Written by DROPS.ST.
Preserve useful URLs where practical. When they must change, map each important old page to the most relevant new destination, arrange the appropriate permanent redirect and test the customer's journey. Moving products into a new shop does not automatically preserve the links that bring customers to them.
DROPS can assist with moving products, prices and images. That helps merchants switch without rebuilding the catalogue from scratch. Search continuity needs its own agreed scope: the old addresses, new pages, redirect responsibility and post-move checks. Confirm those details before retiring the previous shop.
Collect the addresses customers already use
Start with product and category pages that receive search visits, useful external links or direct customer traffic. Include guides and service pages when they answer recurring questions. Use the old site's page list, sitemap, analytics and Search Console records to build the inventory.
Do not rely on the current menu alone. A product may no longer be prominent in navigation while old messages or external pages still point to it. Image and document URLs can matter too when customers use them as references.
The catalogue migration checklist covers the products being moved. Keep this address inventory alongside that work so a successful import does not conceal broken entry points.
Map by meaning, not by convenience
The fictional mapping below shows several distinct decisions:
| Old page | New page purpose | Intended treatment |
|---|---|---|
| A case product still sold | The same case in the new shop | Preserve URL if possible, otherwise relevant permanent redirect |
| An old accessories category | Equivalent current category | Map to the matching collection |
| Two overlapping collection guides | One useful consolidated guide | Redirect both to the combined answer |
| Retired item with no replacement | No equivalent content | Consider an honest removal response |
| Collection instructions | Updated collection information | Preserve or redirect to the current service page |
Do not send every old product to the homepage. A person following a link to a specific component needs that component or a meaningful explanation, not an unrelated starting screen.
Assign who will keep redirects working
Ask who controls the old domain and server response after the old shop account closes. If the redirect depends on a service you plan to cancel, settle that dependency before the move. Also confirm who can change the new site's URLs and how corrections will be made.
Google distinguishes permanent and temporary redirects and recommends server-side permanent redirects for permanent moves when available. Google's redirect guidance explains the options. Have the responsible developer implement the agreed method; do not assume DROPS includes a native redirect editor or that a catalogue import configures it.
Test the route and the destination
For each important old URL, verify the intended response, final URL and visible content. Avoid a chain that passes through several unnecessary intermediate pages. Check the new page's title, preferred canonical, public access and internal links.
A fictional inventory of 40 important URLs might contain 31 unchanged addresses, six mapped redirects and three intentional removals. That is a more useful completion report than “the new site is live.” Test all 40 decisions, with extra attention to the pages responsible for meaningful orders or enquiries.
Update your own links to their final destinations. Supply a sitemap containing the intended public URLs; Google describes sitemap submission as a discovery aid, not an indexing guarantee. Google's sitemap guidance covers that distinction.
Monitor both sides of the move
Keep access to the relevant search reporting and review the old and new URLs after launch. Watch for unexpected not-found responses, incorrect redirects and new pages that remain blocked from indexing. Search visibility can fluctuate while Google processes a move.
Google's site-move guidance recommends keeping redirects for as long as practical, generally at least a year. Do not turn the launch date into the date all old entry routes disappear.
Keep order acceptance separate from search acceptance. A customer should be able to reach the correct item, understand the price and complete the order, while the search work is monitored on its own timescale. Use the migration disruption guide to record actual problems rather than assume every sales change came from the move.
Move the shop and protect the routes customers already know. Explore DROPS and discuss catalogue migration with an explicit URL plan. Get the products, addresses and responsibilities clear before cutover.