URL Mapping App

Q: What do I need to do after URL mapping?

Use your map as a launch checklist: 1) Implement redirects—deploy 301s for all mapped pairs and avoid chains by rewriting to the final target. 2) Test at scale—crawl old URLs and verify status codes, destination URLs, canonical tags, and parameter handling. 3) Fix edge cases—handle query strings, case, and trailing slashes consistently. 4) Update internal links—replace old paths in menus, footers, templates, and content. 5) Refresh discovery signals—submit new XML sitemaps, validate robots.txt, and ensure canonical and hreflang point to final destinations. 6) Monitor post-launch—watch analytics and search console for 404s, soft-404s, crawl errors, and pages losing impressions. 7) Lifecycle—keep redirects for 12–18 months or longer for evergreen/heavily linked content; use 410 for intentional retirements.

Q: How do I improve match quality?

Ensure the new CSV includes good titles (Title/H1). Adjust weights: increase Slug if your slugs are consistent; raise Title if titles are strong.

Easily connect old URLs with their closest new matches to avoid broken links, preserve SEO, and keep visitors on the right path during site migrations or redesigns.

Old CSV

Choose file… No file selected

Old CSV — headers: title, url (level optional)

Old columns

Auto-detected after you load files; adjust if needed.

New CSV

Choose file… No file selected

New CSV — headers: title, url

New columns

Auto-detected after you load files; adjust if needed.

Privacy: files stay in your browser.

Threshold

55%

Weights

Title

Tokens

Slug

Weights should sum ≈ 1.00

#	Old title	Old URL	Best match (new)	Score	Alt 2	Alt 3	Status
Results will appear here after matching.

Showing first 10 rows.

Tip: You can tweak the threshold/weights and click Run matching again without reloading files.

How to use the URL mapping app

Prepare files: Export your old.csv (with old URLs) and new.csv (with new URLs).
Upload CSVs: Use the Choose file… buttons above.
Choose columns: Ensure the dropdowns map correctly (title/url). If Excel saved a semicolon-separated CSV, the tool detects it automatically.
Adjust settings: Set threshold and weights if needed.
Run matching: Click Run matching to generate best matches + alternatives.
Review results: Rows marked Needs review should be checked manually (in general, review of all important mappings is recommended).
Download: Click Download CSV to save mappings.

What the scoring means

Title: Compares old vs new page titles (text similarity).
Tokens: Breaks titles/URLs into keywords (like “led”, “lights”) and checks overlap.
Slug: Looks at the last part of the URL path (e.g., /led-lights).
Combined score: Weighted mix of Title, Tokens, Slug (default: 55% / 30% / 15%).
Threshold: Minimum score for “OK” status. Below it → Needs review.

What is URL Mapping?

URL mapping is the practice of pairing each old URL on a site with the most relevant new URL during a redesign, migration, or large structural change. The output is a redirect plan that ensures both users and crawlers reach the right content after launch.

Goal: Preserve rankings, traffic, and backlink equity while preventing broken experiences.
Granularity: Prefer one‑to‑one matches; consolidate to the best replacement when content is merged or retired.
Scope: Include HTML pages, media (PDFs, images), and high‑value utility URLs (search, filters, landing pages).
Format: Typically a CSV with columns like old_url, suggested_new_url, status, notes.
Status choices: 301 for permanent moves; 410 when content is intentionally removed with no replacement; avoid 302 unless the move is temporary.

Why is URL Mapping Important?

Without a redirect plan, users hit 404s and search engines lose the connection between old signals and new content. A good map acts as a bridge for both.

Protects SEO equity: Transfers link value and historical relevance to the new URLs via 301 redirects.
User experience: Visitors land on the best matching page instead of a dead end.
Analytics continuity: Maintains clean attribution and reduces spikes in 404 events.
Operational safety: Reduces launch risk, shortens stabilization time, and helps teams coordinate content merges and removals.

URL Mapping App FAQ

When do I need a URL mapping tool?

Any time your site’s paths or information architecture change, a mapping tool speeds up finding the closest target and reduces human error.

CMS/platform migrations: e.g., WordPress → Shopify, custom CMS → headless.
Structure changes: renaming categories, changing category structure.
Content consolidation: merging thin/duplicate pages into stronger hubs.

What do I need to do after URL mapping?

Use your map as a launch checklist. Here’s a proven sequence:

Implement redirects: Deploy 301s for all mapped pairs. Avoid chains (A→B→C); rewrite to A→C directly.
Test at scale: Crawl old URLs and verify status codes, destination URLs, canonical tags, and that parameters are handled as intended.
Fix edge cases: Handle query strings, uppercase/lowercase, and trailing slashes consistently.
Update internal links: Replace old paths in menus, footers, templates, and content to minimize reliance on redirects.
Refresh discovery signals: Submit new XML sitemaps, validate robots.txt, and ensure canonical/ hreflang tags point to final destinations.
Monitor post‑launch: Watch analytics & search console for 404s, soft‑404s, spikes in crawl errors, and pages losing impressions. Patch gaps quickly.
Lifecycle decisions: Keep redirects for at least 12–18 months (longer for evergreen or heavily linked content). Use 410 for intentional retirements.

Is any data uploaded to a server?

No. This URL mapping tool runs entirely in your browser. Files are processed locally and never sent anywhere.

My CSV uses semicolons — is that ok?

Yes. The parser auto-detects comma, semicolon, or tab delimiters.

How do I improve match quality?

Ensure the new CSV includes good titles (Title/H1). Adjust weights: increase Slug if your slugs are consistent; raise Title if titles are strong.

What does “Needs review” mean?

The combined score is below your threshold. Manually check and pick a better target (use Alt 2/Alt 3 or paste your own later).

About the creator

Hi, I’m Olga Zhukova, an eCommerce SEO Consultant. I built this app after seeing a client lose traffic due to forgotten redirects. Now it helps other SEOs and website owners avoid or quickly fix the same mistake.