Redirect mapping tool Old URLs need new targets, and searchVIU suggests them.

searchVIU matches old and new URLs by how similar their content is. You review the suggestions and hand your IT team a finished file.

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Suggestionsbased on content similarityImportfrom Excel or CSVCheckedagainst the DEV siteExportas CSV, for Apache or nginx
Redirect mappingexample-shop.com · targets on the DEV site
/zelte/2-personen-zelt/→/camping/zelte/2-personen/
Similarity 96 %
200
/ratgeber/zelt-aufbauen.html→/magazin/zelt-aufbauen/
Similarity 91 %
200
/wanderschuhe/damen/→/schuhe/wandern/damen/
Similarity 94 %
noindex
/aktion/sommer-2024/→/sale/
Similarity 58 %
404
Relaunch

Each of thousands of old URLs needs a target.

In a relaunch, almost all URLs often change. If an old URL has no redirect, visitors and Google land on an error page. The links and rankings of the old page then lead nowhere.

The mapping lives in spreadsheets

Old URLs, new URLs, coordination with the agency and IT. This is often spread across several files and versions.

Errors show up after go-live

If a row was missing or points to the wrong target, you only notice it from the 404 errors after the switch.

See the whole relaunch with searchVIU
Suggestions

Every old URL gets a suggestion, and you decide.

searchVIU compares the content of the old pages with the new ones and suggests a target for every old URL. You accept suggestions, change them or edit many rows at once. Before you save, a preview shows which mappings will change.

  • Similarityof the content of old and new page
  • Many rows at oncewith a preview before saving
  • Importof existing mappings from Excel or CSV
18,240 old URLsMapping status
  • Suggestion accepted16,416
  • Review suggestion1,368
  • Set target manually456
Checked against the DEV site

searchVIU checks every target and weights it by clicks.

As soon as the new website runs on a DEV site, searchVIU crawls it and checks every target from the mapping. Does the page exist, is it indexable, does it redirect? Every row is weighted by the Search Console clicks of the old URL over the last 30 days. The targets carrying the most traffic are at the top.

Old URL → target on the DEV siteTargetClicks
/wanderschuhe/damen/ → /schuhe/wandern/damen/target is set to noindexnoindex3,480
/ratgeber/zelt-aufbauen.html → /magazin/zelt-aufbauen/target reachable and indexable2002,910
/zelte/kuppelzelte/ → /camping/zelte/kuppel/target redirects againRedirect1,920
/zubehoer/heringe/ → /camping/zubehoer/target reachable and indexable200410
Clicks on targets with a problem
5,400Targets checked
18,240
See the before-and-after comparison per URL
Export

Your IT team gets the redirects as CSV, for Apache or nginx.

Once the mapping is agreed, you export the redirects in the format your IT team needs and can deploy directly.

    Export redirects18,240 rows
    • CSVfor Excel, your agency or your own scripts
      Table
    • Apacherules for Apache servers
      Server
    • nginxrules for nginx servers
      Server
    After go-live

    After go-live, searchVIU keeps an eye on the redirects.

    After the switch, searchVIU crawls the new website and reports new 404 errors and redirects to unsuitable targets. searchVIU also keeps an eye on the robots.txt of the old domain.

    Mapping

    Suggestions, import and agreement within the team.

    DEV site

    Every target checked, weighted by clicks.

    Go-live

    IT deploys the redirects.

    Monitoring

    404 errors, redirect targets and old domains in view.

    More about SEO Monitoring
    Three weeks after go-live

    The old URLs redirect cleanly.

    The switch is done, and the crawl confirms it week after week.

    • Old URLs redirectchecked in the crawl every week
    • No new 404 errorssince the last crawl
    • Targets match the contentno redirects to dissimilar pages
    Week 3 · all quiet

    Frequently asked questions about redirect mapping

    We don't have a DEV site.

    In that case, searchVIU freezes a crawl before the switch and compares every later crawl with it. After the switch, you see which old URLs are no longer reachable.

    Our DEV site is protected.

    searchVIU crawls it anyway, with a login, basic auth, a custom header or by allowing our fixed IP. We set up access according to your requirements.

    We already have a mapping in Excel.

    You import it as an Excel or CSV file. searchVIU then checks the targets against the DEV site in the same way.

    Our agency is doing the mapping.

    Then the agency works in the same searchVIU project. Everyone sees the same suggestions, checks and clicks.

    Who deploys the redirects?

    Your IT team or your hosting provider. searchVIU delivers the file and checks after go-live whether the redirects work.

    What does it cost?

    Redirect mapping is part of the Migration Pack. The Migration Pack is an add-on to SEO Monitoring, from €1,999 one-off. If the migration takes longer than planned, there is no monthly surcharge. You will find all prices on the pricing page.

    Demo

    Let's talk about your website.

    In the demo, Michael shows you how searchVIU works. We use your website and a demo project for this.

    1. Request in three short steps
    2. Quick alignment on crawler access, NDA and Search Console
    3. Demo with your website and the demo project
    4. Start planned and supported together
    1. Website
    2. Needs
    3. Contact

    Which website is it about?