Q: We want to merge several thin pages into one during the migration — how do I redirect three old URLs into o

Q: We want to merge several thin pages into one during the migration — how do I redirect three old URLs into one new page without hurting it?

Great instinct to consolidate, and it can work beautifully if done with care.

Short answer: 301 all three old URLs to the single new page — but make sure that new page genuinely covers all three topics.

Long answer: merging is fine, and Google can pass combined signals to the destination. The risk isn't the redirect, it's relevance: if three old pages ranked for distinct queries and you fold them into one page that only covers one of those topics, you'll keep the ranking for that topic and quietly lose the others. The redirect transfers signal; only matching content keeps the rankings.

So consolidation is really a content task with a redirect attached.

Next step: list the top queries each old page ranked for, make sure the new page actually answers all of them with real sections, then 301 all three old URLs to it. Watch those queries individually for a few weeks.