Start with the URL inventory
The redirect map is only as good as the list it starts from. We build the inventory from the old store's sitemaps, a full crawl, the platform's own URL tables, Google Search Console landing pages and, where available, analytics and backlink data. That catches URLs that no sitemap lists: old campaign pages, filtered category URLs, image and PDF links, legacy paths from a previous migration.
Old-to-new mapping and 301 redirects
Each relevant old URL is mapped to its closest new equivalent—product to product, category to collection, article to article—not everything to the homepage. Pages without an equivalent get a documented decision: nearest relevant page or an intentional 404/410. The map is implemented as direct 301 redirects on the new platform and tested before launch: no redirect chains, no loops, no redirects to pages that are themselves redirected or blocked.
Platform constraints are part of the plan. Shopify, for example, uses fixed /products/ and /collections/ paths and applies its URL redirects only when the old path no longer exists on the store; other platforms allow custom URL structures, which changes what can be preserved.
Metadata, canonicals, robots and sitemaps
Titles, meta descriptions and headings move where they are still accurate for the new page. We check canonical tags point to the final URLs, that robots.txt and noindex settings from the staging store do not leak into production, that the new XML sitemap lists only canonical, indexable URLs, and that hreflang is correct for multilingual stores. Structured data for products and breadcrumbs is checked on the new templates.
Internal links and content
Redirects fix external links and bookmarks; they should not be the way your own site links to itself. Navigation, category descriptions, blog posts and footer links are updated to the new URLs so crawlers and customers are not bounced through redirects on every click.
Crawl before launch, crawl after launch
Before launch we crawl the staging store and test the redirect map against the inventory. On launch day the redirects go live with the new site, the new sitemap is submitted in Google Search Console and old URLs are spot-checked. In the following weeks we watch crawl errors, 404s, indexing and landing-page traffic against the pre-launch baseline and fix what the data shows.
What we can and cannot promise
We cannot guarantee rankings or traffic: they depend on search engines, competitors and many factors outside a migration. What we treat as a hard requirement is continuity—old links resolve to the right new page, the new site is crawlable and indexable, and the signals you had are carried over where the new platform allows.
Frequently asked questions
How do you reduce the risk of losing Google rankings during a migration?
By mapping every relevant URL to its closest equivalent with a direct 301, carrying over accurate metadata, updating internal links, keeping the new site crawlable and indexable, and monitoring Search Console after launch. Risk is reduced, not eliminated.
What happens to pages that don't exist on the new platform?
They get a documented decision: redirect to the closest relevant page, or return 404/410 if nothing relevant exists. Mass-redirecting everything to the homepage is avoided.
Do you update internal links, not just redirects?
Yes. Navigation, content and product descriptions are updated to the new URLs so the site does not rely on its own redirects.
Can you keep our existing URLs?
Sometimes. Platforms with configurable URL structures can preserve many paths; platforms with fixed patterns, such as Shopify, cannot, and then 301 redirects carry the continuity.
Do you set up Google Search Console?
We work with your Search Console property: sitemap submission, monitoring crawl errors and indexing after launch. Access is agreed with you and kept least-privilege.