301 Redirect
Last updated September 2026
A 301 redirect is a server-level instruction that permanently sends visitors and search engines from one URL to another. It passes the majority of the original page's ranking signals to the new URL, making it the standard way to preserve SEO value when a page moves or is retired.
A 301 redirect tells a browser and a search engine crawler that a URL has moved permanently and that all future requests, and all accumulated ranking credit, should go to the new destination instead. It is one of a handful of HTTP status codes used for redirection, and it is specifically the one that communicates permanence rather than a temporary detour.
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301 versus 302: why the distinction matters
A 302 redirect signals a temporary move; search engines generally keep the original URL indexed and hold back most of the ranking signal transfer, expecting the original URL to return to use. A 301 signals permanence, and search engines respond by consolidating ranking signals onto the new URL and eventually dropping the old one from the index. Using a 302 for what is actually a permanent change is a common mistake that quietly stalls the transfer of ranking value for weeks or longer.
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301: permanent move, ranking signals consolidate to the new URL over time
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302: temporary move, ranking signals largely stay with the original URL
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Redirect chains (A to B to C) should be flattened to a single hop (A to C) wherever possible, since each extra hop adds delay and some signal loss
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Redirects should map to the most relevant equivalent new page, not default to the homepage, which wastes the specific relevance of the original URL
02
When 301 redirects are used
The most common scenarios are a site migration to a new domain, a URL structure change during a redesign, consolidating two pages that cover overlapping topics, or retiring outdated content in favor of an updated replacement. In every case, the redirect exists to preserve the ranking equity, backlinks, and traffic the old URL had already earned, rather than forcing the site to rebuild that value from zero under the new address.
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Where migrations go wrong without them
The most damaging technical SEO mistake in a site migration is failing to map old URLs to their new equivalents with 301 redirects, or mapping them all to a single generic page instead of their specific canonical counterpart. Both mistakes send the accumulated backlink and ranking value of the old URLs nowhere useful, and the traffic loss that follows can take months to recover even after the mistake is corrected.
