A 301 redirect is a directive given to crawl bots to permanently redirect all incoming traffic from one page, or folder(s) to another page, folder or domain.
301 redirects are essential for good SEO because they ensure that you don’t undermine UX (User Experience).
If an end user clicks on your link wanting to discover more information about products and services and is met with a 404, they’re not going to be happy.
Equally, broken links or bad external linking can lead to websites receiving a drop in traffic.
This can see websites missing out on business, or even worse, may prohibit crawlers from crawling and indexing vital pages.
301 redirects can also help websites avoid publishing duplicate content, which typically get flagged up and potentially lead to a Google penalty.
There are a few different scenarios when you should implement a 301 redirect, including:
301 redirects are a great tool that helps you maintain link equity and page ranking when you have changed your site’s architecture or fixed linking issues. But, there are a few things to keep in mind when choosing 301 redirects.
302 redirects should only be used for temporary relocation, whereas 301 should be used for a permanent redirection to a new location.
You’ll leave end users in the dark if you don’t redirect old internal links. This can lead to a higher bounce rate and less dwell time.
This can be dangerous and result in your website losing traffic and lead to a drop in your SERP ranking.
You should follow a few best practices when it comes to 301 redirects.
Got a complex web of pages that require redirects and don’t know where to start? Contact us and we could pair you with a team that will put a fresh pair of eyes onto your plans.
If you reckon you’ve got it covered, our training courses are worth a look for when you want to get ahead of the competition regarding your whole SEO strategy.