Keep old links working after a website rebuild

ANALYSIS / CUSTOMER ENTRY POINTS

1. Start with the links customers already have

Existing guidance · Checked 1 November 2026

Source facts

Google’s site-move guide recommends mapping old URLs to new destinations, using sources such as sitemaps, analytics and server logs to identify existing pages. It also advises updating internal links, profile links and advertising campaigns. This is established guidance, not a November announcement.

Who this affects

Australian service businesses changing a domain, CMS or service-page address during a rebuild. If the work changes only colours or layout and every URL stays the same, a full migration exercise may be unnecessary; still check the important customer paths.

Our analysis: what it means for your business

Hypothetical example: an electrical contractor replaces /switchboard-upgrade with /services/switchboards. The new menu works, but a customer opens the previous address from a quote sent last month. Testing only the homepage would miss that entry point. The relevant question is whether the old link reaches the promised service and a working way to enquire.

Our recommendation is to make a small launch register with five columns: original URL, where customers receive it, intended destination, person responsible and test result. Start with active advertising, quote templates, profile links and printed material, then expand using the site inventory. A page absent from today’s menu may still matter to someone with an older link.

Prioritise by consequence as well as traffic. A seasonal service might have few visits this week but still be printed on a vehicle or brochure. A booking link might serve fewer people than the homepage yet carry a more immediate customer commitment. The owner can identify these operational uses; the web supplier can check the addresses and server behaviour.

Separate a URL change from a service change. A renamed page may still answer the same need. A discontinued service requires a different customer explanation. Agreeing that distinction before launch gives the supplier a clear instruction and avoids staff discovering the mismatch through confused enquiries. This is a planning recommendation, not evidence that any particular business has lost leads.

What to do next

1. List important existing addresses and where customers encounter them.
2. Assign an intended destination and an owner to each changed URL.
3. Include seasonal pages and links in quotes or printed material.

ANALYSIS / REDIRECT DECISIONS

2. Match the destination to the customer’s need

Site moves updated 20 August · Redirects updated 14 April 2026

Source facts

Google identifies HTTP 301 and 308 as permanent redirects and 302 and 307 as temporary redirects. Its guidance recommends server-side permanent redirects for lasting URL moves where possible.

Google cautions against sending many old URLs to an irrelevant homepage. Relevant consolidated content can receive redirects; removed content without a replacement can return 404 or 410. The site-move guide recommends keeping redirects generally for at least one year and avoiding redirect chains.

Who this affects

Owners deciding what happens to renamed, merged or retired service pages. The implementation depends on the website platform and hosting setup. These are general Google Search recommendations, with no Australian account rollout or beta requirement.

Our analysis: what it means for your business

Hypothetical example: a cleaning company combines two pages about end-of-lease cleaning into one detailed service page. A direct route to that combined page can preserve the visitor’s purpose. Sending the same visitor to a generic homepage leaves them to work out whether the promised service still exists. A technically successful page load is not the whole acceptance test.

For a service that has genuinely ended, ask the owner what the business can truthfully offer next. Do not redirect to a vaguely related service just to make an error report look cleaner. An informative unavailable-page experience may be more honest when there is no suitable replacement. The supplier should confirm the appropriate response and navigation, while the owner approves the explanation.

For a temporary interruption, such as a booking page being unavailable during maintenance, agree how customers will contact the business in the meantime and when the normal path returns. A temporary server response and a clear customer message solve different parts of that problem. Neither automatically transfers an enquiry to a member of staff.

Request the final destination in one step where practical, rather than a trail through several previous versions. Keep the old domain and redirect arrangements under a named owner if they remain part of the customer path. Removing an old hosting service or letting a domain lapse can undermine a redirect plan even though the new website itself is still online. Confirm dependencies before cancelling anything.

What to do next

1. Use a relevant replacement for a permanent move; decide retired services separately.
2. Ask the supplier to report the response and final destination for each old address.
3. Record who maintains the redirect and any old-domain or hosting dependency.

ANALYSIS / LAUNCH ACCEPTANCE

3. Check the ad destination and the enquiry handoff

Undated Google Ads policy · Checked 1 November 2026

Source facts

Google Ads requires destinations to function on common browsers and devices and be accessible in the targeted location. Its destination-mismatch rules include final-URL redirects to a different domain and discrepancies between display and final URLs. A working Search redirect alone does not establish that an ad destination complies.

Who this affects

Businesses running Google Ads into changed pages, plus any team whose website passes enquiries into a form, calendar or CRM such as Growthcenter. Businesses without active ads can ignore the advertising-specific check while retaining the customer-path check.

Our analysis: what it means for your business

Our recommendation is to review active ad final URLs, mobile destinations where used and tracking settings with the existing advertising operator before a domain change. Do not assume an old ad can keep pointing across domains because a browser eventually reaches the new site. The operator should check the current policy and account status; this article does not diagnose or promise approval for an account.

Then test from the original customer entry point on a phone. Does it reach the intended service? Is the advertised offer still accurate? Can the visitor call, request a quote or book? Where authorised, use clearly labelled dummy details to verify that a form reaches the expected inbox or CRM queue and that a staff member owns the next action. Avoid creating a real appointment or messaging a customer during the check.

Separate three results in the launch record: the URL resolves, the page offers the right next step, and the enquiry arrives where someone will handle it. A redirect test verifies the first result. It cannot prove the other two. This makes a failed handoff easier to assign to the right person without guessing whether the website, tracking or CRM is responsible.

Agree who can pause an affected campaign or restore a previous working path if a material fault appears. After launch, review incoming errors and the important old URLs again, and monitor enquiries through the usual business process. These checks can reveal faults; they do not guarantee rankings, bookings or unchanged traffic after a migration.

What to do next

1. Review changed ad destinations with the existing advertising operator.
2. Use authorised dummy enquiries to verify the complete handoff, not only the redirect.
3. Record a rollback owner and recheck important old links after launch.