A relaunch can lose material that is still needed if you start only from the visible navigation. Sales and support may share other links, while customers open downloads or images directly. Taking an inventory before finalising the new page plan helps you include that material in the retention decisions.
For each item, the inventory records a decision and an owner. A URL without those details does not show what work remains before launch.
The navigation does not contain everything
The CMS export provides a starting point but may not include everything still in use. Known downloads, campaign pages and links still being shared therefore supplement the list. Existing search and visit data then help prioritise it. A page without measured visits is not automatically unnecessary: it may support an infrequent but important process.
Include images and documents. Google’s site-move guidance explicitly includes image and download addresses. Decide what content to retain first; map its future addresses afterwards.
Four decisions, each with a reason
A manageable working list can use these columns:
| Content | Decision | Still needed |
|---|---|---|
| Current service description | retain | check the new contact |
| Two similar guides | combine | identify differences and the main page |
| Outdated event programme | archive or remove | establish how old links are used |
| Frequently shared download | revise | confirm the factual information |
The table shows possible entries. For your inventory, add an owner and a reason for the decision: outdated facts, duplication, continuing need or replacement by a new flow.
Decide the content before its destination
When combining two pages, the important distinction is which questions each answers. They may share an introduction while only one explains prerequisites. Identifying that difference before shortening the content helps preserve the necessary information on the combined page.
An owner and an identifiable version help establish which information applies to the new content. This matters when text from different years is combined, an image’s origin is unclear or nobody can confirm a document’s statements. That material needs checking before migration rather than becoming part of the new page unchecked.
Test representative content in every new template. A long service name, table or multi-page download will reveal whether the layout fits the material. Do this before copying all the old content.
Check the migration
Text volume alone does not tell you whether migration succeeded. Headings, links, image descriptions and contacts need to be correct, as does the download actually opened. Comparing language versions also reveals sections accidentally retained in only one of them.
Next comes the mapping of old and new addresses. The content inventory and technical redirect file have different purposes. Keep unresolved content decisions out of automated imports.
When enquiring about a new website or shop, share the inventory with decided items and open questions marked. The quotation can then state which migration and revision work should be included.
