301 redirects inside sitemaps
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I am in the process of trying to get google to follow a large number of old links on site A to site B. Currently I have 301 redirects as well a cross domain canonical tags in place.
My issue is that Google is not following the links from site A to site B since the links no longer exist in site A. I went ahead and added the old links from site A into site A's sitemap.
Unfortunately Google is returning this message inside webmaster tools:
When we tested a sample of URLs from your Sitemap, we found that some URLs redirect to other locations. We recommend that your Sitemap contain URLs that point to the final destination (the redirect target) instead of redirecting to another URL.
However I do not understand how adding the redirected links from site B to the sitemap in site A will remove the old links. Obviously Google can see the 301 redirect and the canonical tag but this isn't defined in the sitemap as a direct correlation between site A and B.
Am I missing something here?
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In this case site B is not a new site. I am not moving all traffic to site B only a portion which included duplicate urls that were software generated between domains.
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As a best practice when you move content or change domains it is advisable to have 2 site maps - #1. Few days before the migration and #2. immediately after the migration. This will allow Google to understand that your content has moved.
Additionally, making sure you notify Google by using "change of address" tool in Google web master tools.
If your site is a high authority site then large percentage of your new pages will get indexed pretty quickly (24-48 hours) and it may take upto 30 days to see full indexation.
One more step is to start building links to the new site. New links can also boost the indexation for the new site.
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Your sitemap should only contain current pages you want indexed on Site A, not the pages that you're redirecting to Site B. It sounds like you have the right steps in place and that you will see your old links get removed over time.
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