Getting found / Checklist
Redesigning your website? Keep track of the pages Google already knows
When we redesign a website, I want to know which existing pages people are using before we start removing or renaming them. A page can look dated and still bring in a useful enquiry.
That is part of the job behind the new layout. If somebody follows an old link to your service page, they should reach the service they came for. If Google has indexed a useful guide, we need a deliberate decision about what happens to it.
You cannot promise a redesign will leave search traffic unchanged. You can prepare the old pages properly, check the replacement and make it much easier to spot a mistake after launch.
List the existing pages before choosing the new structure
Start with the current sitemap and a crawl of the site, then add useful URLs found in Search Console, analytics and known incoming links. A sitemap alone can miss pages that still receive visitors or have links from other websites.
Beside each page, write what somebody comes there to do. Is it a service explanation, a product, an answer to a question or an old announcement? Include downloads and images where people link to them directly and they still serve a purpose.
Use that list in the design discussion. It can reveal a service that is easy to lose when several old pages become one attractive overview. Keep a copy of the current search and enquiry figures so you have something relevant to compare after the launch.
Keep a useful address when the page still has the same job
A new design does not require a new URL for every page. If the boiler servicing page still explains boiler servicing, keeping its address may be the simplest option. You can change the layout and improve the writing around that existing address.
If the structure genuinely needs to change, record the old and new addresses together. Google’s site-move guidance recommends mapping the URLs and using permanent redirects for pages that move permanently.
The developer needs that map before the old site goes away. Trying to reconstruct it from missing-page reports afterwards leaves more work to do while visitors are already using the replacement.
Source: Google Search Central: site moves with URL changes; Google Search Central: redirects and Google Search
Send each changed page to a relevant replacement
For example, an old /boiler-servicing page could move to /services/boiler-servicing. That is a useful route because the destination answers the same need. Sending it to the homepage would make the visitor start looking again.
Google advises against sending many unrelated old URLs to a single destination such as the homepage; it may treat that as a soft 404. If a page has gone and there is no relevant replacement, an honest 404 or 410 is appropriate.
A group of old pages can lead to one stronger page where that new page really covers their content. Check the actual destination and its purpose. A spreadsheet full of completed redirect rows can still send people to the wrong place.
| Old page | Decision | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| /boiler-servicing | Service has moved | /services/boiler-servicing |
| /contact | Same purpose and address | Keep /contact |
| /old-promotion | Expired, no relevant replacement | Return 404 or 410 with useful site navigation |
Test the links and search settings before launch
Ask the developer to check the old addresses against the finished site. A moved page should take a direct route to its final destination, without a chain through several previous versions. Permanent server redirects such as 301 or 308 tell Google that a move is intended to last.
Update the links inside your website to point straight at the current pages. Check the canonical addresses and sitemap too, so they agree with the site you intend people to use.
Staging sites often have settings to keep them out of search. Confirm that the live replacement has the intended indexing settings and that important pages are accessible. A forgotten noindex instruction needs attention even when the page looks perfect in a browser.
- Open representative old links, including important service and product pages.
- Check the response code and final destination for each mapped change.
- Follow the navigation, body links and contact route on a phone.
- Confirm the live site uses the intended canonical URLs and sitemap.
- Check that staging restrictions have not blocked the public pages.
Source: Google Search Central: site moves with URL changes; Google Search Central: redirects and Google Search
Watch what happens after the switch
Submit the revised sitemap through Search Console and monitor indexing and traffic for the pages that matter to the business. Check missing-page reports and incoming links alongside the enquiry records. A form that stops reaching the inbox needs fixing even if visits look steady.
Google says visibility can fluctuate temporarily while it crawls and reindexes a move. That is a reason to monitor the evidence, not a reason to ignore a broken redirect or a blocked service page.
Keep permanent redirects in place for at least a year, as Google recommends, and consider keeping them longer for people using old links. Record who is responsible for them when hosting or support changes later.
Ask where the old pages are going
When you get a redesign quote, ask whether the scope includes the old-page inventory, redirect map and checks after launch. Agree who supplies the search data and who will look at it once the new site is public.
I like trying new designs. We have done plenty of that on Flying Penguin. Looking after the existing routes into a business belongs in the same project, with somebody responsible for checking them.
Sources
Checked on 23 October 2026.
- Google Search Central: site moves with URL changes
Inventory and map URLs, use relevant permanent redirects, update site signals, monitor the move and retain redirects for at least a year. Temporary search fluctuations can occur.
- Google Search Central: redirects and Google Search
Permanent and temporary redirect meanings, including supported server-side redirect response codes.