9 Ways to Handle URL Redirections for SEO When Rebranding a Business

When rebranding your business, it’s crucial to handle URL redirections with precision to maintain SEO integrity. We’ve gathered insights from SEO experts and business leaders, including a senior SEO specialist and a VP of marketing, to share their specific tips and techniques. From automating redirection sheets to prioritizing redirects for 404 pages with backlinks, here are the top nine strategies they recommend.

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Automate or Manually Create Redirection Sheets

Ideally, there are two ways to do this: either automate the whole process or manually create a redirection sheet that can be applied to .htaccess or Nginx redirect rules.

I always choose automation. Automation helps to make sure all the URLs get redirected, and no URL returns a 404 Not Found page for any query in SERPs. There are very simple rules that can be created in .htaccess or Nginx to redirect users from an old to a new domain where the URL slugs are still similar. This works well where the domain name has changed but the internal URLs are still the same.

If you have a new brand with a new website now, nothing can beat a simple redirection sheet. Take time and create a redirect sheet that redirects URLs from an old website domain to a new one. Make sure the URLs redirect to similar-topic URLs on the new domain; this helps Google to index the new pages quickly and transfer link juice.

Puneet Singh, Sr. SEO Specialist, Mojo Dojo

Map Old and New Site Structures

First, design your final site’s new structure by listing out each category and page on a spreadsheet.

Then systematically add in your existing page structure alongside the new framework, showing which URL will redirect to each new page. Doing this will give you the option of playing around with structures and options before you commit to anything final.

With 301 redirects, it’s important to consider the context of the content on the old page and its relevance to the new page. It needs to match up to make sense for a 301 to be useful. If you have pages that are outliers, redirect them to a category or domain-level URL.

Ben Hilton, Founder & Managing Director, Switch Jam Digital

Involve SEO Professionals Early On

The first tip I would give is not to do it unless it’s a total rebrand. I’ve seen many redirections or migrations fail because the site waited until the process was over to bring in an SEO professional.

That would be my biggest tip, probably. Involve an SEO expert from the very start to minimize any traffic loss that may occur and to ensure that all the appropriate URLs are 301-redirected to a new domain if that happens.

Another one would be that it takes time. You’re not going to instantly pop up to where you were overnight, but if you follow the right steps, your traffic should come back in a few months.

Peter Rota, Senior Technical SEO Manager, Peter Rota SEO

Implement a Proper 301-Redirect Strategy

One specific and crucial technique for handling URL redirections during a business rebranding process is implementing a proper 301-redirect strategy. A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect from one URL to another, and it’s essential for maintaining your search engine rankings and user experience during a rebrand. Here’s a detailed explanation of why 301 redirects are important:

• Preserve SEO Value – 301 redirects pass between 90-99% of the link equity (ranking power) to the redirected page, helping maintain your search engine rankings.
  
• Improve User Experience – Users clicking on old links or bookmarks will be seamlessly directed to the correct new pages.
  
• Prevent 404 Errors – Without proper redirects, old URLs may lead to “404 page not found” errors, negatively impacting both SEO and user experience.

Remember, while 301 redirects are crucial, they’re just one part of a comprehensive rebranding SEO strategy. Consider also updating your business information across the web, re-optimizing your content for new branding terms, and developing a strong internal linking structure on your new site.

Jon Crocker, Owner, Crocker & Co.

Use Regex for Efficient Batch Redirecting

I understand the critical importance of managing URL redirections effectively during a rebranding initiative. Properly handling these redirections is pivotal in preserving SEO value and ensuring a seamless user experience. 

One strategy we employ involves using regex (regular expressions) for batch redirecting URLs that follow a specific pattern. This is particularly useful when dealing with large-scale website changes. By using regex, we can redirect multiple URLs at once that fit a defined pattern, which is more efficient than redirecting each URL individually. This not only saves time but also ensures consistency across the site, reducing the likelihood of missed redirects and the negative impacts they could have on SEO.

Jason Hennessey, CEO, Hennessey Digital

Adopt a Phased Redirection Approach

An important strategy is to implement a phased redirection approach, particularly for large-scale rebrandings. Start by redirecting the most critical pages—those that receive the most traffic, have the highest conversion rates, and hold the most SEO value. This allows you to monitor the impact of the redirects on your SEO performance and adjust the strategy if needed before rolling out redirects across the entire site. This method minimizes risks and helps maintain stability in your search engine rankings during the transition.

Marc Bishop, Director, Wytlabs

Redirect Old URLs to Relevant New Ones

Implement 301 redirects correctly from the old URL to the new URL. It notifies the search engines that the old URLs have permanently shifted to new locations. It passes the SEO authority from the old URLs to the new URLs and improves rankings over time.

Instead of redirecting all URLs to the homepage, redirect each old URL to its relevant new URL. This maintains specific page rankings in search results. Maintaining a similar URL structure can make it easier for search engines to understand the redirections, which makes indexing the new URL faster.

While redirecting URLs, make sure to monitor the performance regularly. You can use tools like Google Search Console or other SEO tools to monitor and fix any errors or issues.

No matter how careful you were, don’t forget to inform Google about the changes you have made to the domain or while rebranding. This way, Google can easily understand the changes and make the indexing fast.

Manish Nigam, SEO Executive, Travel Portal Solution

Preserve SEO With Meticulous 301 Redirects

When rebranding at Zentro Internet, handling URL redirections meticulously was crucial for maintaining SEO value. A key technique is implementing 301 redirects for all old URLs to their relevant new counterparts. This preserves inbound links and search rankings seamlessly. 

Additionally, updating all canonical tags and submitting updated sitemaps expedited the reindexing process, ensuring search engines recognized and adapted to our new brand identity efficiently. This approach minimizes disruption and retains traffic integrity.

Andrew Dunn, Vice President of Marketing, Zentro Internet

Prioritize Redirects for 404 Pages With Backlinks

From our experience with SEO, it is critical to redirect 404 pages after they have been deleted to ensure that the equity of the 404 page is passed on to a page that exists on your site. These 404 pages could have received great backlinks (and you can check this in Ahrefs by navigating to “Best by Pages” and filtering by 404s), and you’d want to maintain them by implementing a redirect. If you are in a pinch with time or resources, use Ahrefs to evaluate the backlinks of your 404s and be sure to redirect the ones with credible backlinks. 

When you do the redirect, it is essential to redirect the user to the most relevant page possible. Mass redirects to the homepage can end up hurting your site. We like to do a site search, where you type this into your browser and search -> site:[URL] [keyword/phrase you want to see]. This will show you any pages that contain the keyword or phrase you are looking for.

Bill Rudman, Director, The Musical Theater Project

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