<b>Q: Do I keep the old sitemap or only submit the new one?</b>
Short answer: temporarily keep both, then retire the old one. Counterintuitive, I know.
Long answer: Your instinct is to submit the new sitemap and delete the old — clean slate. But during the move, keeping the OLD sitemap live for a few weeks actually helps: it nudges Google to recrawl every old URL, hit your 301s, and discover the new addresses faster. A faster recrawl means a faster handoff.
So the play:
— Submit the new sitemap (all new URLs, 200 status, no redirects inside it) in the new property right away.
— Leave the old sitemap accessible and submitted in the old property for 2-4 weeks to accelerate recrawling.
— Then let the old one expire.
Never put redirecting URLs INTO your new sitemap — it should list only final destinations.
Next step: submit the new sitemap today, keep the old one alive temporarily, and check the Coverage report for crawl progress.
Migration Helpdesk
@MigrationHelpdesk
<b>Q: Do I keep the old sitemap or only submit the new one?</b>
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