# Redirects and sitemaps

Send old addresses to new ones, import a list, and hand search engines the sitemap.

For: Everyone responsible for a site long enough to have history

## Redirects

A redirect sends an old address to a new one, so a link from a newsletter or a search result still works. Each one names the old address, the new one and a type: Permanent for a page that moved for good, Temporary for an experiment or a seasonal swap.

Redirects are the right answer whenever a page has been public at another address. Fixing the link is better where you control it; a redirect catches everyone else.

Walkthrough: A redirect from old address to new (The Redirects tab)

1. **The list**: Every redirect that is live, with its type. Editable and removable at any time.
2. **The old address**: The address people already have, with its leading slash.
3. **The new one**: Where they should land instead. Check it opens the right page before saving.
4. **Permanent or temporary**: Permanent for a page that moved for good; temporary for an experiment or a seasonal swap.
5. **Save redirect**: It becomes active at the next publish, along with everything else.

1. Open the Redirects tab.
2. Enter the old address and the new one, with their leading slashes.
3. Choose Permanent and save.

## Importing a list

When there are many, Import redirects takes a pasted CSV: old address, new address, and optionally the status and a language for a multilingual site. This is the fastest way to bring a migration's worth of redirects across in one move.

The list shows what is live, and each redirect can be edited or removed. Redirects only matter once the site is published, so a batch can be prepared in draft.

Walkthrough: Importing a list of redirects (The Redirects tab)

1. **Import redirects**: For a migration's worth of addresses, paste a CSV: old, new, and optionally the status and a language.
2. **They join the list**: Imported redirects arrive editable, so a wrong row can be fixed rather than removed and redone.

## The sitemap

The sitemap is a file listing the site's public pages for search engines: sitemap.xml at the site address, kept up to date automatically and generated per website address.

Submit it once in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools; from then on it is refreshed rather than resubmitted. It is also linked from robots.txt, which search engines read first.

Walkthrough: The sitemap and where it is submitted (The SEO tab)

1. **sitemap.xml**: Generated and kept up to date at the site address. Copy it into Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools once.
2. **Beside the AI switch**: The sitemap is for search engines; the switch beside it is for AI assistants. Both answer what machines may read.

Warning: A redirect to a page that does not exist achieves nothing. Check the new address opens the right page before saving.

## Do redirects slow the site down?

A little, per redirected visit only, which is the normal cost of keeping old links alive.

## What is the difference between the sitemap and llms.txt?

The sitemap is for search engines. llms.txt and the Markdown files are for AI assistants. Cubesites produces both.

## Related guides

- [Site-wide SEO settings](/help/seo/site-wide-seo-settings)
- [Connect your own domain](/help/publishing-and-domains/connect-your-own-domain)
---

CubeSites is a trading name of Cube Systems Limited, part of Crushed Ice Group. Registered in England and Wales, company number 17220899. Registered office: Unit 11, Olney Business Park, Osier Way, Olney, Buckinghamshire, MK46 5FP. ICO registration number ZC216972.

Contact: hello@cubesites.co.uk | 01234 672 617 | https://cubesites.co.uk/contact