A partner directory and an old printed leaflet still point to an association's retired training course. A redesign needs to decide what a visitor following that link should learn now. Sending every old address to the new homepage leaves the actual question unanswered.
Distinguish a successor from an archive
We inventory important URLs and ask content owners to choose a destination. A genuinely equivalent current course may justify a relevant redirect. A dated guide may need an archive page that explains its period and limitations. A course with no replacement may need a clear unavailable page and a useful next action. These are different publishing decisions, even when the old pages once shared a template.
Protect the boundary around member material
A private member document should not become a public replacement merely to give an old link somewhere to go. We check the intended audience, access requirement and permission to republish alongside headings, metadata, download links and ordinary content accuracy. The organisation approves whether older claims remain meaningful.
Test the route a person actually follows
Acceptance samples the partner-directory URL, a leaflet link and a current service journey. We check that the destination explains the relevant task, that internal links agree and that a deliberate unavailable response is understandable. HTTP redirection semantics help implement the approved map; they do not choose a business replacement or guarantee search visibility.
The delivered map records the old address, decision, destination and responsible owner. Read how to prepare those decisions. Where the current site must remain useful during the move, discuss staged publication and recovery rather than assuming a single switch is appropriate.