Internal Linking
Part of SEO during website changes
Mapping redirects from old pages to relevant replacements
Choose where old URLs should lead, document exceptions and check that each final page answers the visitor’s original need.
Map a redirect once you know what the old page helped a visitor do. For a permanent move, the redirect should send the visitor to the closest current answer. If no suitable replacement exists, record that outcome rather than pointing to a generic page. Keep the map precise enough to implement and test URL by URL.
Decide whether the old task has a new home
Read the old page and describe its central task. Then inspect the candidate destination. A renamed service page may be a close match.
Several short articles may lead to one new guide if it genuinely covers their answers. A discontinued offer may have no replacement, even if a broad category remains.
Old-page outcome / Mapping decision
- Same answer at a new address
- Redirect to that exact page.
- Answer merged into a new page
- Redirect if the new page substantially serves the old task.
- Useful content stays at its current address
- Keep the URL; no redirect is needed.
- Content is gone with no similar replacement
- Record a 404 or 410 response decision.
A matching keyword is not enough. The final page should let the visitor recognise the subject and continue the task. Avoid a single destination unless it genuinely serves every old task; a home page is not a suitable substitute by default.
Make the map unambiguous
Give each old address one intended result. Record the exact source URL, the final URL or missing-page decision, reason, owner and decision state. Include host, protocol and path where they affect routing. Distinguish a deliberate many-to-one consolidation from an accidental catch-all rule.
Check exceptions before applying a broad pattern. A domain-wide rule might work when paths and answers remain equivalent; a renamed section or merged guide needs an explicit destination. Do not let a wildcard silently override those exceptions.
Record whether the move is permanent. Google recommends server-side permanent redirects where possible for permanent moves; HTTP 301 and 308 signal permanence.
Key Redirect Best Practices
- Recommended redirect type for permanent moves
- HTTP 301 or 308 (server-side)
- Avoid using home page as default replacement
- Not suitable unless it genuinely serves all old tasks
Test the old address
After implementation, request the old URL and record each status, hop and final address. Open the final page and compare its answer with the old task. A syntactically valid rule can still lead to an error, a staging address or an irrelevant page.
Test a sample from each rule pattern and every manually mapped exception, prioritising important pages. Check that the final destination loads and that internal links and sitemap entries use its new URL. Where possible, map each old URL to its final destination.
A separate technical audit can investigate chain patterns in detail; the mapping decision depends on the relevance of the destination.
Keep the old-to-new map after launch so wrong routes can be corrected. Retain migration redirects for as long as they remain useful to people following old links.
