SEO migration

How to plan redirects without losing SEO

Plan old-to-new URLs carefully before migrations, redesigns, slug changes, or deleted pages.

Who this is for

Use this guide before changing URLs on pages that already receive traffic, links, or search visibility. A redirect plan helps preserve user paths and reduces avoidable broken links.

Redirects should send each old page to the closest useful new page, not automatically to the homepage.

Export or list old URLs.
Choose the best matching new URL.
Avoid chains when one direct redirect will work.

Simple workflow

Map old URLs to new URLs, check for duplicate destinations, simplify chains, then compare the final URLs with canonicals and sitemap entries.

Do

Use one-hop redirects where possible.
Keep old and new URL lists together.
Test important redirects after deployment.

Don't

Do not redirect unrelated pages to a generic page.
Do not leave redirect chains in place when they can be simplified.
Do not update the sitemap with old URLs.

Redirect Chain PlannerPlan and simplify redirect hops.URL Redirect Checker PlannerBuild old-to-new URL mappings.Canonical URL CheckerCheck final preferred URLs.Sitemap guideUpdate sitemap URLs after migrations.Robots.txt guideMake sure crawl rules do not block final pages.Canonical mistakesAvoid mixed signals after URL changes.

FAQs

Should deleted pages redirect to the homepage?

Only when the homepage is genuinely the closest useful destination. Usually a related category, product, or article is better.

Do redirects replace sitemap updates?

No. After a migration, the sitemap should list the final canonical URLs, not old redirected URLs.