Add A Custom Redirect, If You Change A Post URL

When you rename a blog, the most that you can do, to keep the old URL useful, is to setup a stub post, with a clickable link to the new URL.

Yo! The blog is now at xxxxxxx.blogspot.com!!

Blogger forbids gateway blogs, and similar blog to blog redirections.

When you rename a post, you can setup a custom redirect - and automatically redirect your readers to the post, under its new URL. You should take advantage of this option, if you change a post URL.

Whenever I rename a post, and anticipate a URL change, I add a clickable link to the old URL, in the post.

If you save the old URL, you can test the redirect, later.

The clickable link gives me the old post URL, so I can later add a custom redirect conveniently - plus, it lets me test the redirection, after it's added.

A little extra work produces a slightly more reliable renaming process.

Renaming a post becomes just slightly more complicated.

1. Edit a post, and save the current post URL, in a clickable link, in the post.
2. Save the post as Draft, using "Revert to draft".
3. Edit the post, and change the permalink, post date, and / or title.
4. Re publish the post.
5. Setup a custom redirect using the saved URL.
6. Test the custom redirect.
7. If you're like me, you will sleep just slightly better.

That's maybe an extra 5 minutes / post. How long might some readers take, before updating their bookmarks? How many unnecessary "404"s, from unsuccessful search engine indexing, can you prevent?

If you can change it, you can test it.

Keep your readers, the search engines, and you happier - setup and test a custom redirect, after you change the URL on any post, for any reason.