When a site goes live on a new domain, or a new website design requires moving old pages to new URL’s, it is imperative that you use a 301 redirect (permanent redirect) to point all of the old pages to the new URL’s so that you don’t lose your existing page rankings and associated site traffic.
Since it can take up to 30 days for the search engines to recognize your new URL structure and appropriately update the SERP’s, time is of the essence. An ecommerce site can lose thousands of dollars in just hours, so anything you can do to speed up the process is valuable.
For this reason, I like to write a little letter to the Big G and let them know we’ve moved some URL’s around. This is best accomplished by posting the links on another site or blog that is regularly indexed, in hopes that they will see all of the redirects as quickly as possible, and that the old links are followed by a spider to the new URL.
How to Tell Google About Your Redirected Pages:
The letter goes something like this:
Dear Google, please take a few minutes to re-index my existing pages that are occupying the front page of your search results. These pages send an extraordinary amount of valuable traffic to our website and we do not want to lose any of this traffic.
The traffic you send us consists of people looking to buy the women’s sports apparel that we sell (primarily sports bras). This traffic pays our bills, puts food on the table, and allows us to clothe our family.
Thank you for all the wonderful traffic you’ve sent over the years. Can you please update the following URL’s in your index to the new corresponding pages.
The following pages have been moved to a new address:
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/fibymococoso.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/sportsbras1.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/plussizcomso.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/pants.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/bikeshorts.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/youtsiz5infi.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/5infitshorin.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/cheerleading.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/11infitshorb.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/paspbrainfic.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/coanlebydaco.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/safeq.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/rootpomforfa.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/rooterpoms.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/weighttraning.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/haspbra.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/sporbrainten.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/chcl.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/atun.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/jewelry.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/chmein3sipa.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/running.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/youtpom2colm.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/anprinsporbr.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/pepsprayalla.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/haspbradetof.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/adpomsolcol.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/newitzifrscc.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/ind.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/anprrabalobr.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/cospbrabydac.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/anlentigbyda.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/pibyjubasp.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/skwianprboyc.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/bodglidstopc.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/corfoottigin.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/smpaunforacw.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/sockshats.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/yomechbr.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/shap20padspo.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/yogaandpilates.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/shoepoms.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/cappanbydan.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/8inbikshor.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/socks.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/9inpowshorby.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/paspcopac.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/bobasocoboyc.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/bobameboycut.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/7coshbyda.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/ansocbybay.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/rgidolablso.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/youtpommet.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/minimegaphones.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/chmein3sipa.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/zeglboycutbr.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/scoreflipper.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/feedback.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/enlilafren.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/inchunshtopw.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/runnergirlwear.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/somehistory.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/closoutspec.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/13flchinstsi.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/lmechso.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/enwislim.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/volleyball.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/chweuncageby.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/basketball.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/softball.html
http://www.ladiesonlysports.com/tennis.htmlI know that’s a lot of URL’s, but it’s a large site. Thanks for your prompt attention to this matter, and once again, we appreciate your help in growing our business.
Best Regards,
Chris Gragg, Webmaster
There you have it. One simple letter that will probably never be read by anyone at Google, except for GoogleBot, but that’s who you want to read it anyway. He’ll take the message back to the leaders and make sure that the task gets accomplished in a timely manner.
If you have other 301 redirect techniques and would like to write a guest post for our blog, please contact us with the proposed topic and we’ll check it out.