Before you move: take stock
Before you switch to the new site, take a snapshot of the old one. Don’t start moving without these in hand:
Do you have these before you move?0/4
Make the redirect map
Every old address should have a match on the new site. This table is the real work of a move:
| Old address | New address | Why |
|---|---|---|
| /products.php | /menu | Same page, new address |
| /index.php?page=contact | /contact | Same page, new address |
| /cake-types.html | /menu/cakes | A sub-page on the same topic |
| /2019-summer-sale | /offers | No match: the nearest topic |
Do
- Send each old address to its nearest match.
- If you merge pages, point each one to the page that now covers its topic.
Don’t
- Don’t redirect every old address to the home page; Google may treat that as a “soft 404” (a page that isn’t really there).
- Don’t leave a page that gets visits without a match.
Permanent (301) redirects, no chains
If the move is permanent, the redirect should be too. A permanent redirect tells Google the new address is the real one; with a temporary redirect the old address may stay in the results.
| Code | What it says | When moving |
|---|---|---|
| 301, 308 | Permanent: the page lives here now | Use this |
| 302, 307 | Temporary: the old address will come back | Don’t use it for a permanent move |
Don’t build chains. Google can follow a few hops, but it recommends redirecting straight to the final address. Moving from http to https and to your www choice should happen in the same step.
A chain: three steps
- oldsite.com/products.php
- http://newsite.com/products
- https://newsite.com/menu
Direct: one step
- oldsite.com/products.php
- https://newsite.com/menu
Keep the titles and the content
While the addresses change, keep each page’s title, description, main heading and text as close to the same as possible. Structured data, language tags (hreflang) and the images’ alt text should be in place on the new site too.
Launch day
On moving day, in this order:
Test the redirects
Pick addresses from the map at random and open them one by one; each should reach the right page in a single step.
Remove the “hidden from search” setting
A “Disallow: /” line left in robots.txt from development and a “noindex” tag on the pages must not go live.
Submit the sitemap
Submit the new sitemap in the Sitemaps report in Search Console.
If the domain changed, use the Change of Address tool
This tool is only for a change of domain; you don’t need it for a move from http to https or for a move within the site. You need to own both the old and the new property.
Check the analytics
Make sure the analytics code works on the new site by finding yourself among the live visitors.
The first weeks and after
- Launch day
Check the redirects and the sitemap.
- The first weeks
Watch the Pages report in Search Console; redirect any addresses that come up as not found (404) too.
- A year and beyond
Keep the redirects in place and keep renewing the old domain.
According to Google, on a medium-sized site it can take a few weeks or longer for the new addresses to replace the old ones; rankings may move around in the meantime.
Sources
- Google Search Central: Site moves with URL changesdevelopers.google.com
- Google Search Central: Redirects and Google Searchdevelopers.google.com
- Search Console Help: Change of Address toolsupport.google.com
Sources opened and read on 2 November 2026.
