Take inventory before changing

Collect addresses from the sitemap, owner tools and existing links. Include the most important landing pages, files and addresses used in campaigns. For each entry, determine: it stays, changes address, merges with other content or disappears.

Don't start by automatically redirecting all your old pages to the home page. A user looking for instructions for a specific product should be directed to the appropriate content, if any.

Redirection and canonical are not interchangeable

Redirection takes the user to a different address. Canonical indicates the preferred version of similar or duplicate content without redirecting the visitor. Google treats rel=canonical as a signal; can choose another address. Signals from the map, links and markers should be consistent.

Source: Google: canonical addresses ↗

Mapping example

The old address /offer/service has a new equivalent /services/service/. Schedule direct redirection to new offer, update menu and canonical. Don't add an intermediate jump via /offer/.

Check the implementation with a checklist

Google recommends preparing a new website, mapping addresses, implementing redirects, and monitoring the old and new locations. With migration, visibility fluctuations are possible during reprocessing.

Source: Google: address migrations ↗

Test not only the target appearance, but the entire response chain. Look for loops, error redirects, and noindex left behind. Check if forms and event measurement work at new addresses.

Leave space for observation

After publication, compare errors, indexing and traffic for groups of subpages being moved. Prepare a person responsible for quick fixes and a copy of the pre-implementation configuration. If you're changing the design, content, domain, and store system all at the same time, it's harder to pinpoint the cause of the problem - consider staging where the design allows.

FOR USE IN PRACTICE

Your checklist

  • Assign specific decisions to old addresses.
  • Check for no loops or unnecessary chains.
  • Make sure canonical, map and internal links are consistent.
  • Monitor old and new addresses after publication.

Sources and news

Documentation reviewed on September 21, 2026. The examples in the article are illustrative - they do not describe audit results or client implementation.

Educational material developed with the help of AI based on the indicated sources. It does not replace an individual assessment of the website by a specialist. Editorial rules.