URL structure change for pages without traffic: 301 redirect or not ?

[isabelledylag]

Hi,

I am just starting with MOZ PRO and trying to handle the high priority issues, starting with pages with 4XX Client Error. I am wondering what we should do with pages with no traffic and no external links. For instance:

So time ago we change the URL structure of our blog to a flatter one, and so eg we moved a page:

• from: domain-name/dla-rodzicow/poradniki/poradniki-po-markach/vilac/vilac-zabawki-z-dusza
• to: domain-name/dla-rodzicow/poradniki/marka-vilac/vilac-zabawki-z-dusza/

Still not very flat but this is not the point.

MOZ PRO shows we are having internal links to the old url. According to MOZ PRO, we don't have external links. According to Analytics we have no traffic on the old page.

So now we changed the internal link, and I am wondering whether we should 301 redirect the old page to the new one, or whether a sitemap update is enough for this kind of pages ?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Andy.Drinkwater]

Hi Isabelle,

The general rule of thumb here, is that if a page has moved, you should always 301 it to it's new alternative, but only if there is one - don't try and match pages unless they are very similar, or as in your case, just moved to a different URL.

If you have internal links to the old URL, this should be updated to reflect the new page. A rebuilt sitemap should be given to Google once this has all been done.

With regards what to do with pages that get no traffic, that it a bit of a different question. My feeling on dead pages is to try and make them better than remove them to get traffic. No need to get rid of a page if there is a chance to use it.

-Andy

[isabelledylag]

Hi Andy,

Thank you for your quick answer, now I'am clear what we have to do.

-Isabelle

[Andy.Drinkwater]

No problem at all.

Pop back if you have other questions

-Andy

[BlueCorona]

You should always 301 redirect if you change a URL in any way! However, be aware that redirects do affect your SEO ranking, so if you're able to leave a URL as it is on a page with decent traffic, it's typically suggested that you do so.

I hope this helps!