For many companies, the SEO ranking of their pages is one of the most important aspects of their website’s success. But keeping your SEO value secured can be a challenge, especially in the confusing world of SEO, where the rules of the game seem to be always changing. That’s why you’re probably eager to learn all about one of the most important concepts in SEO - redirects. What are redirects? And how do redirects affect SEO? In this blog, we’ll dive into the basics, and move on to best practices for implementing redirects in the easiest way possible, without hurting your SEO.
In this article, you'll find:
What is a redirect?
So before we dig a little deeper, it might be good to go over some basics. If you’re new to all this technical stuff, you might be wondering, what even is a redirect?
A redirect will send users and search engines to a different URL than they initially landed on. So, in other words, a redirect is a way to automatically move your visitors to the right location.
There are many reasons why you’d want to implement a redirect. For instance, because you migrated to a new domain or merged websites, and you want to automatically redirect from the old URLs to the new ones. A redirect ensures visitors will always land on the right page.
Types of redirects you can use
There are different types of redirects you can use. The most commonly used is the 301 redirect, followed by the 302 redirect. If you plan to make permanent changes to the URL of a page, you'll want to use a 301. When making temporary changes, you'll want to use a 302.
- A 301 redirect signals a permanent move. It tells browsers and search engines that a page has been moved permanently and redirects users to the new location. With the permanent redirect, the SEO value is automatically moved to the new URL.
- A 302 redirect signals a temporary move. It tells browsers and search engines that a page has been temporarily moved. This also means the SEO value is not transferred.
Aside from 301 and 302 redirects, there are two more redirects that you can use. These are 307 and 308 redirects. A 308 signals a permanent move, just like a 301. And a 307 signals a temporary move, just like a 302. The main difference between 308 and 301 redirects, or between 307 and 302 redirects, is the way in which the request is made. The use of 308 and 307 redirects over 301 or 302 redirects is not recommended, though. Only if you have a particular use case that specifically suits them.
How do redirects affect SEO?
Redirects can affect SEO in several ways. However, the ways they affect SEO largely depend on the type of redirects that are used. Here’s a quick overview of the types of redirects and their influence on SEO.
Permanent redirects (301 and 308)
If you’re using 301 or 308 redirects, the redirect will be permanent. This also means that the link value or SEO value from the source URL will be transferred to the destination URL. With a permanent redirect, you can preserve your SEO value. The new destination will simply inherit all link equity, and maintain its visibility in search engines.
Temporary redirects (302 or 307)
302 or 307 redirects are temporary redirects. Using these types will probably have a greater effect on your SEO than using permanent ones. \With temporary redirects, the link value will not be transferred from the source URL to the destination URL. Search engines will continue to index and rank the original URL instead of the redirected one. This means the visibility in search engines will not be properly maintained for the new URL.
Meta refresh redirects
Using Meta-refresh redirects, also referred to as HTML redirects, is not advisable. They hurt your SEO in a major way. This type of redirect is implemented on a page level, rather than on the server level. This means search engines can’t read them. They won’t be able to know where the redirect is pointing to.
General SEO tips for implementing redirects
So, now that you know all about redirects, let’s dive into the practical stuff. What’s the best approach to the implementation of redirects without hurting your SEO? Here are some SEO tips for implementing redirects.
