301 Redirects are an excellent way to help make sure that people reach pages that are in service, and so they avoid pages that error out.
But, not all redirects are equal. There is a different kind of redirect for every situation.
They are also an excellent tool for ensuring that your site maintains its SEO integrity, and that your site doesn’t fall victim to errors.
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What is a Redirect?
A redirect is exactly what its name implies: it is a way of automatically sending a user from one page to another.
There are several different kinds of redirects, but they all serve the same purpose: to help users get where they’re going, even if the original page they requested no longer exists.
One common type of redirect is the 301 redirect.
A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect that tells search engines that a page has moved to a new location.
If you need to change the URL of a page as it is shown in search engine results, then you should use a server-side 301 redirect. This is the best way to ensure that users and search engines are directed to the correct page.
The code “301” is interpreted as “moved permanently.”
A 301 redirect is the most efficient and Search Engine-Friendly method for webpage redirection.
It tells the search engines that a page has been moved to a new location and it should be given the new URL.
A 301 redirect also passes between 90-99% of link juice (ranking power) to the redirected page.
Why Use Redirects?
There are many situations in which you might need to use a redirect.
Some of these include:
- When you change the URL of a page on your site
- When you move your site to a new domain
- When you move your site from HTTP to HTTPS
Redirects are also a valuable tool for fixing errors.
If you have a page that is returning a 404 error, you can use a redirect to send users to a different page.
This can help reduce the number of people who leave your site because they encounter an error.
How to Do an Audit of Your 301 Redirects
Auditing your redirects is an important part of maintaining your website.
It helps ensure that all of your redirects are working as intended, and that there are no errors.
To do an audit of your 301 redirects, you will need to:
- Check your server logs
- Check your .htaccess file
- Test your redirects
1. Check Your Server Logs
Your server logs can be a valuable resource for finding out information about your redirects.
To check your server logs, you will need to access them through your hosting account.
Once you have accessed your server logs, you will need to look for lines that start with “301.”
These lines will tell you the URL of the page that was redirected, as well as the URL of the page that it was redirected to.
2. Check Your .htaccess File
Your .htaccess file is a file that contains directives for your server.
It is typically used to configure redirects.
To check your .htaccess file, you will need to access it through your hosting account.
Once you have accessed your .htaccess file, you will need to look for lines that start with “Redirect.”
These lines will tell you the URL of the page that was redirected, as well as the URL of the page that it was redirected to.
3. Test Your Redirects
Testing your redirects is an important part of maintaining your website.
This also helps you ensure that all of your redirects are working as intended, and that there are no errors.
To test your redirects, you will need to:
- Access the page that you want to test
- Look for the line that starts with “301”
- Follow the URL in the “Location” header
- Verify that the page loads correctly
If you find that a redirect is not working as intended, you will need to fix it.
You can do this by editing your .htaccess file or your server configuration.
When is the Best Time to Use a 301 Redirect?
There are many situations in which you might need to use a 301 redirect.
As mentioned above, these include:
- When you change the URL of a page on your site
- When you move your site to a new domain
- When you move your site from HTTP to HTTPS
Redirects are also a valuable tool for fixing errors.
If you have a page that is returning a 404 error, you can use a redirect to send users to a different page.
This can help reduce the number of people who leave your site because they encounter an error.
The best time to use a 301 redirect is when you need to permanently redirect one URL to another.
For example, if you change the URL of a page on your site, you will need to use a 301 redirect to send users to the new URL.
A 301 redirect also passes between 90-99% of link juice (ranking power) to the redirected page.
This is why it is important to only use 301 redirects when they are absolutely necessary.
If you use too many 301 redirects, it can have a negative impact on your website’s SEO.
What are Some Common Redirect Errors?
There are some common errors that can occur when using redirects.
Some of these include:
- Redirect chains
- Infinite redirects
- 404 errors
- Mixed content
Redirect Chains
Redirect chains occur when there is more than one redirect between the original URL and the final URL.
This can happen if you have multiple pages that are being redirected to each other.
For example, if page A is redirected to page B, and page B is redirected to page C, then you have a redirect chain.
Redirect chains can cause problems because they add extra time for the browser to load the final page.
They can also cause search engines to crawl your site more slowly.
Infinite Redirects
Infinite redirects occur when a page is redirected to itself.
For example, if page A is redirected to page B, and page B is redirected to page A, then you have an infinite redirect.
This can happen if you accidentally create a redirect loop.
Redirect loops can cause problems because they also add extra time for the browser to load the final page.
They can also cause search engines to crawl your site more slowly.
404 Errors
404 errors occur when a page cannot be found.
This can happen if you delete a page or change its URL without setting up a redirect.
When this happens, visitors will see a 404 error message instead of the page they were looking for.
Mixed content occurs when a page contains both secure and non-secure content.
For example, if a page is served over HTTPS but contains an image that is served over HTTP, then you have mixed content.
Mixed content can cause problems because it can make a page appear to be less secure.
It can also cause the browser to block certain elements of the page from loading.
How to Avoid Redirect Errors
There are some things that you can do to avoid redirect errors:
- Don’t change the URL of a page without setting up a redirect
- Don’t delete a page without setting up a redirect
- Don’t create redirect chains
- Don’t create infinite redirects
- Make sure your pages are served over the correct protocol (HTTPS or HTTP)
- Don’t serve mixed content on your pages
If you follow these guidelines, you can avoid most of the common redirect errors.
However, if you do encounter a redirect error, you will need to fix it.
You can do this by editing your .htaccess file or your server configuration.
.htaccess Redirect Guide
The .htaccess file is a configuration file for the Apache web server.
It is used to control how the web server handles requests for files and resources on your website.
The .htaccess file is placed in the root directory of your website.
When a user tries to access a file on your website, the web server will first look for the .htaccess file.
If it exists, the web server will use the instructions in the .htaccess file to handle the request.
Otherwise, it will use its default behavior.
You can use the .htaccess file to redirect users from one page to another.
To do this, you need to add a line of code to your .htaccess file. Please note: any code mentioned here is highly dependent on how your server is configured. Make sure that you will be able to implement these properly on your server before doing so.
The code should look like this:
Redirect 301 /old-page.html http://www.example.com/new-page.html
This code will redirect users from the old page to the new page.
You can also use the .htaccess file to redirect users from one website to another.
To do this, you need to add a line of code to your .htaccess file.
The code should look like this:
Redirect 301 http://old-site.com http://www.example.com
This code will redirect users from the old site to the new site.
Frequently Asked Questions About 301 Redirects
When Do You NOT Want to Use a Redirect?
There are some cases when you might not want to use a redirect.
For example, if you are moving a page to a new location on your website, you might not want to redirect users from the old page to the new page.
Instead, you can just update your links to point to the new page.
Another example is if you are moving a website from one domain to another.
In this case, you might not want to redirect users from the old site to the new site.
Instead, you can update your DNS settings to point the domain name to the new site.
How Often Should I Check My Redirects?
You should check your redirects on a regular basis and at least every several months. You may want to check them more frequently than that if you have a more aggressive 301 redirect schedule.
This will help you to catch any errors that might occur.
You can check your redirects manually or you can use a tool like Screaming Frog to check them for you.
Can 301 Redirects Have an Impact on Your SEO?
Yes, 301 redirects can have an impact on your SEO.
If you use a redirect, it will send a signal to search engines that the page has moved.
This can cause the search engine to update its index and remove the old page from its listings.
It can also cause the search engine to give the new page a higher ranking.
Poorly implemented redirects can also confuse search engines and cause them to index both the old and the new page.
Adding more hops between redirects can also reduce the value that is passed to the new page.
What is the Difference Between a 301 Redirect and a 302 Redirect?
A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect. It tells search engines that the page has moved permanently.
A 302 redirect is a temporary redirect. It tells search engines that the page has moved temporarily.
You should use a 301 redirect when you are moving a page permanently.
You should use a 302 redirect when you are moving a page temporarily.
If you find that you have 302 redirects on your site instead of 301 redirects, you should fix them.
Is it Possible to Have Too Many 301 Redirects?
It is possible to have too many 301 redirects.
If you have a lot of 301 redirects, it can confuse search engines and cause them to index both the old and the new page.
Adding more hops between redirects can also reduce the value that is passed to the new page.
You should only use as many 301 redirects as you need.
And, you should remove any unnecessary 301 redirects from your website.
Can You Implement Many 301 Redirects at One Time?
Yes, you can implement many 301 redirects at one time. There is no rule that says you can only do one at a time.
You can add as many as you need to your .htaccess file.
Just be sure to check your redirects regularly to ensure that they are working properly.
After a certain point, however, there is a danger that too many redirects will end up causing your site to slow down.
So, you need to be careful. Don’t load up thousands of redirects, expecting them to help your site when the opposite could be the effect.
Should You Remove Your Canonical Tags Before Redirecting The Page?
If you redirect a page, technically, you should be deleting the page after you redirect it.
In which case, you will have removed the canonical.
However, if for some reason you want to keep that page, then you should remove the canonical tag when redirecting the page.
The reasoning behind this is because the canonical tag is meant to tell Google what your preferred version of a URL actually is.
If your new URL needs a canonical tag, then this should be added.
301 Redirects Are a Tool
At the end of the day, redirects are a tool, and they can be a complex tool, to be sure. How you use 301 redirects can make a big difference in your site’s SEO.
That’s why it pays to be mindful about these redirects and what they can do.
Always make sure that you optimize your redirects where possible, and that you don’t confuse your users (or Google).
Your rankings will thank you.
