What to change
An old address carries a promise about a particular question. Redirect it to a successor only when that destination meaningfully fulfils the promise. Ask the content owner to review unmatched routes rather than sending everything home by default. The supplier's evidence should include a reason for each sampled mapping and an explicit treatment for retired material without a suitable replacement, preserving honest navigation for incoming visitors.
A worked example
Illustrative example
Illustrative test: Open an old analytics guide link and verify that its replacement addresses analytics. An old link about enquiry measurement should lead to a relevant current explanation, if one exists. Your content owner rejects a proposed homepage destination because it does not answer the original question. The supplier applies the approved successor instead and records a different treatment for an article with no replacement. Reviewing both cases demonstrates that the migration is based on reader intent rather than a blanket rule that merely suppresses errors.
What this means for your practice
An old link carries an expectation about its subject. Someone following a guide about enquiry reporting should not be dropped on the homepage and left to begin again. Ask your content owner to identify a genuine successor for each important retired page. Where no suitable replacement exists, agree an honest missing-page experience with useful onward options. Your supplier should implement the approved mapping and demonstrate examples from different topics. Review the relevance of the landing page, not just whether something loads. A tidy report showing no failed destinations can conceal a poor experience if every old address has simply been pointed at the same generic page.
How to check the result
The final page fulfils the original task or clearly handles the absence of a successor.
A mistake to avoid
A working homepage is not evidence of a relevant redirect.
Turn reading into a next step
Your action checklist
Work through these checks with your team or supplier. Tick the ones you have resolved and leave unknowns open.
Record what you know, what is still missing and the answer you need from your team or supplier.
Use project decisions only, without personal, patient or confidential details. Entries stay in this page and are not submitted to Kay & Co. Copy or download before leaving; this page does not save your notes.
Further reading
These sources provide background for the topic. The practice examples and checklist are illustrative planning suggestions from Kay & Co.
Related guides
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