from the old domain or path and confirm the final destination loads. Test on mobile and verify that important forms or product actions remain available there. If multiple site changes happen at once, preserve the map as evidence of why each route moved.
What happens after launch?
Watch not-found reports, search coverage, referrals, and conversion paths. New 404s may reveal old URLs the inventory missed. Review where those links came from before adding a redirect. A typo in an internal link should be fixed at the source. A genuinely retired page may not need a replacement.
Assign an owner for the map and a review trigger when pages move again. Old rules should not accumulate into a hidden chain that future editors cannot understand.
Draft the first ten rows of the map.
Create the first ten rows with old URL, new destination, redirect reason, and reviewer. See technical SEO for the related service path. Talk to a Specialist to make URL changes part of a planned migration rather than a launch-day surprise.
