Short answer. Keep the same web addresses wherever you can. For every address that has to change, write down the old one and the new one, send the old one to the new one with a single permanent (301) redirect, and test the whole list before and after you go live. Then give Google your new sitemap and watch Search Console for addresses that are still being asked for. Most of this is a spreadsheet and a patient afternoon, not a technical wizard’s job.
Why a redesign can quietly cost you visibility
Search engines know your pages by their addresses. If a page moves and nothing points the old address to the new one, the old address stops working, anyone following an old link or search result lands on an error page, and whatever Google had learned about that page has nowhere to go. A website move is like moving house: the thing people forget is the mail forwarding.
Steps
The order of work for a website move
- List every address you have today. Your sitemap plus a crawl of the live site.
- Keep the address wherever you can. The easiest redirect is the one you do not need.
- Map each old address to its new page. One old address, the best matching new page.
- Add one 301 redirect per address. Straight to the final page, no chains.
- Test every old address before and after launch. Each one answers 301 and lands where you meant.
- Submit the new sitemap and watch Search Console. Add a redirect for any address you missed.
Long Square Studio, based on Google Search Central’s guidance on site moves.
Step 1: list every address you have today
Before you change anything, make the list. Your sitemap is a start; a crawl of the live site is better, because it also finds pages the sitemap leaves out. Save both. On our own move we crawled the old site in July 2026 (50 pages) and kept that crawl as the “before” picture. Also note which pages already get visitors in Search Console, so you know which ones matter most.
Step 2: keep the address wherever you can
The easiest redirect is the one you do not need. If a page keeps the same address in the new design, nothing can break. Change an address only when there is a real reason, such as a clearer name, a merged page or a page you are retiring.
Step 3: build the map, one old address to one new one
For each address that changes, write the old address in one column and the best new page in the next. Send each old page to the page that now answers the same question, not to the home page. A page you are retiring with no equivalent can go to the closest related section. On our site we mapped 58 old addresses this way, covering old articles, category pages, author pages and sitemap addresses.
Step 4: add the redirects, once each
Use a permanent (301) redirect, and send each old address straight to its final page. A chain (old to older to new) slows the visitor and wastes the signal. In WordPress this is usually a redirect plugin; our site uses one, and we keep the list in a file as well, so it is not only living in a database.
Step 5: test before and after you go live
This is the step people skip. Run every old address and check that it answers with a 301 and lands on the page you intended. We keep a baseline file of all 58 and a small script that compares the live site to it, and we ran it on launch day: 58 of 58 matched. If you have no script, a spreadsheet and a free crawler can do the same job more slowly.
Step 6: tell Google, then watch
Submit the new sitemap in Search Console and check that it reads without errors. For the next few weeks look at the pages Google reports as not found and add a redirect for any old address you missed. Turn on 404 logging in your redirect plugin if it has it: it shows you the addresses people are asking for that no longer exist. Keep the redirects in place for a long time. Google’s guidance on site moves says to keep redirects for as long as possible, generally at least a year.
What took us the longest
Not the redirects. On our own site the hardest part was the design: it took about three months of testing different directions before the layout felt right. The redirect work was methodical and quick by comparison, which is the usual order of things: the part you can list is easier than the part you have to decide.
What this will not do
A careful move protects what you already have. It does not promise that rankings or traffic stay the same, and it does not make a weak page strong. Judge the result with Search Console over several weeks, not days.
A few common questions
Do I need redirects if I only change my theme?
Only if addresses change. A new theme on the same pages and the same addresses needs no redirects, but check the addresses before and after to be sure.
Should I redirect everything to the home page?
No. Send each old page to the page that now answers the same question. Google advises against sending many old addresses to one unrelated page such as the home page: it confuses visitors and may be treated as a soft 404.
How long should I keep the redirects?
As long as you reasonably can. Google says generally at least a year.
What if I change my domain name too?
That is a bigger move with extra steps in Search Console. Plan it separately and get help before you start.
Can I do this myself?
The checks only read and compare. Adding redirects changes how your site answers visitors, so ask whoever manages your site if you are unsure.
Sources
Google’s page, read 9 October 2026. It changes, so check it before you act.
