The new design can leave the old address behind
Your redesigned website looks clearer and works better on a phone. But an old property link now returns an error because the page address changed during the rebuild.
Guests may still use that address from a saved link, an email or another website. Search engines may still know the old page. If the new site provides no route to the equivalent property, a useful visit reaches a dead end.
A redesign does not require changing every URL. Keep established addresses where possible. When a change is necessary, plan the move as carefully as the new page layout.
See a matching redirect
The fictional old property address either reaches an error or uses a permanent redirect to the matching new property page. The example is a migration diagram, not a live redirect.
A redirect preserves the route to the right information
Google’s site-move guidance recommends permanent server-side redirects, such as 301 or 308, to appropriate new destinations. Keep them for at least a year and preferably longer where old links remain useful.
Sending every retired property URL to the homepage does not give the guest the page they expected. If there is no suitable replacement, return a proper not-found response rather than disguising an unrelated page as the answer.
Search visibility can fluctuate while Google processes a move. Redirects support the transition; they cannot guarantee unchanged rankings, especially if the redesign also removes useful content or changes the site’s performance.
Treat URL mapping as part of the rebuild
- Inventory the old addresses before launch. Combine the sitemap, a crawl, Search Console and analytics so useful pages are not missed.
- Keep property URLs stable where practical. For each changed address, record the closest matching new page.
- Implement permanent server-side redirects directly to the final destination. Avoid loops and chains of unnecessary intermediate redirects.
- Update internal links, navigation, canonicals and the sitemap to point to the new addresses. Do not make your own visitors rely on redirects.
- Check that the new pages are indexable and that launch removes any development-only noindex settings or access blocks.
- Monitor errors, indexing and organic landing-page visits after launch. Compare enquiries as well as visits, and investigate changes rather than assuming the redesign caused every decline.
Use Search Console’s Change of Address tool for a domain or subdomain move where appropriate. A path change within the same domain does not need that tool.
The mapping is also useful for people: an old link to Example Stay should arrive at Example Stay, with the location, availability and booking information they came to find.
A five-minute self-check
Choose five old addresses: a property page, another popular landing page, contact, about and one link from an old enquiry email. Open each and confirm it reaches the intended new content.
Ask your developer to check the response codes and the number of redirects, not just whether a browser eventually displays a page. Review Search Console after launch and keep the mapping available for future fixes.
A successful redesign improves the experience at the destination while preserving the routes guests already use to reach it.
