How to Handle Redirects Without Breaking Your SEO

A redirect sends both users and search engines from one URL to another. During redesigns, replatforming, or URL restructures, redirects are how you preserve the value of pages whose addresses are changing. Handle them well and rankings carry over; handle them poorly and you can lose years of accumulated authority.

301 vs 302

A 301 is a permanent redirect and is what you want when a URL has moved for good — it signals engines to transfer ranking signals to the new location. A 302 is temporary and tells engines to keep the original URL indexed. Using a 302 for a permanent move is a frequent and costly mix-up.

Map old to new, one to one

The goal in a migration is a precise mapping: each retiring URL points to its closest equivalent on the new site. Redirecting everything to the homepage is the lazy option and throws away the relevance of individual pages. Build a complete map before you launch.

Avoid chains and loops

A redirect chain — A to B to C — slows crawling and dilutes signals at each hop. A loop breaks the page entirely. Always redirect straight to the final destination, and when you create a new redirect, check it doesn't point at a URL that's itself redirected.

Don't forget the supporting cast

• Update internal links to point directly at the new URLs, not through redirects.
• Update your sitemap to list only the new, canonical URLs.
• Update canonical tags to reference the new locations.
• Keep redirects in place long-term — old links and bookmarks persist for years.

Verify after launch

Once live, spot-check that old URLs return a single 301 to the right destination, watch your indexing and traffic reports for sudden drops, and fix any URLs that slipped through the mapping. A migration isn't finished at launch — it's finished when the numbers stabilize.