How To Use URL Redirects to Guide Users and Keep Your SEO Ranking

When moving your website to Recrevio, it’s important to protect the SEO you’ve already built up. Search engines and external links may still point to your old URLs. By setting up 301 redirects, you make sure visitors (and Search Engines like Google or Bing) end up on the right page instead of seeing a 404 error.

Summary: Key Steps

Keep your existing domain.
Map your old URLs to new ones.
Create 301 redirects for any changed addresses.
Customize your 404 page.
Submit your sitemap to search engines.
Update on-page SEO (titles, meta descriptions, alt tags).

Step 1: Keep Your Domain

Whenever possible, keep your current domain name. This prevents unnecessary changes and makes the transition smoother.

You simply update the DNS settings with your domain provider to point to your Recrevio site.

Step 2: Map Your Old URLs

Before shutting down your old site, list all current URLs (pages, posts, products).

Example list:

/about-us
/contact
/blog/why-seo-matters
/blog/how-to-grow-online
/shop/product-123

Then compare these to the new structure in Recrevio. If any URL doesn’t match, you’ll need a redirect.

Step 3: Create 301 Redirects

A 301 redirect tells browsers and search engines that a page has permanently moved. It preserves SEO value and ensures old links keep working.

Examples:

Old: /about → New: /about-us
Old: /team → New: /about-us/our-team
Old: /services → New: /what-we-offer
Old: /blog-post-title → New: /blog/blog-post-title
Old: /product-x → New: /store/product-x
Old: /special-offer → New: https://newdomain.com/promotions/special-offer

How to set it up in Recrevio:

Go to Website Settings → URL Redirects.
Add the old URL on the left side.
Add the new URL on the right side. (Include http:// or https:// if redirecting to another domain.)
Save your changes.

👉 Keep Regex off unless you specifically need advanced matching rules.

Step 4: Customize Your 404 Page

If someone enters a URL you forgot to redirect, they’ll land on a 404 page. Recrevio provides a default one, but you should customize it to:

Explain that the page has moved.
Suggest useful links (Home, Shop, Blog).
Keep visitors engaged instead of leaving.

This is done in System Pages.

Step 5: Tell Search Engines

After adding redirects and moving content:

Submit your new sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
Request re-indexing to speed up the update process.

Step 6: Update On-Page SEO

Make sure each page on your new site is optimized:

Update titles and meta descriptions.
Set correct social share images.
Add alt-text for images (describe the image, include keywords naturally).

Why Redirects Matter

Without redirects:

Old backlinks from other websites will break.
Visitors may see “404 Page Not Found”.
Search engines may lower your rankings.

With redirects:

Traffic from old links goes to the right place.
SEO authority is preserved.
Visitors get a seamless experience.