A redesign can change the addresses, navigation and content that customers already use. Protect those journeys before you launch, not after someone reports a broken link.
1. Record the starting point
Save your important landing pages, search queries and conversion measures. Use Search Console and analytics alongside a crawl. A site: search is not a reliable count of indexed pages.
2. Keep useful navigation
Identify the links customers use to reach products, services and contact details. Test those paths on the new site. Google generates search sitelinks automatically; you cannot specify them or use the old Webmaster Tools blocking control.
3. Check crawling and indexing
Verify canonical URLs, robots rules, noindex directives and the sitemap. Keep the preview out of search, but check that the launch configuration allows indexing of the pages you intend to publish. Test missing pages and monitor Search Console after launch.
4. Review titles and descriptions
Make titles descriptive and specific. Write descriptions that explain why the page is useful, recognising that Google may generate a different search snippet. Do not chase a keyword-density target or repeat phrases mechanically.
5. Map changed URLs to real equivalents
Map each moved page to the closest relevant replacement using a permanent redirect. Do not send every old URL to the homepage. Update internal links to point directly to the final destination, and test for chains and loops.
See our domain migration checklist and when to use a 301 redirect. For help implementing the changes, see SEO and search visibility.