Does changing a page URL affect its existing Google rankings?
I’m planning to change the URL structure of several pages on my website. These pages already have some organic traffic and backlinks. Could changing the URLs cause ranking or traffic losses?
1 Answer
August 13, 2026
Yes, changing URLs can affect rankings if the old URLs are not properly redirected. Use permanent 301 redirects from the old URLs to the most relevant new URLs, update internal links, canonical tags, and your XML sitemap. Monitor Search Console after the change to identify any indexing or traffic issues.
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Rashid Manhas
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