Keep an inventory of public links before the next redesign
A public link can survive several website redesigns. An inventory tells you which old addresses people still use, where they appear, who can change them and how to repair a target without losing continuity.
General educationRecord the stable identifier and its dependencies
For each managed public URL, record the exact scheme, hostname and path. Then record the current destination, purpose, responsible owner, publication date, physical or digital placements, campaign association and review date. Keep old destinations and change reasons in a revision history. The inventory can begin as a spreadsheet; its value comes from complete ownership and a repeatable review, not a specific software format.
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Public URL | The address already distributed |
| Current destination | What visitors see today |
| Placements | What cannot be edited later |
| Owner and renewal contact | Who can repair the route and domain |
| Last verified | Whether the route was tested recently |
Triage by cost of failure
A code printed on product packaging or a paid advertisement is harder to replace than an internal navigation link. Mark those placements for more frequent checks and a named backup owner. Group links by domain and campaign so a registrar change or expired certificate does not go unnoticed across dozens of paths.
Priority 1: packaging and permanent signage
Priority 2: active paid campaigns and email templates
Priority 3: editable internal links and old experimentsWhen a site redesign starts
Export the old URL map, inspect inbound and printed paths, and assign each a closest relevant successor. Decide which routes must remain as redirects and which should return an honest 404 or archived explanation. Update internal links to final destinations while leaving old external-facing URLs functional. Test the source URLs, not only the new pages.
- Keep redirects direct where possible.
- Avoid recycling trusted paths for unrelated content.
- Check campaign parameters and forms at the final page.
Review, recover, and retire
A periodic review should detect an expired domain, a broken target, a new redirect chain or a misleading end state. For a legitimate retirement, keep a reason and decide how long the public link must stay useful. Keep the authoritative inventory in a system your team actually operates and maintains.