Redirects are usually reviewed in a rush: one spreadsheet, one launch window, too many URLs and not enough time. The problem is that redirect mistakes rarely stay technical. They become lost rankings, wasted crawl budget, broken journeys and revenue leakage.
Before launch: validate the mapping
Start with the old-to-new URL mapping. Every important source URL should have a clear expected destination, not just a generic homepage or category unless that is genuinely the best replacement.
- Check that every source URL exists in the mapping.
- Confirm each expected destination is relevant.
- Avoid redirecting high-intent pages to generic pages.
- Prioritize URLs with organic traffic, backlinks, leads or revenue.
After deploy: test real HTTP behavior
A mapping can look correct while server behavior is wrong. After deployment, test the live URLs and compare what actually happens against the expected final destination.
What to check
- 301 and 302 status codes
- 404 and 410 responses
- HTTP to HTTPS paths
- www and non-www canonical paths
- redirect chains
- redirect loops
- wrong final destinations
After launch: keep monitoring
Migration redirects can change after launch because fixes, CMS edits, server rules and releases keep moving. Weekly monitoring gives you a second safety net after the initial QA.