Job builder-redirect-map-and-seo-metadata-carry-over · revised 11 October 2026
Redirect up to 60 old addresses to your new site and keep page titles and descriptions
Up to 60 old addresses redirect permanently in one hop to the right new page, or are listed with the builder's reason; each new page keeps its old title and description unless you chose new ones.
You might be seeing
- Old addresses from search results or other sites show a not-found page
- Several old addresses all land on the home page
- New pages show a default title or no description where the old ones had one
No passwords, keys, card details or admin invites needed to start.
What usually happened
When page addresses change, every old link keeps pointing at the old address. Each builder has its own redirect tool with different rules about what it can redirect, how many lines it takes and when a rule takes effect, and a bulk import can overwrite rules already there. Titles and descriptions live in different settings on every builder and are lost unless someone copies them.
Who it’s for: Owner of a site that has been rebuilt or moved to Webflow, Squarespace or Wix, whose old page addresses now show an error or send visitors to the wrong place.
Usually starts when: You relaunched the site and old links from Google, emails or other sites now land on a not-found page, or the new pages have lost their old titles and descriptions.
The result: Every address on the approved map ends in one of three agreed states: it redirects permanently, in one hop, to its mapped new page; it returns the not-found page you approved because it is mapped to gone; or it is on a signed-off list of addresses the builder cannot redirect, with the reason. Each new page also has the agreed title and description.
Check whether this job fits
Answer these without sending logins. Nothing is submitted unless you choose to contact us.
Checks you can run yourself
Try five old links
Take five old addresses, such as the home page, two main pages and two older posts, and open them in a private window.
Look for: Any that show an error, or land on a page that is not the same topic, are the ones that need a mapped redirect.
What you get
- The approved mapping sheet with one row per old address
- The redirect list as loaded, with the status code and final address found for each in testing
- A before and after sheet of titles and descriptions, and a list of what the builder cannot redirect
Included
- Up to 60 old addresses collected from your old sitemap, page list and any analytics export you supply
- A mapping sheet pairing each with a new page, marking it as gone, or marking it 'builder cannot redirect', with your approval of every row before anything is loaded
- A written exceptions list for the rows the builder cannot redirect, each with the builder's documented reason and the nearest alternative. For example, Squarespace cannot redirect the home page, image or file addresses, most addresses containing ?, & or #, or an address whose page still exists; Wix's URL Redirect Manager cannot redirect the home page or an address containing #
- Loading the redirects with the builder's own redirect tool, within that tool's documented rules
- Copying the old title, description and social sharing text into the new page settings, and a test of every address
Not included
- Moving or rewriting page content, which is a separate job
- Guarantees about search ranking or recovery time after a move
- Search Console actions such as a Change of Address, which only the property owner can take
- Redirecting from a domain that is no longer connected to your builder site
How we know it’s done
Agreed with you before work starts. Each check produces evidence you keep.
Every row marked redirect returns a permanent redirect and lands on its mapped new page in a single hop. Each test starts from the canonical https address named in the sheet (the version with or without www), so a hop that only adds https or www is recorded but not counted. Rows marked builder cannot redirect are not in this count.
Evidence: A test sheet with the status code, final address and hop count for each redirect row.
Every row marked builder cannot redirect is on the exceptions list with the builder's documented reason and the nearest alternative, and you approved the list before any redirect was loaded.
Evidence: The exceptions list with your written approval and a documentation link for each reason.
No address in the test loops or passes through more than one counted redirect, as defined in the first check.
Evidence: The hop-count column of the test sheet.
Addresses mapped to gone return the not-found page you approved, not the home page.
Evidence: Screenshots and status codes for those rows.
Each new page's title and description match the carried-over values in the sheet, except where you recorded a change.
Evidence: The title and description before and after sheet.
Sign-off. You open ten old links of your choice and check the rest of the sheet, then sign off before payment. Your account holder publishes.
If it fails. If the agreed checks fail, you do not pay for this fixed scope. We hand over the findings and agree whether to stop or re-quote; no surprise work.
When it fits, and when we stop
It fits when
- The new pages exist and you can reach their settings, and the old addresses can be listed
- The old domain is already connected to the builder site you are editing and points at it, or the old and new sites use the same domain, so every address can be tested on its real address
- The site is on a plan that has the builder's redirect tool
We stop and tell you if
- There is no way to list the old addresses, such as a deleted site with no sitemap or analytics
- More than 60 old addresses need mapping, so we quote a larger scope
- The old domain has been dropped, so nothing can answer requests for the old addresses
- The domain does not yet point at the new builder site, so redirects cannot be tested on the real addresses; for a move that has not been switched, the site move project tests the rules first and runs the live test after the switch
What could go wrong
The existing redirect rules are exported before any change and kept in the handover, so they can be restored. Each added redirect is a single line that can be removed.
Scroll the table sideways to read it all.
| Risk | How we handle it |
|---|---|
| A bulk import overwrites redirects already in place. | Webflow says an import overwrites all existing redirects, so we export the existing list first, merge it and re-check the whole list. |
| Redirects chain or loop after a second round of changes. | Every address is tested for the number of hops and final address, and the limit is one hop. |
| Sending many old addresses to the home page looks like a not-found result to search engines. | Addresses with no counterpart are mapped to the approved not-found page, as Google advises. |
An independent reviewer checks the redacted before and after evidence, the list of changes and the way back, and looks separately at anything that touches customer data, payments or logins, before you see the result.
How we deliver
We arrange the work and independent review, then show you the result against the agreed checks. You keep authority over your systems.
- Agree the old and new sites, the builder, the address count and who approves the map
- Collect the old addresses and draft the mapping sheet, with each row marked redirect or gone
- Get your approval of every row, then check the builder's redirect rules for anything that cannot be redirected and write the exceptions list, each such row with its reason, for your approval before anything is loaded
- Load the approved redirects with the builder's own tool, without overwriting rules already there (export the existing list first where the tool replaces it)
- Test every old address once for status code, final address and number of hops, starting from the canonical https address named in the sheet (on Squarespace a second use of the same redirect within two minutes shows a 404 page by design, so each address is tested once)
- Copy titles and descriptions into the new pages, have a separate reviewer re-test, and hand over the sheet
This is a one-off job, not emergency cover or a subscription. We confirm eligibility, the total price, a start window and a delivery date before you accept. Work starts only after agreed inputs, secure access and necessary permissions are in place. Builder plan, app, domain and payment-provider charges are yours and are excluded unless the written quote includes them. No charge or booking is created by an enquiry.
Need to keep it working?
If you also need the page content moved across, ask about the site move project, which includes this job.
Ongoing work is separately scoped and quoted: no monitoring, response-time guarantee or automatic subscription is included in this job.
Explore an ongoing engineering lane, or mention the responsibility you need in your enquiry.
What you can check
This is a new service. We have not delivered this job for a client yet.
Other ways to get this done
- Google's own site-move guidance explains mapping and redirecting addresses step by step if you want to do it yourself. developers.google.com
- Squarespace's URL mappings help article shows the redirect line format and its limits. support.squarespace.com
Questions
Will my rankings be unchanged?
No one can promise that. Google says rankings can shift for a few weeks or more after a move. Redirects and carried-over titles reduce avoidable loss.
What if I have more than 60 pages?
Larger lists are quoted separately after we count the addresses.
Do you submit anything to Google?
No. Actions in Search Console belong to the property owner. We give you a short checklist of what to do.
What if the builder cannot redirect one of my addresses?
Those addresses are named on a list with the builder's own reason and the nearest alternative, and you approve the list before anything is loaded. They are not counted as redirected.
Send an enquiry
Send us
- The old and new site addresses and the builder of the new site
- Your old sitemap address or a list of pages, and whether any have changed names
- The number of old addresses you expect, as a rough figure
Later, once you agree
- Builder access at the role named in the access section, set up by you and removable at any time
- Any analytics export of the old addresses, with no personal data in it
- Your approval of each row of the mapping sheet before it is loaded
You keep the live site, the builder account, the domain and all customer data. Access is agreed with you in writing before any work starts, and no work starts until it is. Any access we use is through a company-controlled account, never a personal login. The role depends on the builder. Webflow: the Site manager role, which Webflow describes as managing all site settings (redirects sit in site settings), on a paid full seat in your Workspace (or a guest invitation, which Webflow allows only to a Freelancer or Agency Workspace). Squarespace: the Administrator permission, because only owners and administrators can edit page settings, navigation titles, URL slugs and SEO settings; Squarespace's permissions page does not list URL mappings separately, so we confirm in your account that Administrator is what the mappings panel needs. Wix: the Website Manager role; Wix's pages do not say which role can use the URL Redirect Manager, so we confirm that in your dashboard before quoting. We name the exact role and any seat or plan charge in the quote before you invite anyone; those charges are yours. You can remove our access at any time. No passwords or payment details go by ordinary email, and your authorised account holder publishes the final change.
Email fallback: open your mail app
If website submission is unavailable, review and send the fallback email yourself. An email fallback is not a website receipt. Or write to hello@syntheticindustry.ai with “builder-redirect-map-and-seo-metadata-carry-over” as the subject.