🗺️ Overview
If your website has pages living under incorrect URLs or slugs, you may need to move content to a new location, update author metadata, and permanently remove the old URLs so search engines stop indexing them. This article walks you through each step using Website Studio and explains current limitations you should be aware of.
⚠️ Known Limitations in Website Studio
Before you begin, be aware of the following platform constraints that may affect your workflow:
- No bulk page migration: Website Studio does not currently support moving or copying pages between projects in bulk. Each page must be handled individually.
- No native page cloning: The ability to clone an existing page inside Website Studio is not yet available. If you were directed to use a clone feature, this has been temporarily removed while improvements are in progress.
- Pillar page editing restrictions: Some pillar pages may appear locked or redirect you to unrelated suggestions. This is a known issue currently under investigation.
- Content Genius library import: Bulk-importing your Content Genius blog library directly into Website Studio is not yet supported.
Our engineering team is actively working on these improvements. In the meantime, use the manual steps below to complete your migration.
📋 Step 1 — Create the Correct Page at the New URL
Start by building the destination page with the right URL slug before touching the old one.
- Open Website Studio from the left sidebar (URL: /website-studio).
- Select your project and click Add New Page.
- Set the URL slug to the correct path, for example
/blog/your-topic-name. Make sure the parent directory matches your intended structure (e.g.,/blog/). - Copy your content from the old page manually — paste the body text, headings, images, and meta fields into the new page.
- Review all on-page SEO fields: title tag, meta description, and canonical URL.
- Click Save and then Publish once you are satisfied.
✍️ Step 2 — Update Author Metadata
After publishing the page at the correct URL, update the author information so it reflects the right name and profile.
- Inside the page editor, locate the Author field. This is typically found in the page settings panel or a metadata section.
- Clear the existing author name and type the correct name.
- If your theme supports author bios or profile links, update those fields as well.
- Save the page again to apply the changes.
Note: If the Author field is not visible in the editor, the field may be controlled at the theme or template level. Contact support via the chat widget (details at the end of this article) for help exposing this field.
🗑️ Step 3 — Hard-Delete the Old URL with a 410 Status
A 410 Gone response tells search engines that a URL has been permanently removed and will not return — this is stronger than a 404 and faster for deindexing than a redirect. Use this for URLs that should never have existed or carried incorrect slugs.
- Do not set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one if the old URL was incorrect and you want it removed from search index entirely.
- Navigate to Website Studio → Redirects & Status Rules (or your hosting/server configuration if this is managed outside the platform).
- Add a rule for the old URL and set the response code to 410.
- Save the rule and verify it is active by testing the old URL in a browser or using an HTTP status checker tool.
- Optionally, submit the old URL for removal in Google Search Console under Removals → Temporary Removals to speed up deindexing.
Important: If the old page is still published inside Website Studio, unpublish or delete it first before applying the 410 rule. A live page and a 410 rule on the same URL will conflict.
🔍 Step 4 — Verify the Migration
Before closing out, confirm everything is working correctly.
- Visit the new URL and confirm the content, author name, and metadata are correct.
- Visit the old URL and confirm it returns a 410 status code.
- Check your internal links and update any that still point to the old URL.
- Review your XML sitemap to ensure the old URL has been removed and the new URL is included.
💡 Tips to Avoid This Issue in the Future
- Plan your URL structure and slug naming conventions before creating pages.
- Always set the correct parent path (e.g.,
/blog/) when creating new blog content. - Assign the correct author at the time of page creation rather than updating it later.
- Avoid publishing placeholder pages at incorrect URLs — draft mode is available for work in progress.
🙋 Need More Help?
If you are unable to edit a specific pillar page, cannot locate the 410 redirect option, or need hands-on assistance with a complex migration, our team is ready to help. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.