
A Easy (However Full) Information
Most web site house owners should cope with redirects at one level or one other. Redirects assist maintain issues accessible for customers and serps whenever you rebrand, merge a number of web sites, delete a web page, or just transfer a web page to a brand new location.
Nonetheless, the world of redirects is a murky one, as several types of redirects exist for various eventualities. So it’s vital to grasp the variations between them.
On this information, you’ll study:
Redirects are a approach to ahead customers (and bots) to a URL apart from the one they requested.
There are two explanation why you need to use redirects when shifting content material:
- Higher person expertise for guests – You don’t need guests to get hit with a “web page not discovered” warning after they’re attempting to entry a web page that’s moved. Redirects resolve this drawback by seamlessly sending guests to the content material’s new location.
- Assist serps perceive your web site – Redirects inform serps the place content material has moved and whether or not the transfer is everlasting or non permanent. This impacts if and the way the pages seem of their search outcomes.
You need to use redirects whenever you transfer content material from one URL to a different and, often, whenever you delete content material. Let’s take a fast have a look at a couple of widespread eventualities the place you’ll need to use them.
When shifting domains
In the event you’re rebranding and shifting from one area to a different, you’ll have to completely redirect all of the pages on the previous area to their places on the brand new area.
When merging web sites
In the event you’re merging a number of web sites into one, you’ll have to completely redirect previous URLs to new URLs.
When switching to HTTPS
In the event you’re switching from HTTP to HTTPS (strongly advisable), you’ll have to completely redirect each unsecure (HTTP) web page and useful resource to its safe (HTTPS) location.
When operating a promotion
In the event you’re operating a short lived promotion and need to ship guests from, say, area.com/laptops to area.com/laptops-black-friday-deals, you’ll want to make use of a short lived redirect.
When deleting pages
In the event you’re eradicating content material out of your web site, you need to completely redirect its URL to a related, comparable web page the place doable. This helps to make sure that any backlinks to the previous web page nonetheless rely for search engine optimisation functions. It additionally ensures that any bookmarks or inner hyperlinks nonetheless work.
Redirects are cut up into two teams: server-side redirects and client-side redirects. Every group incorporates quite a lot of redirects that serps view as both non permanent or everlasting. So that you’ll want to make use of the precise redirect for the duty at hand to keep away from potential search engine optimisation points.
Server-side redirects
A server-side redirect is one the place the server decides the place to redirect the person or search engine when a web page is requested. It does this by returning a 3XX HTTP standing code.
In the event you’re doing search engine optimisation, you’ll be utilizing server-side redirects more often than not, as client-side redirects (we’ll talk about these shortly) have a couple of drawbacks and are typically extra appropriate for fairly particular and uncommon use instances.
Listed below are the 3XX redirects each search engine optimisation ought to know:
301 redirect
A 301 redirect forwards customers to the brand new URL and tells serps that the useful resource has completely moved. When confronted with a 301 redirect, serps usually drop the previous redirected URL from their index in favor of the brand new URL. Additionally they switch PageRank (authority) to the brand new URL.
302 redirect
A 302 redirect forwards customers to the brand new URL and tells serps that the useful resource has quickly moved. When confronted with a 302 redirect, serps maintain the previous URL listed although it’s redirected. Nonetheless, should you go away the 302 redirect in place for a very long time, serps will seemingly begin treating it like a 301 redirect and index the brand new URL as a substitute.
Like 301s, 302s switch PageRank. The distinction is the switch occurs “backward.” In different phrases, the “new” URL’s PageRank transfers backward to the previous URL (until serps are treating it like a 301).
303 redirect
A 303 redirect forwards the person to a useful resource much like the one requested and is a non permanent type of redirect. It’s usually used for issues like stopping kind resubmissions when a person hits the “again” button of their browser. You received’t usually use 303 redirects for search engine optimisation functions. In the event you do, serps could deal with them as both a 301 or 302.
307 redirect
A 307 redirect is similar as a 302 redirect, besides it retains the HTTP methodology (POST, GET) of the unique request when performing the redirect.
308 redirect
A 308 redirect is similar as a 301 redirect, besides it retains the HTTP methodology of the unique request when performing the redirect. Google says it treats 308 redirects the identical as 301 redirects, however most SEOs nonetheless use 301 redirects.
In the event you use it like a 301 we’ll deal with it as such.
— 🧀 John 🧀 (@JohnMu) Could 10, 2018
Consumer-side redirects
A client-side redirect is one the place the browser decides the place to redirect the person. You usually shouldn’t use it until you don’t have an alternative choice.
307 redirect
A 307 redirect generally happens client-side when a web site makes use of HSTS. It is because HSTS tells the consumer’s browser that the server solely accepts safe (HTTPS) connections and to carry out an inner 307 redirect if requested to request unsecure (HTTP) sources from the location sooner or later.
Meta refresh redirect
A meta refresh redirect tells the browser to redirect the person after a set variety of seconds. Google understands it and can usually deal with it the identical as a 301 redirect. Nonetheless, when requested about meta redirects with delays on Twitter, Google’s John Mueller mentioned, “If you would like it handled like a redirect, it is smart to have it act like a redirect.”
Both method, Google doesn’t suggest utilizing them, as they are often complicated for the person and aren’t supported by all browsers. Google recommends utilizing a server-side 301 redirect as a substitute.
JavaScript redirect
A JavaScript redirect, as you in all probability guessed, makes use of JavaScript to instruct the browser to redirect the person to a special URL. Some folks imagine a JS redirect causes points for serps as a result of they should render the web page to see the redirect. Though that is true, it’s not often a difficulty for Google as a result of it renders pages so quick nowadays. (Although, there may nonetheless be points with different serps.) All in all, it’s nonetheless higher to make use of a 3XX redirect the place doable, however a JS redirect is often superb if that’s your solely choice.
Redirects can get difficult. That will help you alongside, listed below are a couple of finest practices to remember should you’re concerned in search engine optimisation.
Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
Everybody must be utilizing HTTPS at this stage. It provides your web site an additional layer of safety, and it’s a small Google rating issue.
There are a few methods to test that your web site is correctly redirecting from HTTP to HTTPS. The primary is to put in and activate Ahrefs’ search engine optimisation Toolbar, then attempt to navigate to the HTTP model of your homepage. It ought to redirect, and you need to see a 301 response code on the toolbar.

The issue with this methodology is you might even see a 307 in case your web site makes use of HSTS. So right here’s one other methodology:
- Go to Ahrefs’ Web site Audit
- Click on + New Mission
- Click on Add manually
- Change the Scope to HTTP
- Enter your area
You need to see the “Not crawlable” error for each the www and non-www variations of your homepage, together with the “301 moved completely” notification.

If there isn’t a redirect in place otherwise you’re utilizing a sort of redirect apart from 301 or 308, it’s in all probability value asking your developer to change to 301.
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Whichever methodology you utilize, it’s value repeating it for a couple of pages so as to be assured correct redirects are in place throughout your web site.
Use HSTS (to create 307 redirects)
Implementing HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Safety) in your server stops folks from accessing non-secure (HTTP) content material in your web site. It does this by telling browsers that your server solely accepts safe connections and that they need to do an inner 307 redirect to the HTTPS model of any HTTP useful resource they’re requested to entry.
This isn’t an alternative choice to 301 or 302 redirects, and it’s not strictly essential if these are correctly arrange in your web site. Nonetheless, we argue that it’s finest follow nowadays—even when simply to hurry issues up a bit for customers.
Study extra: Strict-Transport-Safety — Mozilla
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After implementing HSTS, think about submitting your web site to the HSTS preload checklist. This allows HSTS for everybody attempting to go to your web site—even when they haven’t visited it earlier than.
Keep away from meta refresh redirects
Meta refresh redirects aren’t best, so it’s value checking your web site for these and changing them with both a 301 or 302 redirect. You are able to do this simply sufficient with a free Ahrefs Webmaster Instruments account. Simply crawl your web site with Web site Audit and search for the “meta refresh redirect” error.

In the event you then click on the error and hit “View affected URLs,” you’ll see the URLs with meta refresh redirects.
Redirect deleted pages to related working alternate options (the place doable)
Redirecting URLs is smart whenever you transfer content material, nevertheless it additionally typically is smart to redirect whenever you delete content material. It is because seeing a “404 not discovered” error isn’t best when a person tries to entry a deleted web page. It’s typically extra person pleasant to redirect them to a related working different.
For instance, we not too long ago revamped our weblog class pages. In the course of the course of, we deleted a couple of classes, together with “Outreach & Content material Promotion.” Slightly than go away this as a 404, we redirected it to our “Hyperlink Constructing” class, because it’s a intently associated working different.
You may’t do that each time, as there isn’t at all times a related different. But when there may be, doing so additionally has the good thing about preserving and transferring PageRank (authority) from the redirected web page to the choice useful resource.
Most websites will have already got some useless or deleted pages that return a 404 standing code. To seek out these, join a free Ahrefs Webmaster Instruments account, crawl your web site with Web site Audit, go to the Inner pages report, then search for the “4XX web page” error:

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Allow “backlinks” as a supply when organising your crawl. It will permit Web site Audit to search out deleted pages with backlinks, even when there are not any inner hyperlinks to the pages in your web site.

To see the affected pages, click on the error and hit “View affected URLs.” In the event you see numerous URLs, click on the “Handle columns” button, add the “Referring domains” column, then type by referring domains in descending order. You may then deal with the 404s with probably the most backlinks first.

Keep away from lengthy redirect chains
Redirect chains are when a number of redirects happen between a requested useful resource and its remaining vacation spot.

Google’s official documentation says that it follows as much as 10 redirect hops, so any redirect chains shorter than that aren’t actually an issue for search engine optimisation.
Googlebot follows as much as 10 redirect hops. If the crawler doesn’t obtain content material inside 10 hops, Search Console will present a redirect error within the web site’s Index Protection report.
Nonetheless, lengthy chains nonetheless gradual issues down for customers, so it’s finest to keep away from them if doable.
You will discover lengthy redirect chains without cost utilizing Ahrefs Webmaster Instruments:
- Crawl your web site with Web site Audit
- Go to the Redirects report
- Click on the Points tab
- Search for the “Redirect chain too lengthy” error

Click on the difficulty and hit “View affected URLs” to see URLs that start a redirect chain and all of the URLs within the chain.

Keep away from redirect loops
Redirect loops are infinite loops of redirects that happen when a URL redirects to itself or when a URL in a redirect chain redirects again to a URL earlier within the chain.

They’re problematic for 2 causes:
- For customers –They reduce off entry to an meant useful resource and set off a “too many redirects” error within the browser.
- For serps – They “entice” crawlers and waste the crawl funds.
The only approach to discover redirect loops is to crawl your web site with a instrument like Ahrefs’ Web site Audit. You are able to do this without cost with an Ahrefs Webmaster Instruments account.
- Crawl your web site with Web site Audit
- Go to the Redirects report
- Click on the Points tab
- Search for the “Redirect loop” error

In the event you then click on the error and click on “View affected URLs,” you’ll see an inventory of URLs that redirect, in addition to all URLs within the chain:

One of the simplest ways to repair a redirect loop is dependent upon whether or not the final URL within the chain (earlier than the loop) is the meant remaining vacation spot.
Whether it is, take away the redirect from the ultimate URL. Then be certain that the useful resource is accessible and returns a 200 standing code.

If it isn’t, change the looping redirect to the meant remaining vacation spot.

In each instances, it’s good follow to swap out any inner hyperlinks to remaining redirects for direct hyperlinks to the ultimate URL.
Ultimate ideas
Redirects for search engine optimisation are fairly easy. You’ll be utilizing server-side 301 and 302 redirects more often than not, relying on whether or not the redirect is everlasting or non permanent. Nonetheless, there are some nuances to the best way Google treats 301s and 302s, so it’s value studying these two guides should you’re going through points:
Obtained questions? Ping me on Twitter.