Practical working guide
A redirect migration worksheet for renamed website pages
When a published page changes URL, map its old address to the closest equivalent new page, implement the appropriate redirect and update internal links, canonicals and language alternatives. Keep valid pages stable when there is no clear reason to move them. A redirect is a migration tool, not a ranking guarantee.
Prepare a one-to-one migration map
| Field | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Old URL and language | Actual published address and current response |
| Destination | Same intent and correct language, not a generic homepage |
| Redirect and final status | Permanent move where appropriate; final page returns 200 |
| Discovery | Internal links, canonical, hreflang and sitemap use final URL |
Worked example: translating a path segment
Hypothetical example, not an announced Client Craft URL change: a Portuguese guide moves from /pt-br/guides/topic/ to /pt-br/guias/topico/. Map every affected child, not just the folder. Update its Portuguese canonical and the reciprocal language-alternate sets on its English and PT-PT siblings. Check that the old URL redirects directly to the final page without a chain and that a genuinely missing page still returns 404.
Verify before declaring the move successful
Google distinguishes permanent from temporary redirects and recommends using a redirect appropriate to the move. Record the observed status, final URL and content match for each mapping. Do not redirect every deleted URL to the homepage: unrelated destinations confuse visitors. If no equivalent exists, decide whether a genuine 404 or 410 is appropriate. Monitor old and new URLs in Search Console; processing takes time and remains Google’s decision.
Sources: Google Search Central — Redirects, Google Search Central — Localized versions.