What Is a 301 Redirect and When Do You Need One?
A 301 redirect permanently tells browsers and Google that a page has moved to a new URL, and it passes almost all of the old page's ranking power to the new one. Use it whenever a URL changes forever: site migrations, HTTPS moves, slug renames and dead page consolidation.
301 versus 302
Use 301 for permanent moves. Use 302 for temporary ones, like a seasonal page swap. A 302 tells Google to keep the old URL indexed, a 301 tells it to transfer everything. Getting them backwards causes split rankings for months.
Never move a site without a map
List every old URL next to its new destination before anything changes. Generate the full 301 map with the Redirect Map Generator, export the CSV and keep it forever. After launch, find leftovers with the Broken Link Checker.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a 301 lose link equity?
Modern Google passes essentially all of it.
How long should I keep 301s?
At least a year. Forever is safer if anything links to the old URL.
Related reading
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