How to Change a Page's URL Without Losing Google Traffic

Step 3: add a permanent redirect#

A redirect tells browsers and Google that the old address has moved. Google's redirects guide explains why the type matters: with a permanent redirect, Google shows the new address in search results and treats it as the page's main (canonical) URL. With a temporary one (302 or 307), it keeps showing the old address. So for a rename you want 301 or 308.

The setup is different on each host. All the examples below send /service to /boiler-repair. Use the new address exactly as your own links and sitemap write it: if your HTML links keep the extension, the destination is /boiler-repair.html.

Netlify#

Create a plain text file called _redirects (no extension) in the folder you deploy. Netlify's redirects docs say each rule goes on its own line, old path first, and that the status is 301 if you leave it out. Writing it out does no harm:

/service       /boiler-repair   301
/service.html  /boiler-repair   301

Rules are read top to bottom and the first match wins. Paths are case-sensitive, so add a line for /Service too if that version was ever linked. If a file still exists at the old path, Netlify serves the file instead of redirecting; delete it, or force the rule by adding ! after the status code (301!).

Cloudflare (Workers and Pages)#

Cloudflare reads the same _redirects file, but its default status code is 302, a temporary redirect. Always add 301 at the end of each line:

/service       /boiler-repair   301
/service.html  /boiler-repair   301

At the time of writing a _redirects file can hold 2,000 static redirects and 100 dynamic ones (with wildcards), far more than a small site needs. If you're still on Pages, the same file keeps working after moving to Workers.

Vercel#

Add a redirects list to vercel.json in the project root. In the vercel.json reference, permanent: true sends a 308 (permanent) and permanent: false a 307 (temporary):

{
  "redirects": [
    { "source": "/service", "destination": "/boiler-repair", "permanent": true },
    { "source": "/service.html", "destination": "/boiler-repair", "permanent": true }
  ]
}

Vercel's limits at the time of writing are 2,048 redirects in the list.

GitHub Pages#

GitHub Pages serves files as they are and has no redirects file. The fallback Google supports is an instant meta refresh: its redirects guide says Google treats a meta refresh with a 0-second delay as a permanent redirect (a delay of more than 0 seconds counts as temporary). Keep a small page at the old address, for example service.html, containing only this:

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <title>This page has moved</title>
    <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0; url=https://www.example.com/boiler-repair" />
    <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.example.com/boiler-repair" />
  </head>
  <body>
    <p>This page has moved to <a href="/boiler-repair">Boiler repair</a>.</p>
  </body>
</html>

Replace www.example.com with your own domain. The visible link helps anyone whose browser blocks the refresh.

A note for Next.js and Astro#

The Freeframe Next.js templates build a static export, and redirects in next.config are on that page's list of unsupported features. Use the host's own redirects instead: put _redirects in the public/ folder so the build copies it into out/, or use vercel.json on Vercel.

Astro has a redirects option in astro.config.mjs, but for a static build it writes meta refresh pages and, as its docs put it, the status code "is not used by the server". That works for Google, but a real 301 from the host is better, so on Netlify, Cloudflare or Vercel prefer the host's file, again from public/.

Step 4: update links, sitemap and profiles#

A redirect catches old links, but every hop slows visitors down a little. Google's guide to moving pages recommends changing your own links to point at the new URL. Work through:

1. Your own pages: the header, footer and any links in the text (step 2).
2. Your sitemap: replace the old URL in sitemap.xml (or let Next.js or Astro regenerate it), then resubmit it in Search Console under Sitemaps. The SEO docs explain where the sitemap lives in each stack.
3. Places you control outside the site: your Google Business Profile, social media bios, email signatures, booking platforms and directory listings.
4. Your best inbound links: if a local paper or supplier links to the old page, ask them to update it.

Step 5: test it and keep it#

Open the old address in a private window and check you land on the new page. To see the status code, run this in a terminal:

curl -sI https://www.example.com/service

The first line should say 301 or 308, and the location: line should show the new address. A 302 or 307 means the redirect is temporary: on Cloudflare, add 301 to the rule; on Vercel, set permanent: true.

Then use the URL Inspection tool in Search Console on the new URL and choose Request indexing, so Google visits it sooner. For the following weeks, the Performance report should show the new URL picking up the impressions the old one had.

Finally, leave the redirect in place. Google's site-move guide says to keep redirects "for as long as possible, generally at least 1 year", and from the visitors' side to consider keeping them indefinitely. A line in _redirects costs nothing, so there's rarely a reason to remove it.

Quick checklist#

• The new URL is lowercase, short and uses hyphens.
• The page is live at the new address and the old file is gone (or the rule is forced).
• The old address returns 301 or 308, not 302 or 307.
• Your navigation, footer and in-text links use the new URL.
• The sitemap lists the new URL and has been resubmitted.
• Your Google Business Profile and social profiles link to the new URL.
• The redirect stays for at least a year.

Renaming a service page is also a good moment to check the page itself is ready for search: the launch checklist covers titles, descriptions and the rest. Templates like Handy and Bistro keep each service or menu on its own page, so a clear address for each one is easy to set up from the start.