301 Redirection – A Complete Guide in SEO

In the online world, you need to be very dynamic. Every now and then, you can experience that the entire website or the pages require replacing by new ones. In case the domain has ranked properly, it will obviously get tons of traffic and readers – which you would not want to lose. 

However, if you change the link structure of the website, it is a must for businesses to connect the new one with the existing bank links and ranking. So, you might be wondering how you will be able to use it for your benefit. To know everything, you should know more about 301 redirects.

In the article, we will cover everything that you must know about the 301 redirects and clear out some misconceptions about the topic. Keep reading this article to grab some important knowledge about 301 redirection and its benefits.

What do you mean by 301 Redirect?

301 Redirect is actually the permanent redirect which is a message provided to search engines about the content of the page that has been removed to another new URL forever. The content might be located in a completely new domain or another new URL.

For the 301 Redirect, you need to request the client, like a Google bot or other web browser, about the content, and the requested source, like a file, document, HTML, or a domain, can now be accessible from another new URL.

The process is greatly different from simply forwarding. Apart from the new URL, the Web server can also transmit the HTTP status code. It is a clear way to indicate that the URL source is invalid and the original resource is now permanently available at a completely new location.

Does 301 redirect become helpful in SEO?

As 301 is generally understood as a permanent redirect, search engine crawlers will immediately receive the message that the old URL does not require indexing. Over time and practice, this new page will start earning more trust from the search engine and backlink and so as will gain relevancy to the redirected entity.

Link transfer is one of the biggest benefits of SEO as it can greatly help to establish the previous ranking from the entity. Compared to other 3XX redirects, the 301 redirect is one of the finest ways of transferring authority from an existing domain to a new location.

What are the ways of implementing 301 redirects? 

There are some ways that you can choose to implement 301 redirects. However, the way you do 301 entirely depends on your use case, which we will find out in this section. But now, we will take a look at some of the most common methods chosen by people for easy implementation, which have proven to offer great results across several websites on the internet.

Redirects through .htaaccess:

You can choose to redirect via .HTACCESS. It is a popular method used for several websites. As the code has been directly entered into the server’s root directory, it requires a prerequisite of the Apache web server that has activated mod_rewrite modules.

Registrar Level Redirection

While there are many websites that implement redirects directly at the host level, there is another alternative, and an easier way of doing it is via domain registrar. It is considered a good choice if you are in search of redirecting the main page. However, it is not a good choice to point individual pages to another new location.

Redirecting through scripting languages

Another alternative for 301. Redirect is by choosing a scripting language like PHP. However, it can be slower compared to other methods as its actual implication requires execution before the direction. This is considered a more convenient way to set up redirects, especially for dynamic websites. 

Redirecting through WordPress Plugins

You must know that redirecting is technical, and you require working with codes that you might need to be more comfortable or familiar with. If you have a WordPress website, the easiest option for implementing redirects is through the redirection plug-in. The prime advantage of choosing this route is that it is user-friendly, and you only need to enter the URL of the page where you want it to get redirected.

What are the best practices for 301 redirects?

As per the technical step, it requires paying utmost care while implementing. 301 redirects might become harmful if you are unable to do it in the right way. In order to get rid of or eliminate such circumstances, there is a need to educate yourself about the best practices to enjoy the ultimate benefits.

Redirect to the preferred URL

While setting up the website, you require choosing whether you want to display the domain URL with or without beginning with the www. 

For webmasters, it is definitely something based on their preferences. However, when it comes to search engines, they look at both non-www and www as different versions. It can have a major impact which leads to duplicate content issues.

Additionally, you might also have backlinks that will point to both versions. For this reason, you need to set up 301 redirects.

Redirect HTTP to HTTPS 

SSL certificate is one of the most critical requirements today for the search engine. It is also considered a significant ranking factor. So, you require redirecting the HTTP URLs to the HTTPS. It can be disadvantageous if any part of the website can also reach under the encryption of HTTP posts.

If you want to set up redirects on the website, you can include this code on your .HTACCESS file.

RewriteEngine On

RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off

RewriteRule (.*) https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI}

When you use this code, all the requests on the HTTP version will get redirected to your new HTTPS version. Additionally, 301 Redirect also recommends to Google that all the contents present on the domain have been permanently shifted to the HTTPS version.

Redirecting 404 pages

All the users visiting the website when they find a 404 error can become an unpleasant scenario. When a user lands on any page where they cannot find anything, it often leads to a frustrating experience. Eventually, it can direct users to abandon the website permanently. You surely don’t want to lose your traffic, which is why you must pay attention to redirect your 404 pages to the real pages.

Moreover, search engines also want to track all 404 pages. When they find tons of such errors, it can result in losing your rank. In order to make sure that both the users and search engines remain happy, you require adding a code on the .HTACCESS file.

ErrorDocument 404 https://(your domain name).com/

Redirect the old domain to the new domain

As we have already discussed, if you’re about to rebrand your website, or for any other reason, even want to move to a new domain, you have to set up 301 redirects properly.

Following is the code that you need to please to redirect the queries to your actual domain.

"RewriteEngine on

RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(your domain name)[NC,OR]

RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(your domain name) [NC]

RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://(your domain name)/$1 [L,R=301,NC]”

Some significant tips to get the perfect 301 redirects: 

To protect the SEO investment you have made on your website, the following are some tips you can follow. 

• Make the redirect while changing the domain to HTTP:// www. from HTTP://, as both are considered two different websites. 
• Before switching to a new domain, it is a must for you to set up the 301 updates. 
• When setting up, always choose 301 permanent redirects over 302 temporary redirects.
• Make sure to redirect the old external links.

Conclusion

You must know that 301 Redirect is a technical aspect of your website. It is not possible for everyone to perform this easily without having any knowledge. Since 301 redirect SEO can have a direct impact on your website, it is always better to choose experts for this purpose.

You can also use the 301 redirect checker to learn more about it. However, if you’re unsure whether you can perform it properly, it is better to hire a good expert. Even when WordPress 301 redirects are simple compared to others that require coding, make sure that you pay attention to every detail while getting 301 redirects.

Now, if you are looking for a genuine expert, who can make 301 redirects .htaccess, you can choose Digital Habibi. With over seven years of experience in a range of fields, I can make sure that you pay attention to every single aspect of your website.

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