Pre-launch SEO essentials: redirects, sitemaps and robots
Introduction. Before you open the doors to your new site, search engines need a clear map of where everything lives. This article walks through three critical pre‑launch steps—redirects, XML sitemaps, and robots.txt—that keep traffic flowing, avoid duplicate content, and signal crawlers what to index. By setting up these foundations correctly, you protect existing rankings, reduce crawl errors, and give search engines the best chance of delivering your fresh pages to users quickly. The following guide offers actionable steps that any site owner or manager can apply right now.
Plan your redirect strategy
A well‑thought redirect map prevents lost link equity and confusing visitors. Start by mapping every old URL to its new counterpart, then decide the type of redirect: 301 for permanent moves, 302 for temporary changes, or meta refreshes only when necessary.
- Maintain a spreadsheet that tracks source URLs, destination URLs, and status codes.
- Use Google Search Console to monitor any 404s that slip through during testing.
Create an XML sitemap that crawlers love
Your sitemap is the first signal you send to search engines about which pages exist. Include only canonical URLs, set priority values based on business value, and use changefreq tags sparingly to avoid misguiding bots.
| Item | What it is | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Sitemap file size | ≤50 MB, ≤50,000 URLs | Search engines can process it fully without errors. |
| Last modified date | Updated on each content change | Signals freshness to crawlers. |
| Location of sitemap index | Submit via Google Search Console | Ensures search engines discover all sub‑sitemaps quickly. |
Craft a robots.txt that protects and guides
The robots.txt file tells bots which areas to ignore. Block admin panels, staging environments, or duplicate content directories, but allow the sitemap location and essential assets like CSS and JavaScript files.
Putting it all together in a launch workflow
1. Finish your redirect map and test locally.
2. Generate the XML sitemap with only canonical URLs.
3. Upload robots.txt to the root directory and verify access via robots.txt URL.
4. Submit the sitemap in Search Console, then monitor coverage reports for any errors.
Avoid common missteps before go-live
Many sites forget to update internal links after a domain change, leading to 404s that hurt user experience. Additionally, overusing noindex tags in robots.txt can inadvertently block valuable pages from appearing in search results. Double‑check link integrity with a crawler tool and keep a backup of the original sitemap before making sweeping changes.
Conclusion. By configuring redirects, building a clean XML sitemap, and writing an effective robots.txt file before launch, you lay a solid SEO foundation that preserves rankings, reduces crawl errors, and speeds indexation. Implement these steps today, then monitor Search Console for feedback—your site will thank you with smoother traffic flow and higher visibility.
Image by: Vlada Karpovich
