Redirects are directives and commands given to search engine robots to control the index coverage of a website.
There are a few different kinds of redirects that are used for specific circumstances.
A 301 redirect is used when a page has been permanently deleted, and takes the user or crawler to the new location.
A 302 redirect forwards traffic to a new location temporarily. This should be used if you’re planning to bring back the previous page, or if you’re testing out another page.
A 307 redirect is also another http response status code that notifies visitors and crawlers alike, that a page has been temporarily redirected to a new URI (Uniform Resource Identifier).
This redirect notifies the user of a page’s permanent redirect expressed within the location header.
Redirects are important for a number of reasons.
From a user perspective they improve UX (User Experience). When a user is trying to find a page, rather than hitting them with a 404 page, its best to send them to a new URL which will provide them with the content they are looking for.
From a crawler perspective, redirects enable them to navigate a website more easily. They can then crawl and index the right pages, which is good for your site’s SEO and ranking.
However, there are a few things to watch out for. You don’t want to overuse redirects, because this will hurt your website’s performance.
Redirects can potentially slow page load time, and redirect chains can contribute to a low link equity.
There are a few best practices to follow when opting for a redirect.
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