When it comes to managing your website, understanding how to properly use 301 redirects is crucial for maintaining SEO value and ensuring a seamless user experience. Whether you’re moving to a new domain, reorganizing your site structure, or fixing broken links, a 301 redirect can be a powerful tool. But what exactly is a 301 redirect, and how do you implement it? Let’s dive in.
This technique is highly valued by website managers, as it allows them to change the location of an internet page easily and quickly. The permanent redirect is even more appreciated because it transmits PageRank (search engine ranking) to preserve the natural referencing of pages during migration.
It notably prevents the loss of “SEO juice“ when changing domains or when redesigning a website, for example. You can do a 301 redirect for an entire site (in the case of changing domain names), a category (a directory), or a specific page (URL).
The permanent redirect applies to both search engines and internet users. Indeed, when a user tries to access the old content of a website, their browser uses the 301 code to redirect them to the new web page. The user will not even notice the change that has occurred.
On the other hand, the 301 redirect aims to inform search engine robots that the visited page has definitively changed address and that they must now indicate the new URL in their results. In this way, the 301 redirect opposes the 302 redirect, which rather indicates a temporary redirection.
When discussing 301 redirect SEO, it is important to remember that all information about SEO is derived from experiences and the results of certain actions. In reality, Google will never reveal anything about its algorithms and how different things affect SEO.
If you go back a few years, tests and experiences of several users have shown that the use of a 301 redirect could lead to a certain loss of ranking power.
Fortunately, that was a few years ago and it is no longer the case. You can use 301 redirects without losing any SEO performance on your web pages.
You just need to remember to properly set up the 301 redirects and not create multiple jumps. Whenever there are 4 or 5 jumps between URLs, robots will stop following them and your page will not be analyzed. Therefore, this results in poor SEO.
Multiple redirects also tend to slow down loading speeds, which is also an important SEO ranking factor.
So, don’t hesitate to use 301 redirects. Just use them correctly!
1. After modifying a URL
There are cases where a URL needs to be changed due to incorrect optimization or simply changing the hierarchy of pages.
Usually, when you modify your URL, only some CMS will automatically add the redirection. So, check the URLs after updating them and see if there is already a 301 redirection in use.
2. After creating a new website
These days, most servers open a website without the www in front of the domain name. If not, you need to add the URL variants of your domain like these:
http://webrsite.com
http://www.website.com
https://website.com
https://www.website.com
Use 301 redirects to ensure they all lead to the same page.
3. After adding an SSL certificate
SSL certificates are necessary; without one, your website can be vulnerable to breaches or violations by third parties. Adding an SSL certificate and an HTTPS connection will make your website more secure.
So, if your website’s URL changes from http://website.com to https://website.com, you need to add a 301 redirect.
4. Recreating a page
You may encounter some occasions where you need to recreate an entire page with a newer theme or modified layout. If so, you need to redirect the old page’s URL to the new one to maintain SEO performance.
5. Switching from one domain to another or merging domains
Assuming you have changed domains or want to merge two domains; redirecting the pages with a 301 is a must. Your content and SEO efforts can be transferred without having to redo everything.
If you use 301 redirects for any of the above cases, you should also have some understanding of the effects of 301 redirects on your pages.
1. Apache (.htaccess File)
For websites running on an Apache server, you can add 301 redirects directly in the .htaccess file. Here’s how:
- Access your website’s root directory and open the .htaccess file. If it doesn’t exist, create one.
- Add the following line to redirect an old URL to a new one:
Redirect 301 /old-page.html http://www.yoursite.com/new-page.html
3. Save the file and upload it back to the server.
2. Nginx
For Nginx servers, you’ll need to modify the server configuration file:
- To access your Nginx configuration file, typically found at /etc/nginx/nginx.conf or /etc/nginx/sites-available/default.
- Add the following line inside the server block to create a 301 redirect:
server {
location /old-page.html {
return 301 http://www.yoursite.com/new-page.html;
}
}
3. Save the file and restart Nginx to apply the changes:
console.log( 'Code is Poetry' );
3. WordPress
If your site runs on WordPress, you can use a plugin to manage 301 redirects easily. One popular option is the “Redirection” plugin:
- Download and activate the “Redirection” plugin available in the WordPress plugin repository.
- Go to Tools > Redirection.
- Click on “Add New” and enter your Source URL (old URL) and Target URL (new URL).
- Save the changes.
4. cPanel
For those with cPanel access, 301 redirects can be set up through the interface:
- Log in to cPanel.
- Navigate to the “Redirects” section under the Domains heading.
- Select the type of redirect (Permanent 301), enter the old URL and the new destination URL.
- Click “Add” to save the redirect.
Best Practices for 301 Redirects
To ensure your 301 redirects are effective, follow these best practices:
- Test Redirects: Always test your redirects to ensure they work correctly.
- Update Internal Links: Change any internal links pointing to the old URL to the new URL.
- Minimize Redirect Chains: Avoid redirecting one URL to another that also redirects, creating a chain. This may result in slower site performance and cause confusion among search engines.
- Monitor Performance: Use tools like Google Search Console to monitor the performance and impact of your redirects.
301 redirects are frequently used in SEO because they allow search engines to know when a URL has permanently moved to another address and to transfer a significant portion of the old URL’s SEO history (the “SEO juice”) to the new page. However, creating redirects also comes with risks. From a technical standpoint, even a small mistake can cost your site’s visibility. It is essential to ensure that none of these redirects change. Finally, note that the 301 redirect is not a magic wand and that certain complications can arise.
To navigate these complexities and ensure optimal results, consider consulting with our SEO expert. With their extensive knowledge and experience, they can help you implement 301 redirects correctly, avoid potential pitfalls, and maximize your site’s visibility and performance. Whether you are restructuring your site, migrating to a new domain, or simply need to optimize your current setup, our SEO expert will provide tailored guidance and support to enhance your online presence.
