Collect the old inventory
Use crawl exports, existing sitemaps and available search data. Include document URLs and old campaign paths that still receive relevant visits.
Match intent
Choose a destination that answers the same question. Merge only when the replacement genuinely covers the retired page’s purpose.
Test the complete chain
Check for loops, unnecessary hops and destinations that return errors. A successful first response does not prove the final page works.
Put it to work
A practical next step
Create an old URL, destination, reason and validation-status table.
Keep the evidence with the decision.
Save the baseline, the reason for the change and the person responsible for checking it. This makes the work easier to review later and helps your team distinguish a verified improvement from an untested assumption.
This note provides a planning framework. The right implementation depends on your business model, market, website and available records. Where a decision involves scientific interpretation, clinical services or legal status, use the appropriate qualified reviewer rather than treating marketing guidance as approval.
Related agency support
SEO Migration ↗
Review the service scope and use the briefing tool to describe your current situation.