A website migration should preserve the paths people and search systems use to reach useful content. Design changes are visible; broken routes and inconsistent URL signals can be easier to miss.
Start with an inventory before changing the site. Include important product pages, articles, assets, and existing destinations used in campaigns or external references.
Map old URLs to intended destinations
For each old page, decide whether it remains, moves to an equivalent page, merges into a stronger resource, or is intentionally retired. Use a relevant destination rather than sending every removed page to the homepage.
Keep the map reviewable. It should explain the content decision as well as the redirect rule.
Coordinate the signals
Update internal links, canonical references, sitemap entries, and any campaign destinations affected by the change. Check domain variants and protocol behavior where relevant. Avoid leaving one part of the site pointing at an address another part treats as obsolete.
Google’s site-move guidance provides the platform-specific reference. Use the current guidance for the migration type you are performing.
Check the customer journey
Test important landing pages, forms, navigation, downloads, and confirmation states. Preserve measurement behavior deliberately rather than assuming it survives a template replacement.
A page can load successfully while sending enquiries to the wrong place or losing the context needed for follow-up.
Use a launch record
- Old and new URL map:
- Redirects and exceptions:
- Canonical and sitemap changes:
- Forms and key journeys checked:
- Measurement changes:
- Known limitations and owners:
- Post-launch review dates:
Monitor the specific risk
Inspect errors and important URLs after release. Compare traffic and outcomes with awareness that discovery and processing take time. Investigate concrete failures promptly without interpreting every short-term fluctuation as proof the migration failed.
Preserve a practical recovery path
Keep the prior source and configuration available so a serious defect can be repaired or rolled back deliberately. Do not improvise recovery by making unrelated changes across multiple systems.
The content consolidation guide covers one common reason URLs change. A migration is complete when the new site works and the old routes lead people somewhere appropriate.
Co-founder and CEO of Stackmatix, startup advisor, and former Head of Sales at MightyHive. Connect with Matt on LinkedIn ↗ · More about Matt →