Redirect aspx files to a different path structure on a different domain using a different server-side language?

[hamackey]

Without getting into the debate/discussion about which server-side language should or should not be used, I am faced with the reality of moving an old ASP.NET site to a Coldfusion one with a different domain and different folder structure.

Example: www.thissite.com/animals/lion.aspx --> www.thatsite.com/animals/africa/lion.cfm

What is the best way to redirect individual .aspx pages to their .cfm counterparts keeping in mind that, in many cases, the folder paths will be different? If it would mean less work, I am hoping this can be done at the server level (IIS 6) rather than modifying the code on each now-defunct page.

And on a related note, how long should any redirects be kept in place?

My apologies if this has been answered in this forum in the past, but I did do a lot of searching first (both here and elsewhere) before posting this query.

[NakulGoyal]

How big is your website ? How many pages are you talking ?

If you get a considerable search traffic, and are ranking well in the search engines, I would strongly advise to ensure each one of your pages redirects to your new .cfm counterpart. There's a lot of advantage in doing that and a absolutely no reason why you shouldn't do it. You know that, and that's why you have been researching and finally posted this question.

You need to work with your programmers and make sure each page is being 301 redirected. I would suggest keeping the redirects almost indefinitely for now. It's definitely not 1, 2 or 3 months. Although, in a couple years, you could remove the links, but then if it does not hurt, it's best to keep them.

[hamackey]

Thanks for the quick response, Nakul. The number of affected pages are in the dozens. And we are ranking moderately, but are obviously looking at methods to rank higher.

When you say "ensure each one of your pages redirects to your new .cfm" and "make sure each page is being 301 redirected", should that be done within the code of each page in question? Or can this be accomplished at the server level somehow where we can list the files we need re-directed and to where they should now point?

And regardless of which method, I will still need some assistance on the coding or server setup required.

Thanks!