How to migrate old URLs to new ones?

Step-by-step

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to plan and execute the migration of your old website to your new website:

1. Create a list of all the URLs on your old website: This will be used as a reference when setting up the redirects on the new site.
2. Determine the corresponding new URLs for each old URL: This will require careful planning and may involve restructuring the navigation of your new site. It’s important to ensure that the new URLs are as similar as possible to the old ones to preserve as much link equity as possible.
3. Set up redirects on the new website: There are several ways to set up redirects on your new website, including using a server-side redirect, a plugin, or a content management system (CMS) function. It’s important to choose a method that is consistent with your new website’s technology stack.
4. Test the redirects: It’s important to test the redirects to ensure that they are working correctly and that all old URLs are properly redirected to the corresponding new ones. You can use a redirect checking tool or manually test the redirects by visiting the old URLs and verifying that they redirect to the correct new ones.
5. Update internal links and external links: After the redirects are in place, it’s important to update any internal links on your new website to reflect the new URL structure. You should also reach out to any websites that link to your old website and ask them to update the links to the new URLs.
6. Notify search engines of the migration: It’s a good idea to notify search engines of the migration to ensure that they are aware of the changes and can begin crawling and indexing your new site. You can do this by using the Google Search Console to submit a sitemap of your new website and by using the “Change of Address” tool to notify Google of the migration.
7. By following these steps, you can successfully plan and execute the redirection of your old website to your new website, ensuring that you maintain your search engine rankings and user traffic during the migration process.