<b>Q: I have canonicals set — do I still need 301 redirects after a migration?</b>

<b>Q: I have canonicals set — do I still need 301 redirects after a migration?</b>

Really common mix-up, and the distinction matters.

Short answer: yes. Canonicals are a hint; 301s are a command. After a move you need the command.

Long answer: a canonical tag tells Google "prefer this version" but the old URL still loads with a 200 and stays accessible. A 301 actually moves the user and bot to the new URL and is the strong signal for transferring ranking. If you only set canonicals after changing URLs, the old pages keep serving content, you risk duplicate-content confusion, and users can still land on dead-end old paths.

Canonicals are for managing duplicates that should both exist. 301s are for URLs that are truly gone.

Next step: for every changed URL, set a 301 to the new location. Use canonicals only for parameter or duplicate versions you intend to keep live.