A missing redirect does not just break a link. It tells Google the page is gone, which is exactly what happens to the rankings and backlinks pointing at it. Redirect mapping is tedious, but it is the part of a migration with the clearest cause and effect.
Generate and validate your redirect map before launch instead of hand-writing rules.
Try the redirect mapping toolBuild a complete URL inventory first
You cannot map what you have not counted. Every indexable URL needs a row in the inventory before mapping starts, not just the ones you remember.
Map by destination, not by guesswork
Every legacy URL should point to the single closest equivalent on the new site. Redirecting everything to the homepage is a common shortcut that quietly tanks rankings.
- Match old service and product pages to their new canonical URLs one to one.
- For consolidated or removed pages, redirect to the most topically relevant page, not a generic hub.
- Avoid redirect chains: point directly to the final destination, not through an intermediate old URL.
Prioritize by traffic and link value
Not every URL carries equal risk. Spend the most verification time on the pages that already earn traffic, links, or conversions.
- Rank URLs by organic sessions and backlink count before mapping.
- Manually verify redirects for the top 20% of URLs that drive most of the traffic.
- Spot-check the long tail with automated crawling rather than manual review.
Validate before and after DNS cutover
Redirect rules that work in staging can behave differently once real DNS, CDN, and hosting rules are in play.
- Test redirects against the staging domain and, where possible, a production-like preview URL.
- Re-test the full list immediately after DNS cutover, not just a sample.
- Watch Search Console for a spike in 404s in the two weeks after launch.
