Plan a website migration with a reviewable URL map
Inventory existing pages, map their destinations, preserve useful journeys, and prepare checks for a website migration.
A website migration changes more than the design people see. Existing links, saved bookmarks, downloadable files, and important customer journeys may depend on the old structure. Prepare a migration map before replacing the site so the team can review what will be preserved, improved, consolidated, or deliberately retired.
Build an inventory with business context
Create a list of existing pages and important assets, then add why each matters. Include enquiry pages, service descriptions, popular resources, and links used in sales material. Ask the business owner about pages that receive little traffic but support an important contractual, support, or onboarding task. Analytics alone may not reveal their role.
Record the proposed destination and the reason for each change in the same table. Assign a content owner who can decide whether the replacement answers the same need. Flag unresolved items instead of mapping them casually to a generic page. The table should support a conversation about continuity, not simply become a list generated for a developer.
Map equivalent destinations and update references
Google’s site-move guidance recommends mapping old URLs to new destinations and using appropriate permanent redirects. It also advises updating internal links and relevant URL annotations. Use that technical guidance alongside a content review: the replacement should be relevant to the visitor’s original intent rather than merely being a page that exists.
Check references outside the main navigation. Email signatures, printed materials, profile links, and shared documents may still point to the previous structure. Record which can be updated and which must continue to work through the migration. If several pages are consolidated, make sure the new page preserves the useful answers people were trying to reach.
Rehearse the move and define the response to problems
Test a representative set of old links against the prepared replacement before release. Follow the complete journey from the original address to the expected content and action. Include downloadable files, renamed projects, and pages reached directly rather than through the home page. Record the expected result so another reviewer can repeat the check.
Assign a person to review missing-page reports and customer feedback after the change. Keep the old-to-new mapping available and document how mistakes will be corrected. Avoid combining unrelated major changes unless the team can isolate their effects. A migration needs an operating plan for exceptions as well as a finished set of new pages.
Practical checklist
- Inventory important pages, files, and externally shared links.
- Add a business reason and owner to each destination decision.
- Review the relevance of replacement content.
- Test old addresses through to the final customer action.
- Assign ownership for migration issues after release.
Example: consolidating overlapping service pages
A hypothetical consultancy replaces several near-identical service pages with one detailed offer. The mapping records each old address and the section answering its original question. Reviewers check those journeys and update proposal links, rather than sending every retired page to the home page and hoping visitors find the right service again.
Common questions
Should every old page remain online unchanged?
No. Retain useful intent and information, but consolidate or retire material deliberately. Record the decision and provide a relevant replacement where one exists.
Can a migration guarantee unchanged search traffic?
No such outcome should be promised. Prepare the technical and content mapping carefully, then monitor the actual results and address problems as they appear.
Further reading
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