have Multiple redirection methods Web pages or entire websites, the two main ways are 301 or 302 HTTP response codes.
Choosing the right one for the right situation is important for SEO because it sends a signal to Google about how to respond to redirected pages, including whether consider it normative.
Although Google continues to develop how it handles signalsthe content provided by the 301 and 302 response codes has not changed.
In this guide, you’ll learn what 301 and 302 redirects are for, when to use them, how they affect SEO, and more.
HTTP response status code
When a browser requests a web page from a server, the server sends a response to the browser telling it whether the request was successful.
The response is called HTTP response status code.
The response code tells the browser the status of the web page request.
There are five HTTP response status codes:
- Information response.
- successful response.
- Redirect response.
- Client error response.
- Server error response.
What are 301 and 302 redirects?
A redirect response status code is a message from the server to the browser that tells the browser that the web page no longer exists at the requested URL.
The redirect response code also informs the browser that the requested web page has been moved to another URL and that the server is now redirecting the browser to the requested web page at the new location.
You may need to redirect pages for a number of reasons, including:
- Choose between WWW and non-WWW canonical URLs.
- You have a new website or page.
- Force the browser to use HTTPS when accessing using HTTP.
- You are fixing a web page and want users to go to another page while the old page is being built.
The purpose of the redirect determines which redirect is chosen.
Choosing the wrong option can affect your SEO.
Choosing the right redirect ensures that you at least maintain your current ranking.
What is a 301 redirect?
301 redirects send a message to search engines that a site or page has been moved permanent.
Permanent means about a year or more. After a year, check to see if people are still being redirected to your site.
If yes, find out where they came from and try to fix the source before cancelling the redirect.
Google’s John Mueller recently suggested keeping 301 redirect in place At least one year.
When should 301 redirects be used?
Many people use 301 redirects when purchasing a domain they want to redirect to their main domain.
For example, you can do this for domains with misspelled brands or domain variations.
Using a 301 is also helpful when determining which domain is your default site: “www.example.com” or just “example.com”.
Using a 301 is appropriate if you’re merging two websites together or using outdated URLs for any other reason.
What is a 302 redirect?
302 redirects let search engines know that a site or page has been moved temporarily.
When should 302 redirects be used?
Use this type of redirect if you want to direct users to a new site or page for a short period of time, such as when redesigning or updating your website.
Only use 302 if you plan to eventually restore the old page or set up a new page.
You can also use a 302 redirect if you want to test a new page and get consumer feedback without hurting the ranking of the original page.
How do 301 and 302 redirects affect SEO?
When you use a 301, Google removes the old page from its index, and most of the page’s value (link equity) is transferred to the new page.
Having said that, it’s important to note that whenever you move a page from one URL to another, it takes some time for search engines to notice the change – so you can Check for any potential impact/change in ranking.
Generally, this time period is relatively short.
When used properly, 302 redirects won’t hurt your SEO efforts.
When you choose this type of redirect, the original page will still be indexed in Google and will not transfer any value (link equity) to the new URL because Google knows it’s only temporary.
Therefore, you will retain any ranking, traffic value and authority that page may have.
Problems often arise when people don’t know the difference between the two, and they choose a 302 to permanently redirect a site.
Essentially, they are creating a new website or page, not transferring any value they have accumulated over time from the old website or page.
That’s why it’s important to know the difference between a 301 and a 302 and when it’s appropriate to use both.
How to implement redirection
“Setting up server-side redirects requires accessing a server configuration file (eg, .htaccess file on Apache) or setting redirect headers using a server-side script (eg, PHP).
You can create permanent and temporary redirects on the server side. “
If you are not sure how to do this, you can use Apache .htaccess tutorial with one URL Rewriting Guidelines.
If your server is not running on Apache, you must contact your host for instructions.
If your website uses WordPress, you can take advantage of the following plugins designed to make redirects as easy as possible:
Redirects affect search visibility
While a server can send nine redirect response codes to a browser, two are the most commonly used: 301 and 302 HTTP response status codes.
Choosing the right one for your purpose is critical to SEO.
This means knowing which one to use to help Google rank your site.
More resources:
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