PHASE 01
Inventory
Collect URLs from the sitemap, analytics, Search Console, internal links and files.
- Pages
- Images and PDFs
- External landing URLs
Migration route / 08
Move to a new website without losing the old routes
A safe migration begins before the new site is complete: inventory the old system, map every address and prepare a verifiable launch order.
Release sequence
Move through the launch in order
PHASE 02
Map
Keep the same address where possible; otherwise choose a closely matching destination or removal status.
- Same path
- Relevant 301/308
- Real 404 or 410
PHASE 03
Cut over
Back up, publish, validate server configuration and test the public hostname before declaring success.
- Backup before change
- Configuration test
- Smoke test and rollback
Operator briefing
Decisions before buttons
Find URLs from more than one source
No single export contains every URL. Combine the old sitemap, Search Console pages, analytics landing pages, content-system exports, server logs and important files linked from outside.
Avoid redirect chains
Update old rules so each known URL points directly to its final destination. Include http, https, www and non-www variants in the test because a hidden first hop can remain on a different server block.
Keep rollback criteria concrete
Examples include contact delivery failure, broad 5xx responses, missing assets or a broken canonical host. Record who decides, what is restored and how new enquiries are preserved during a rollback.
Related routes