Redirect Migration Mapper
Match a list of old URLs to their closest equivalents on a new site by path similarity, flag the ones with no plausible match, and generate the redirect rules for Apache or nginx.
Last reviewed by the Radiatus Cloud team
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Migrations fail at the redirect map
Most traffic lost in a site migration is lost because URLs changed and nothing pointed the old addresses at the new ones. Every external link to an old URL leads to an error page, and the accumulated authority behind those links is discarded. The redirect map is the artefact that prevents this, and it is usually produced late, under time pressure, by hand, for thousands of URLs. Automating the obvious matches leaves human attention for the ones that genuinely need it.
Match on the meaningful part of the path
Two URLs for the same content usually share most of their final path segment even when the directory structure has changed entirely. Comparing the last segment, then the whole path, and scoring by shared word sequences finds the majority of pairs automatically. What it cannot do is recognise that a page was merged into another, split into three, or genuinely removed, which is why every low confidence match needs a person to look at it.
Redirect to the closest equivalent, never to the homepage
Redirecting a removed page to the homepage is treated as a soft error and passes on essentially nothing, because the destination does not answer the query the original ranked for. The closest relevant page is always better, and a page returning 410 Gone is better still when nothing relevant exists, since it tells search engines the removal was deliberate rather than an accident to keep re-checking. Chains of redirects should also be resolved to a single hop, since each additional hop loses a little and some crawlers give up after a handful.
Related tools
- Meta Tag Analyzer — Check a page's meta tags for the problems that actually affect indexing and click-through.
- Redirect Chain Checker — Trace the full path of redirects (301/302) to find loops or lost link juice.
- Robots.txt Validator — Validate robots.txt syntax and check whether a specific URL is allowed or blocked for a given crawler.
- Sitemap Generator (Lite) — Generate a valid XML sitemap with lastmod dates and correct structure, and learn which URLs belong in it and which do not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why not redirect everything to the homepage?
Because a redirect to an irrelevant destination is treated as a soft error and passes on essentially nothing. The homepage does not answer the query the old page ranked for, so the value of those links is discarded exactly as if the redirect were missing.
What should I do with pages that have no equivalent?
Return 410 Gone if the content is genuinely deleted, which tells search engines the removal was deliberate. If a related page exists, redirect there instead. Only use the homepage when nothing else is even loosely relevant, and expect to gain little.
Should redirects be permanent or temporary?
Permanent, a 301, for a migration. A temporary 302 tells search engines to keep the old URL indexed and to keep checking, which is the opposite of what a migration needs.
Why do redirect chains matter?
Each hop loses a little, and some crawlers stop following after a handful. Chains accumulate over successive migrations, so resolving every chain to a single hop at migration time is far easier than untangling it later.
How long should redirects stay in place?
At least a year, and permanently where the cost is low. External links to old URLs persist indefinitely, and removing redirects too early discards the value of every link that still points at the old address.
Privacy & Security
Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
How to Use
Paste your old and new URL lists to generate a matched redirect map.
Disclaimer: This tool is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Results are for educational and utility purposes.
Related Tools
Meta Tag Analyzer
SEOCheck a page's meta tags for the problems that actually affect indexing and click-through.
Redirect Chain Checker
SEOTrace the full path of redirects (301/302) to find loops or lost link juice.
Robots.txt Validator
SEOValidate robots.txt syntax and check whether a specific URL is allowed or blocked for a given crawler.