: Removed parent category path - New URL's not showing up in Google search results Last month we removed parent category path from the sub category URL's. After that we changed the sitemap file

@Harper822

What you can try is to go to Google Webmaster Tools, then select the website then the gear icon then site settings and select that you'll define the crawl rate (instead of letting google choose it). Next, use the slider to change the crawl rate to the maximum. Depending on how popular your site is, the maximum could range from google making 2 to over 10 requests per second.

Then wait at least a week and if you don't get results, then check the search analytics section to see what people search for and where your website ranks (under the position column). Any position of over 20ish means your page probably doesn't appear in the first page of search results.

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@Sherry384

Search engines are notoriously slow. The reason for this is simple. The internet is so vast that it is impossible for any search engine to highly responsive.

I am sure some of your pages will show-up correctly while others will take longer. Just make sure you did all your work correctly and either 404 the old URL or 301 redirect them to the new path. Your choice.

I would 301 the old pages to the new pages if possible for a period to make sure all the new URLs show up correctly, then remove the 301 redirect and let the old pages 404 for a period. Then you will be done. Otherwise it is okay to let the old pages 404 and wait for the search engines discover the new pages as they will.

Just know that using a 301 redirect will preserve any link value to that page for as long as the 301 redirect exists. It is possible to create the 301 redirect using a single .htaccess rule and leave it for as long as you like.

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