After the redesign changed the domain name, do we need to keep the redirection of the old address active?
After the domain is changed, should the redirection of the old address always be hanging? The answer is to classify by address, not by overall duration: Old addresses that have received external backlinks or still bring stable traffic should be retained for a long time or even indefinitely; Only old pages brought out by internal links and confirmed to be normally included in the new address can be evaluated for removal after the observation period ends. Common suggestions are to wait for a year before judging, and old addresses with external links continue to hang for a year, until the source indeed changes its mouth.
Why should we worry about the retention period?
The redirect rule itself accounts for maintenance costs: the old domain needs to be renewed, the certificate needs to be valid, and the rules cannot be mistakenly deleted with the version update. But the cost of removing it is more direct - the old address with external links will immediately return an error page, and the link weight and the traffic from these addresses will be cut off at the same time. This kind of loss often appears a few months later from the data, by which time it is difficult to trace back which rule was deleted.
Which addresses cannot be removed
Three types should be retained: first, content with external references, including old links left by industry media, partner pages, and forums; second, landing pages that have brought search traffic, especially column pages and high-conversion pages; third, addresses carrying business entry points, such as event pages, download pages, and contact pages. Conversely, composite addresses with parameters, temporary sorting addresses, and intermediate pages confirmed to have no visitors can be cleaned up after checking the logs.
Do mapping first or cut traffic first
The sequence should be to first establish an address mapping table, then cut traffic, and finally move the internal links. The mapping must cover one-to-one relationships between each old address and the new address, which cannot be converged to the home page of the same level. The pseudo-static rules for the new domain name should be finalized before batch switching, otherwise, if the rules are changed, the established mappings will need to be redone. The internal links should then be replaced site-wide to point to the final address, and the old domain names in navigation, single pages, and the main text should be cleaned up in one go, so that pages do not continue to reference old addresses.
The cost of redirect chains
Jump from the old address to the intermediate address, and then to the final address. This chained jump dilutes the signal and slows down loading, and the crawling end has to spend more requests on the same path. The correct approach is to flatten the multi-level chain into a one-step direct jump, and at the same time, point the anchor text in the main text to the new address, so that the in-site links no longer rely on the jump of the old address to work.
Remove the previous checklist
First check the log and tool data: whether the old address still has external references, whether there are still incoming sessions; then confirm that the new address has been included normally and the old address has not been listed in the sitemap; finally, keep a backup of the fallback rules for convenience in case of immediate recovery when an error is discovered.
Common questions
Is a one-year retention a strict deadline?No, the judgment basis is whether the address is still receiving external links and traffic; addresses with external links are recommended to be retained indefinitely.
Can an old domain name be parked without any attention?It is not recommended, as the domain name may be registered by others after expiration, and historical external links may point to unfamiliar sites.
Will removing redirection affect the inclusion of the new domain name?A stable new address usually is not affected, but incorrectly removing an external link address can cause irreversible losses, and cleaning up needs to be done item by item.
Are there any old links within the site that need to be concerned about?It is important, as internal references will cause the crawler to repeatedly take redirection paths; it can be replaced with the final address throughout the site.