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A URL in a redirect list is not automatically obsolete. If it still serves useful content and has not actually moved, leave it working. Redirect it only when the page has moved or been retired, and then send visitors to the closest relevant replacement—not a catch-all homepage.

Decide whether the URL should move at all

Review each proposed redirect against the live page. A spreadsheet entry is a proposed mapping, not evidence that the URL or its content has changed.

  1. Open the source URL and confirm whether it still serves the intended content.
  2. Determine whether the URL or page is staying put, moving temporarily, moving permanently, or being retired.
  3. If the page remains useful and has no equivalent replacement, keep it available at its current URL.

Google advises against redirecting many old URLs to one irrelevant destination, such as a new site’s homepage. A redirect should help a visitor reach content that actually corresponds to what they requested. Google’s site-move guidance explains how to handle URL changes.

Choose the right action for each URL

Situation Action Destination
The page still works, remains useful, and has not moved Keep the URL working; do not redirect it just because it appears in the list. No redirect needed.
The page has moved permanently Use a permanent server-side redirect, such as HTTP 301 or 308. The closest relevant replacement page.
The move or change is temporary Use a temporary redirect, such as HTTP 302. The temporary destination, with a plan to restore or update the mapping when the change ends.
The page is retired and no equivalent replacement exists Do not invent a misleading match or redirect it to the homepage merely to empty the list. No relevant destination is established; decide whether the retired URL should return an appropriate not-found or gone response.

Google’s redirect guidance distinguishes permanent redirects such as 301 and 308 from temporary redirects such as 302.

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Map moved pages to the closest relevant destination

For every URL that genuinely moves, choose a destination that satisfies the same visitor need as the old page. A category page or homepage is not an appropriate substitute simply because it is available. If there is no relevant replacement and the old page still works, preserve it rather than redirecting it away.

Make each source resolve directly to its final destination. Google says it can follow up to 10 redirect hops, but recommends redirecting directly to the final URL; a chain that works is still more complicated than a direct mapping. Google’s redirect documentation covers this recommendation.

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Audit the list before and after launch

Before launch

  1. Load every source URL and verify that its current page and content match what the list says is moving.
  2. Record whether each change is permanent, temporary, or no change, and identify a relevant final destination for each actual move.
  3. Remove entries that would redirect useful, unmoved pages or send unrelated pages to a generic destination.
  4. Flatten any chains so each old URL points directly to its final destination.
  5. Test individual important URLs with Search Console’s URL Inspection tool; use a script or crawler to check a larger map.

After launch

  1. Check that each source returns the intended redirect status and points to the expected destination.
  2. Confirm that the final destination responds and serves the intended page, rather than producing an error or another unnecessary redirect.
  3. Review traffic to old URLs and fix mappings that send visitors to the wrong place.

Google’s site-move guide describes using URL Inspection for individual URLs and scripts or crawlers for larger groups, and names Screaming Frog as one example.

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Keep migration redirects while they are still needed

For a site move covered by its Change of Address guidance, Google recommends keeping redirects for at least 180 days, and longer when Google Search traffic is still reaching them. Treat that as migration guidance, not an automatic deletion date: check whether visits continue to arrive at the old URLs before removing redirects. See Google Search Console’s Change of Address guidance.

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