Technical SEO
Redirects
Redirects send users and crawlers from one URL to another when content moves, consolidates, or no longer exists at the old address.
Redirects preserve user paths and search signals when URLs change. They are especially important during migrations, content consolidation, product removals, and site architecture changes.
The best redirect points to the closest useful replacement, not automatically to the homepage.
When redirects matter
- A URL changes during a migration or redesign.
- Several pages are merged into one stronger page.
- A discontinued product has a close replacement.
- HTTP moves to HTTPS.
- Duplicate slash, casing, or hostname variants need consolidation.
- A deleted page has a relevant alternative.
Practical checks
- Important old URLs redirect to the most relevant new URLs.
- Redirect chains are short.
- Redirect loops do not exist.
- Internal links point to final URLs instead of redirected URLs.
- XML sitemaps list final canonical URLs.
- Analytics and conversion paths still work after redirects.
Common mistakes
Do not redirect unrelated URLs only to preserve link signals. If there is no useful replacement, a 404 or 410 can be cleaner than a misleading redirect.
Redirect strategy should be planned before launch, not repaired after traffic drops.