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Free migration template

Redirect map template for site migrations

A CSV structure for mapping old URLs to final destinations before a WordPress, Next.js, or full site migration. Built for SEO QA, not just developer handoff.

Download CSV templateCheck a redirect sample

No email gate. Use it before staging, during launch QA, and again after Search Console starts reporting crawl changes.

seoparity-redirect-map-template.csv

Preview of the core columns

sourcetargettypestatus
/old-post/blog/new-post301pending
/old-product?id=123/products/widgets301needs review
/old-service/services/new-service301pending

Citation-ready answer

Redirect map answers that should be extractable

These blocks define the artifact, the failure pattern, and the first checks to run before a migration recrawl request.

What is a redirect map?

A redirect map is a launch QA file that pairs every old URL with its final replacement URL, redirect status, priority, and verification result.

When it breaks

It breaks when old URLs point to the homepage, temporary redirects, redirect chains, loops, deleted pages without a plan, or targets whose canonical tags point somewhere else.

Inspect first

Inspect the old URL export, final status code, redirect hop count, target canonical, sitemap inclusion, and internal links before launch.

Source: Google redirect guidanceRelated: Redirect map guide

What should a redirect map include?

It should include source URL, target URL, redirect type, rule pattern, priority, old traffic or backlink evidence, canonical target, QA status, and owner.

When it breaks

It becomes unreliable when it is only a two-column old-to-new sheet with no status checks, no priority, and no record of whether the target is indexable.

Inspect first

Start with top GSC pages, GA4 landing pages, sitemap URLs, crawl exports, and backlink URLs. Mark P0 rows before building redirect rules.

Source: Google site move guidanceRelated: Migration checklist

When do you request recrawl?

Request recrawl only after the redirect lands on a final 200-status page that is indexable, internally linked, in the sitemap when appropriate, and canonicalized correctly.

When it breaks

A premature request can lock in the same broken state if the destination is still noindexed, canonicalized away, soft 404, blocked, or missing from internal links.

Inspect first

Run the old URL, destination URL, canonical checker, sitemap crawl, and URL Inspection live test before adding the row to the recrawl log.

Source: URL Inspection helpRelated: GSC monitoring runbook
Diagnostic stepQuestion to answerAction when it fails
Old URLDoes it return one hop to the intended final URL?Fix chains, loops, 302s, and homepage fallbacks.
Target URLDoes it return 200 and satisfy the same search intent?Choose a closer replacement or use 410 for truly removed content.
CanonicalDoes the target canonical match the final URL?Fix canonicals before requesting indexing.
Sitemap and linksDo sitemap and internal links point to the final URL?Update sitemap rows and internal links away from redirected URLs.

What the template tracks

Redirect QA fails when the sheet only has old URL and new URL. This version includes crawl, traffic, backlink, canonical, pattern-rule, and launch verification fields.

source_url

Old URL that must redirect.

target_url

Final 200-status destination.

redirect_type

Usually 301 for migrations.

priority

P0 for traffic, links, or revenue risk.

rule_type

Individual or pattern-based rule.

qa_status

Pending, passed, failed, or needs review.

Redirect mapping examples

Good redirect maps are explicit about the scenario, not just the source and target. These are the cases that usually cause launch-day mistakes.

ScenarioSourceTargetExpected resultQA note
Unchanged URL/services/seo-audit/services/seo-audit200 or no redirectKeep it out of the redirect file if the URL stays live. Do not add a pointless self-redirect.
Slug change/2024/03/old-post/blog/old-post301 to final 200Map the old WordPress date path directly to the new canonical article URL.
Category move/category/news/blog301 to final 200Point to the closest archive or hub. Avoid a homepage fallback if the topic still exists.
WooCommerce product/product/widgets?id=123/products/widgets301 to final 200Strip the parameter only when the clean product URL has equivalent content and canonical signals.
Trailing slash variant/services/seo-audit//services/seo-audit301 to canonical variantPick one convention and enforce it across links, canonicals, sitemap URLs, and redirects.
Deleted page/old-campaign/resources/relevant-guide301 if relevant, 410 if notRedirect only when the destination satisfies the same intent. Irrelevant homepage redirects can behave like soft 404s.

Use it as a QA artifact, not a launch-day guess

Chains: every source URL must redirect directly to the final 200 URL, not another redirected URL.

Loops: no source-target pair can point back to itself or into a circular rule pattern.

Temporary redirects: migration rules should be 301 unless there is a documented technical reason.

Homepage catch-alls: homepage targets are allowed only when no relevant replacement exists.

Query parameters: keep, strip, or normalize parameters deliberately and record the rule.

Priority URLs: traffic, backlink, revenue, and indexed URLs must be marked P0 or P1 before launch.

Canonical conflicts: the target page canonical should match the final redirect destination.

Trailing slashes: slash/no-slash variants should resolve to one canonical convention.