Keep old website links useful after a redesign

What this means for your practice

Map each changed address to the most relevant genuine destination. Ask the supplier to test the mapping rather than redirecting unrelated pages indiscriminately to the homepage.

A practical example

For example, an old service address should normally lead to that service's new information if it still exists. If the service has stopped, the destination should explain the position and useful next contact. Give the supplier a handful of real old links and ask for a demonstration. A good result preserves the purpose of the visit, including links from documents your team may continue to use.

Check links printed on leaflets or sent in booking messages, not only the links on the old website. Those are often the addresses patients keep. Ask the supplier to show how the new destination preserves the useful purpose of the old link rather than merely avoiding an error screen.

Make this improvement work

Match changed addresses to destinations that genuinely answer the original reader's need. A service page and an unrelated homepage are not equivalent simply because both are available. Ask the supplier to provide a reviewable list of old and proposed addresses, with uncertain cases assigned to a content owner. Test a sample containing service pages, documents and older campaign links on the private site. Check for loops and misleading destinations as well as missing pages. Keep the mapping connected to the content inventory so later editorial changes do not remove the replacement a saved link was supposed to reach.

How to check the result

Count valuable old routes returning errors or irrelevant destinations.