Large content prune? Build a redirect map that protects intent, links, and crawl paths

Large content prune? Build a redirect map that protects intent, links, and crawl paths

Start with a URL inventory: old URL, traffic, backlinks, topic, and proposed action—keep, merge, redirect, or remove. Choose targets by search intent and content coverage, not URL similarity alone.

For each redirect, record:
• source URL
• target URL
• match rationale
• redirect type
• verification status
A blank target is an unresolved decision, not a valid mapping.

Before deployment, check for chains, loops, self-redirects, duplicate targets, and URL variants. Point each source directly to the final canonical URL. Use pattern rules only when both structure and intent are consistent, then test exceptions separately. Crawl samples of old URLs and confirm status codes, canonicals, internal links, and relevant destinations.

A redirect map succeeds when it preserves useful intent. If no relevant destination exists, a clean removal is usually better than a forced redirect.