Website Rebranding: Preserving Links and Planning Redirects
Changing a website's name and appearance requires a second review: what will happen to URLs already in circulation? A client might arrive through a bookmark, an old proposal, an ad, or a link sent by customer service. Launch must consider these entry points as well as navigation from the new homepage.
Start by separating two decisions. Updating the brand does not itself require changing the domain or page paths. If URLs change, each old page needs a defined treatment. This distinction prevents a visual update from becoming an unplanned migration.
Website rebranding redirects: build an inventory that reflects customer service
We propose combining the website's page list with the paths used by the sales team. Gather service pages, articles, files sent to clients, and links in promotional materials. For each row, record the full URL, its purpose, and who can confirm whether the content remains valid.
Include a column called "where this link appears." It might contain a proposal, email signature, social profile, or printed material. The aim is to turn an abstract URL into a recognizable situation. Start with paths supporting ongoing conversations and continue until the inventory is covered.
Decide each page's future
Google advises mapping old URLs to their destinations and avoiding indiscriminately redirecting pages to an unrelated homepage. The mapping should preserve a relevant answer to the intent of the person following the link. Google: site moves with URL changes
Fictional example: a studio named Aurora becomes Traço. The team decides to retain part of the structure and simplify another part. The table represents content decisions; paths are illustrative and do not correspond to Briccitly's website.
Old entry point | Decision | Destination or treatment | Content check |
/servicos/sites | Same service at a new path | /websites | The page still explains the service |
/portfolio/loja-azul | Project remains available | Same path | Update brand references |
/servicos/solucao-antiga | Offering discontinued, with no equivalent | Indicate unavailability correctly | Do not suggest the service still exists |
/contato | Channel remains valid | Same path | Test contact methods |
If two pages are merged, confirm that the new page contains relevant information from both. When no replacement exists, the decision must be explicit. According to Google's documentation, 404 and 410 responses indicate unavailable content; a visual error message returned as HTTP success does not provide the same treatment. Google: HTTP response codes
Use the redirect suited to the decision
For a permanent URL change, Google recommends a permanent server-side redirect where possible, such as 301 or 308. Temporary codes have a different purpose. The choice should reflect what actually happened to the page, rather than a visual preference. Google: redirect types
Ask the implementer to associate each rule with an approved inventory row. A destination change can then be discussed with someone who knows the service. Avoid vague instructions such as "send old links to the new website": they hide the content decision inside the configuration.
If the domain changes, define who will maintain the old address and the structure running the redirects. Google recommends retaining redirects as long as possible, generally for at least a year. For the company, this also requires planning continued access to the necessary accounts. Google: maintaining redirects
Test an entry point, destination, and action
MDN documentation describes how redirects forward requests and explains loops that prevent access to content. In the technical check, inspect the old URL's response, redirects, and final response, as well as what appears in the browser. MDN: how redirects work
Our customer service test adds a question: can someone who received the old proposal still take the expected action? Open the link from the test proposal, read the page, and proceed to contact. Record any disconnect between the earlier material's promise and the current content.
Compare the accessed URL with its inventory row.
Confirm that the destination belongs to the company and explains the expected offering.
Test internal links and buttons along revised paths.
Check files and contacts cited in materials still in use.
Record results, date, owner, and pending corrections in each row.
Finish the change with defined maintenance
The sitemap should also reflect URLs intended as preferred pages. Google recommends including these URLs and allows submitting the sitemap through Search Console. Submission supports discovery; it does not guarantee that every page will be crawled or indexed. Google: building and submitting a sitemap
Agree who will monitor errors and update links in company-owned materials after launch. Google warns that migrations can cause search fluctuations while pages are processed. Planning reduces avoidable problems without ensuring positions or a stabilization date. Google: monitoring site moves
Before authorizing the change, choose a row still lacking a destination and resolve it with the team: retain, replace, or retire? This exercise reveals decisions the new layout cannot solve alone. To organize structure, content, and continuity of paths within the project, explore Briccitly's website service. Website creation by Briccitly
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