Definition
A redirect map is a spreadsheet pairing every old URL on a site with the new URL it should permanently redirect to, used to plan migrations.
Redirect map explained
Before a migration, every URL that matters on the old site needs a destination. A redirect map lists them, usually in two columns, old URL and new URL, often with notes on traffic, backlinks and the redirect type.
Building a reliable map means gathering URLs from several sources:
- A full crawl of the current site.
- XML sitemaps and the CMS database.
- Analytics landing pages and Search Console pages with clicks.
- Pages with external backlinks, including old URLs that already redirect.
Each URL is matched to the most relevant new page, one to one where possible. Pages with no equivalent go to the closest parent, such as a category, or return 404 or 410 if nothing fits. Google's guidance on site moves describes preparing this mapping as a core step. After launch, the map doubles as a test list: crawl every old URL and confirm it returns one 301 hop to the right destination.
Example
Your brand is moving from Magento to Shopify, and product URLs will change format. A redirect map pairs every old product, category and blog URL with its new Shopify address, so when the new store launches, every old link and ranking points to the right page.
Why it matters
The redirect map is what protects rankings in a migration. Gaps in the map are where traffic gets lost.
Related service
Website Migration
Platform, domain and redesign migrations planned URL by URL, tested on staging before launch.
Website migration with full SEO preservationSources
- Google Search Central: Site moves with URL changes (updated 20 Aug 2026)
Published by Vidern, founded and led by Malhar Shah. Updated .
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Related terms
- Site migrationA site migration is any major change to a website's platform, domain, URL structure or design that can affect how search engines crawl, index and rank it.
- 301 redirectA 301 redirect is a permanent redirect: the server tells browsers and search engines that a URL has moved for good and sends them to the new address.
- Staging environmentA staging environment is a private copy of a website where changes are built and tested before they go live on the production site.
- Redirect chainA redirect chain is a series of redirects where URL A redirects to B, which redirects to C, and so on, instead of A going straight to the final URL.