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Website Migration Redirects

Your site moves. **Your visitors follow.**

Links, bookmarks and search results still point to your old domain. Point it at RedirHub and those URLs keep landing on the right pages of your new site, even after the old server is gone.

Website migration redirects, explained#

A website migration redirect sends a request for an old URL to the page that replaced it. When a site moves to a new domain, the old addresses don’t disappear: links from other sites, bookmarks, emails, printed material and search results keep pointing at them.

Without redirects, those requests fail as soon as the old server is switched off. With them, each old URL answers with its new location, and visitors arrive on the right page.

301 redirects during a domain change#

For a permanent move, use a 301 redirect. It tells browsers and search engines that a page has moved for good, and where it lives now. Temporary redirects (302 or 307) are meant for moves you plan to reverse, so they send the wrong signal during a migration.

The redirects only work while something answers for the old domain. Pointing the old domain’s DNS at a redirect service, instead of keeping the old server online, lets you retire that server while the old URLs keep resolving over HTTPS.

Same-path and changed-URL migrations#

Migrations come in two shapes:

  • Same paths. The new site keeps the URL structure and only the domain changes. One whole-domain redirect forwards each path and query string, so /blog/launch on the old domain lands on /blog/launch on the new one.
  • Changed URLs. Pages were renamed, merged or reorganised. Each one needs its own row in a redirect map: the old URL, and the new URL that replaces it.

Knowing which case applies to each hostname tells you how large the redirect map needs to be.

Redirect mapping and migration planning#

A redirect map is a spreadsheet with one row per old URL and its destination. Building it is most of the work in a migration:

  • List the old URLs that must keep working. Your sitemap, analytics and backlink reports are good sources, along with any URLs that were printed or sent in emails.
  • For each one, pick the closest equivalent page on the new site.
  • Save the map as a CSV file with a source column and a destination column.
  • Review the import before anything is written, and fix the rows that have errors.
  • Once DNS points to the redirect service, spot-check key URLs, then retire the old server.

Common migration redirect mistakes#

  • Sending everything to the home page. Visitors lose the page they were looking for. Redirect each URL to its closest equivalent instead.
  • Redirect chains. An old URL that passes through an interim URL before the final one adds a hop to every visit. Point each old URL straight at its final destination.
  • Temporary redirects for a permanent move. Use 301, not 302, when the move is for good.
  • Dropping query strings. Campaign and tracking parameters should carry through to the new URL.
  • Forgotten hostnames. The www version, country domains and old subdomains each need a redirect too.
  • Switching off the old server too early. Confirm the redirects answer for the old domain before you turn the old server off.

Frequently asked questions

Usually not for that part of the move. RedirHub answers for a hostname once its DNS points here, so it fits hostnames you are moving away from. If the new site keeps the same hostname, redirects for changed paths normally need to run at that site’s origin, CDN or server. If the move also retires other hostnames — an old country domain or a legacy subdomain — those can point to RedirHub.
Each changed URL is one managed link. A whole-domain redirect that forwards paths and queries uses one domain and no managed links. Every old hostname you connect counts as one domain, and a root domain covers its www. The plan cards above show what each plan includes.
No. If the paths stay the same on the new domain, one whole-domain redirect covers them all. If paths change, map the URLs that matter: pages with search traffic, backlinks, bookmarks, and anything printed or emailed. Your analytics and crawl exports are the usual starting point, and you can add more URLs later with another CSV import.
You point the old domain’s DNS to RedirHub. The dashboard shows the record to add for each hostname: a CNAME, or an A record. A root domain, or any hostname on an A record, also needs a TXT record to verify it. DNS changes take time to reach every resolver, depending on your provider and record TTLs. Once DNS is verified, RedirHub automatically provisions HTTPS and activates the redirect when the secure connection is ready. Keep the old server running until your key redirects check out, then retire it.
The import review checks the file and your plan: missing or malformed https:// in destinations, unsupported redirect types, plan capacity and duplicate www rows, and it shows every change before anything is written. It doesn’t visit the destination pages. After cutover, spot-check your most important old URLs with the free Redirect Checker.
Yes. Plans start at the included capacity and scale up: on Core and Pro you can add managed-link capacity. The review shows how many domains and managed links a file uses before you import it. For very large or multi-domain migrations, talk to sales about tailored capacity and onboarding.
Start from two numbers: how many old hostnames you’re moving and how many changed URLs you’ll map. The plan cards above show what Core and Pro include; Pro also keeps a longer analytics history. Either plan can add capacity — enter your numbers in the pricing calculator to see the price.
For as long as the old URLs still get visits. Links on other sites, bookmarks and printed material don’t expire on your schedule. Redirect analytics show which old URLs are still in use, so you can retire redirects deliberately instead of guessing.