How to create a redirect map for a website rebuild

Protect valuable URLs and user journeys by mapping old destinations to the closest relevant new pages.

Redirects should preserve meaning, not simply send every removed page to the homepage and conceal structural decisions.

Export known URLs from multiple sources

Make “Export known URLs from multiple sources” a decision the team can verify. Define what good looks like for this specific situation, run the same journey on mobile and desktop where relevant, and ask the person responsible for follow-up what actually arrives. This turns the article’s principle into evidence: Redirects should preserve meaning, not simply send every removed page to the homepage and conceal structural decisions.

Relate the result to sEO and technical audits and record any dependency on content, technology, suppliers or internal process. The next action should be proportionate to the commercial risk and easy to reassess. Done well, this creates clear search intent rather than activity that is difficult to value.

Match by intent and content equivalence

Treat “Match by intent and content equivalence” as an operational test rather than a line in a report. Follow a realistic visitor or customer through the relevant steps, note where the message and behaviour diverge, and compare the result with the central issue in this guide: Protect valuable URLs and user journeys by mapping old destinations to the closest relevant new pages.

Connect the finding to keyword research instead of leaving it as an isolated observation. A useful recommendation names the change, the owner, the dependency and the review point. That makes stronger service pages more likely and prevents the work becoming another unranked task list.

Avoid chains, loops and irrelevant destinations

Make “Avoid chains, loops and irrelevant destinations” a decision the team can verify. Define what good looks like for this specific situation, run the same journey on mobile and desktop where relevant, and ask the person responsible for follow-up what actually arrives. This turns the article’s principle into evidence: Redirects should preserve meaning, not simply send every removed page to the homepage and conceal structural decisions.

Relate the result to competitor research and record any dependency on content, technology, suppliers or internal process. The next action should be proportionate to the commercial risk and easy to reassess. Done well, this creates technical foundations rather than activity that is difficult to value.

Test before launch and monitor after

Treat “Test before launch and monitor after” as an operational test rather than a line in a report. Follow a realistic visitor or customer through the relevant steps, note where the message and behaviour diverge, and compare the result with the central issue in this guide: Protect valuable URLs and user journeys by mapping old destinations to the closest relevant new pages.

Connect the finding to on-page optimisation instead of leaving it as an isolated observation. A useful recommendation names the change, the owner, the dependency and the review point. That makes useful content plans more likely and prevents the work becoming another unranked task list.

This guide is maintained by Clicky Clicks for practical business education. Automated research or drafting may assist the editorial process; factual claims and recommendations should still be checked against your own platforms, evidence and circumstances.