A migration redirect map connects each important old URL to its intended new destination. Build it before switching the site. Do not redirect every missing page to the homepage: a successful HTTP response is not useful when it takes a visitor to unrelated content.
Build the old-URL inventory from several sources
Start with the existing sitemap, a site crawl, Search Console landing pages, analytics landing pages where permitted, and important inbound links. Add downloadable resources and campaign destinations that the sitemap may omit. Preserve the source of each row so you know why it matters.
Keep a copy of the old inventory before the launch replaces it. Search Console data is valuable but is not a complete URL database. A page with no recent search clicks may still be essential for customers, email campaigns, or bookmarks.
Use a map with an accountable decision
| Old URL |
Destination |
Decision |
Verification |
| /services/site-repair |
/one-time-fix |
Same service, moved |
Final page answers the original need |
| /guides/old-checklist |
/guides/current-checklist |
Genuine replacement |
Important instructions retained |
| /retired-offer |
None |
No appropriate replacement |
Real 404 or 410, with useful navigation |
These are illustrative paths, not rules to deploy on your website. Add columns for owner, priority, redirect type, expected final status, canonical target, and approval. Record deliberate many-to-one consolidations with a reason rather than allowing them to emerge accidentally from a wildcard.
Explanatory worksheet for your own test evidence. No customer results are represented.
Validate destination quality before redirect syntax
Open each proposed destination as a visitor and compare the task it solves with the old page. A product variant should not land on an unrelated category just because both mention the same keyword. A removed service should not redirect to a signup form that no longer explains the service.
Google's site-move guidance covers URL mapping and permanent redirects when URLs change. Keep the implementation consistent with that intent. Avoid chains when you can send the old URL directly to the final relevant destination.
Test the real HTTP path
For one public, non-sensitive example, use a GET request with headers rather than assuming HEAD behaves identically:
curl -sS --max-time 30 -D - -o /dev/null https://example.com/old-page
Then follow redirects and inspect the final response:
curl -sSL --max-time 30 -o /dev/null -w '%{http_code} %{url_effective}' https://example.com/old-page
Check the first Location value, number of hops, final status, visible content, and canonical. A 200 app shell or a soft error message is not a passing destination. Do not run large unaudited loops against login, checkout, or action URLs.
For hostname changes, use the www-to-apex redirect checks as well. Host normalization and path mapping are separate rules; test their combined behavior to avoid loops.
Decide how parameters should behave
Some query parameters identify content or a product state; others carry marketing attribution. Document which should survive and test the actual destination. Avoid blindly stripping all parameters or forwarding sensitive values into logs and third-party tools. Confirm the analytics team agrees with campaign handling and the site's privacy rules.
Review trailing slashes, letter case, encoded paths, and files with extensions according to the actual site's URL rules. Do not generate a second physical copy of every page merely to support an alternate request path.
Launch and monitor the exceptions
Update internal links to final URLs and publish the new canonical sitemap. Keep the approved map under version control or in the team's local change record. Recheck high-value old URLs after deployment and after CDN caches refresh.
Monitor real 404s and Search Console migration signals, but investigate each pattern before adding another broad redirect. Some missing URLs are typos or obsolete probes with no meaningful replacement. HandL WP migration repair can help reconcile the map with server and CDN rules. The finished migration preserves useful destinations and honest missing-page responses, not just an absence of visible 404 screens.
References checked September 25, 2026. Illustrations and examples are explanatory, not customer case studies.