What is the purpose of a URL mapping file?
- To create a map for Google to follow the redirect path
- To map out how many 301 vs. 302 redirects you need
- To map the old site URL to the new site URL
- To avoid pages being interpreted as soft 404’s
Explanation: A URL mapping file serves the essential purpose of mapping the old site URL to the new site URL during a website migration or redesign. When a website undergoes changes, such as restructuring URLs or moving content to new locations, it’s critical to ensure that users and search engines can still find the content they’re looking for at its new location. A URL mapping file provides a systematic way to match the old URLs with their corresponding new URLs, ensuring that visitors who access the old URLs are seamlessly redirected to the appropriate new URLs. This helps preserve the website’s search engine rankings, prevents broken links, and maintains a positive user experience by preventing users from encountering dead ends or error pages. While URL mapping does involve managing redirects, its primary purpose is to facilitate the transition from old URLs to new URLs smoothly and efficiently, rather than specifically focusing on the type or quantity of redirects needed. Therefore, the correct answer is to map the old site URL to the new site URL.