Technical SEO · Beginner

301 redirect

A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect: the server tells browsers and search engines a page has moved for good, and search engines move the page's ranking signals to the new URL.

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Level
Beginner
Also called
Permanent redirect
Status code
301 Moved Permanently
Equivalent
308 Permanent Redirect
Use for
Moved pages, domain changes, http to https
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Redirect Checker

What is a 301 redirect?

When a server answers a request with status 301 and a Location header, the browser goes to the new address, and search engines treat the move as permanent: they index the new URL and consolidate signals, such as links, onto it.

HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://example.com/new-page

When to use one

  • A page's URL changes.
  • Two pages are merged into one.
  • Moving from http to https, or between www and non-www.
  • Moving to a new domain.

Best practices

  1. Redirect each old URL to its closest equivalent, not everything to the home page.
  2. Go straight to the final URL in one hop.
  3. Update internal links to point at the new URL.
  4. Keep redirects in place for the long term; old links keep arriving.

Common mistakes

  • Using 302 for permanent moves.
  • Chains (A → B → C) and loops.
  • Redirecting deleted pages to unrelated pages, which Google may treat as soft 404s.

Frequently asked questions

Do 301 redirects lose ranking value?

Google says permanent redirects pass signals to the new URL. Rankings can fluctuate while the change is processed.

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