How to Find Broken Links, Missing Pages and Redirect Errors After a Website Redesign

A website redesign can improve your brand image, user experience, and overall performance. But once the new website goes live, small technical issues can create problems that visitors may not notice immediately. A button might open the wrong page, an old URL might return an error, or a redirect might send users somewhere unexpected.

These problems can also affect search engine crawling and indexing when important pages become inaccessible or their URLs change incorrectly.

The best way to find broken links, missing pages, and redirect errors after a website redesign is to crawl the website, compare old and new URLs, test redirects, and review Google Search Console. Here is how to do it step by step.

Start With a List of Old and New URLs

Before checking individual errors, create a record of your previous website URLs and their corresponding destinations on the redesigned website.

For example:

This comparison helps you identify pages that have disappeared, URLs that have changed, and redirects that still need to be configured.

You can collect old URLs from your previous sitemap, website backups, Google Search Console, analytics reports, and existing internal links.

Crawl the Website to Find Broken Links

A website crawler visits your pages and checks the URLs it discovers. Tools such as Screaming Frog SEO Spider and similar website auditing tools can identify broken internal links, redirect chains, missing pages, and server errors.

Start by crawling your homepage and allow the tool to discover the rest of your website.

Look for:

• Internal links returning 404 errors
• Pages returning server errors such as 500
• Links pointing to outdated URLs
• Images, scripts, or other resources that fail to load
• Pages containing unnecessary redirects

For example, your services page might still link to an old contact URL that no longer exists. A crawler can help you find that broken link without checking every page manually.

Prioritize errors affecting important service pages, product pages, navigation menus, and conversion paths.

Find Missing Pages and Understand 404 Errors

A 404 error means that a requested page cannot be found. After a redesign, it can occur because a page was deleted, its URL changed, or a link was never updated.

However, not every 404 error needs fixing. Google explains that missing URLs without a replacement can correctly return a 404 or 410 status. If a page has moved to an equivalent location, use an appropriate redirect instead. <Cite refs={[“turn679317search2″,”turn679317search1”]}/>

Follow this process:

1. Identify the missing URL.
2. Check whether the page still exists under a different address.
3. If equivalent content exists elsewhere, redirect the old URL to that page.
4. If the content has been permanently removed without a suitable replacement, return a proper 404 or 410 response.
5. Update any internal links pointing to the missing page.

Avoid redirecting every deleted URL to the homepage. This can confuse visitors and may cause Google to treat the destination as a soft 404.

Check Redirects After Changing URLs

Redirects help visitors and search engines reach the correct destination when a URL changes.

A permanent 301 redirect is commonly used when an old page has moved permanently to a new URL.

For instance:

example.com/services.html → example.com/services/

But redirect errors can occur when the destination is incorrect, a redirect points back to the original URL, or several redirects are chained together.

Check that:

• Each old URL reaches the correct new page.
• Redirects do not create loops.
• The destination returns a successful response.
• Unnecessary redirect chains are shortened.
• Internal links point directly to the final URLs.

Google recommends preparing a URL mapping, implementing appropriate redirects, submitting the updated sitemap, and retaining migration redirects for as long as possible—generally at least one year. See Google’s official website migration guidance.

Review Your Sitemap, Canonical Tags, and Robots.txt

A website can appear to work perfectly for visitors while important pages remain difficult for search engines to discover or index.

After a redesign, verify that:

• Your XML sitemap contains the correct, preferred URLs.
• Important pages are not accidentally blocked by robots.txt.
• Canonical tags point to the intended versions of pages.
• Removed URLs are not still submitted in the sitemap.
• Important pages do not have unintended noindex directives.

Submit the updated sitemap in Google Search Console. Then use the URL Inspection tool to check individual pages that are missing from search results.

The Page Indexing report can also show issues such as redirect errors, server errors, and not-found URLs. <Cite refs={[“turn679317search0″,”turn679317search3”]}/>

Test the Website Like a Real Visitor

Automated tools help find technical problems, but they do not replace manual testing.

Open the redesigned website on desktop and mobile. Click through the main navigation, service pages, contact buttons, forms, and product links.

Check whether forms submit successfully, images load correctly, and important buttons lead to the expected destinations.

Pay special attention to pages that generate enquiries or sales. A broken contact form can cost a business potential customers even when the page has no SEO errors.

Monitor Errors After Launch

Some issues only appear after Google recrawls the redesigned website or users begin accessing older URLs.

During the weeks following launch, review Search Console’s Page Indexing report, inspect affected URLs, and compare organic traffic with the previous period.

If important pages disappear from search results, investigate their status before making additional major changes. Search visibility can fluctuate during a site migration, so look for persistent patterns rather than reacting to every short-term change.

A structured process can help here. Veltrionixx web development can address website structure and URL issues, while Veltrionixx IT solutions can help investigate technical integrations and server-side problems.

Similarly, Veltrionixx digital marketing can support post-launch monitoring of organic visibility and landing-page performance. As a Veltrionixx software company, Veltrionixx can help businesses connect technical improvements with their broader digital objectives.

For additional support with your online presence, explore Veltrionixx digital marketing services.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find broken links after a website redesign?

Use a website crawler to identify links returning errors, then verify important URLs manually. Google Search Console can help you investigate missing or inaccessible pages discovered by Google.

Do 404 errors hurt SEO?

Not automatically. A 404 for a genuinely removed page without a replacement is usually appropriate. Problems arise when important pages disappear, internal links remain broken, or moved content lacks a suitable redirect.

How long should redirects stay active?

Google recommends keeping redirects for as long as possible, generally at least one year after a site move. Retaining them longer can continue helping visitors who use old links.

Final Thoughts

A successful website redesign involves more than a fresh design and new pages. It also requires checking that the old website’s important URLs, links, and search signals are handled correctly.