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301 Redirect

Tells browsers and search engines that a URL has moved permanently, preserving link equity and user experience by redirecting to the new address.

If you have ever redirected every old URL to the homepage instead of the closest match, you know that a 301 alone does not fix poor mapping.

Key points

  • Use a 301 for permanent moves; use a 302 for temporary ones.
  • For effective redirect seo, redirect to the closest matching page, not the homepage.
  • Avoid redirect chains: each hop slows crawling and dilutes signals.
  • Update internal links to point directly to the new URL.

The same migration, two different outcomes

When a site moved from example.com to example.org (a simple domain forwarding seo task), all 150 blog posts were redirected via 301 to the corresponding new slugs. The homepage kept its rankings, and organic traffic recovered within two weeks. But the old product category pages were redirected to the new homepage instead of matching category pages, causing a 60% drop in category traffic. Search engines eventually consolidated signals, but the mismatch cost months of recovery.

Three things a 301 is not

  • Not a ranking penalty Google has stated that 301 redirects do not inherently harm PageRank. A proper redirect passes link equity without penalising the destination.
  • Not a quick fix for content Redirecting an old thin page to a new thin page does not make the new page rank. The destination still needs quality content.
  • Not a substitute for updating links Internal links pointing to the old URL still create a redirect hop. Update them to point directly to the new address for best performance.

Four ways it goes wrong

  • Redirect chains A chain of several 301s slows crawling and can cause search engines to stop following, undermining your 301 seo efforts. Each redirect adds latency and reduces signal flow.
  • Redirect loops A loop occurs when URL A redirects to B, and B redirects back to A. This causes a timeout and a broken user experience.
  • Soft 404 behaviour If the destination page returns a 404 or a thin page, the redirect may be treated as a soft 404, wasting link equity.
  • Multiple hops from one URL Redirecting the same old URL to different destinations over time creates confusion. Search engines may pick the wrong final destination.

When to use a 302 instead

  • Temporary content move Use a 302 for a temporary relocation, such as a seasonal landing page or a test that will revert. The original URL stays canonical.
  • A/B testing During split testing, a 302 ensures that search engines keep the original URL as the one to index, not the test variant.
  • Changing URL structure temporarily If you are redesigning and need to test a new URL pattern, a 302 avoids permanent signal loss while you evaluate.

Common questions

What is the difference between a 301 and 302 redirect?

A 301 signals a permanent move and passes link equity. A 302 signals a temporary move and does not transfer ranking signals.

How do I create a 301 redirect?

In Apache, add 'Redirect 301 /old-url /new-url' to .htaccess. In Nginx, use 'rewrite ^/old-url$ /new-url permanent;'. Many CMSs have built-in redirect tools.

Does a 301 redirect hurt SEO?

No, a proper 301 does not harm PageRank. Incorrect implementation—chains, loops, or redirecting to the wrong page—can cause issues.

Sources

  1. Google Search Central Official Google guidance on 301 redirects and best practices for SEO.
  2. MDN Web Docs Technical specification of the 301 HTTP status code and its behaviour.
  3. Bing Webmaster Guidelines Bing's recommendations for URL redirects and site moves.
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