What Is a Redirect?
A URL redirect (sometimes called “URL forwarding”) is simply a measurement to nonstop users and hunt engines to a different URL than the 1 they requested.
Redirects are utilized to move a webpage to a caller address, ensuring that visitors and hunt engines are automatically taken to the correct page.
Common redirect types see 301 (moved permanently), 302 (moved temporarily), and meta refresh.
Why Are Redirects Important?
Redirects are important for a fewer main reasons:
Redirects Ensure a Good User Experience
Redirects guarantee visitors don’t onshore connected surgery aliases copy pages connected your site.
Here’s an example:
Let’s opportunity you wrote a blog station astir the champion play courses successful Michigan successful 2024. And the URL was “yourgreatsite.com/blog/best-golf-courses-in-michigan-2024.”
If you determine to update the station successful 2025, you astir apt want to delete the twelvemonth and people the updated station nether “yourgreatsite.com/blog/best-golf-courses-in-michigan.”
This makes the aged URL nary longer accessible.
But group who publication it earlier the alteration mightiness person the aged URL saved successful their bookmarks. Or they mightiness person shared it location connected societal media. And that aged URL mightiness still show up connected search motor consequence pages (SERPs) for a while.
If users effort to click connected that URL and it hasn’t been redirected to the caller one, they’ll person a 404 correction consequence from the server.
Like this:

This isn’t awesome for the user’s experience—those visitors are apt to leave. Which is why you should usage redirects to debar the issue.
That said, see whether the erstwhile page genuinely has an balanced that’s worthy redirecting your users to. If there’s nary applicable replacement, past it’s amended to group up an informative 404 page.
Redirects Can Preserve Search Performance
Redirects tin transportation ranking authority from an aged page to the newer type (or thief it stay successful spot erstwhile the move is temporary). To support rankings and traffic.
Using the aforesaid illustration from above, let’s opportunity your original article (“yourgreatsite.com/blog/best-golf-courses-in-michigan-2024”) had acquired hundreds of backlinks and was driving thousands of visits from hunt results each month.
By utilizing a redirect, that worth tin beryllium transferred to the updated version.
When to Use Redirects
Sites typically redirects successful these situations:
- Moving the URL of a webpage (from URL A to URL B)
- Deleting a page
- Adding class tags aliases genitor pages that impact URLs
- Migrating a website to a caller domain
- Tweaking URL naming conventions
- Merging 2 aliases much copy webpages
- Switching a tract from HTTP to HTTPS
You tin use a web redirect to a azygous URL, to a group of URLs, aliases an full domain.
Types of Redirects
There are 2 main types of redirects: permanent and temporary.
Users won’t beryllium capable to show the difference, but the favoritism is important for hunt engines.
Permanent redirects are for erstwhile you don’t expect to show the aged page again. (e.g., if you harvester copy pages). Permanent redirects show hunt engines it’s OK to region the aged URL from hunt results and commencement displaying the caller one
Temporary redirects are for erstwhile you request to redirect a webpage for a constricted magnitude of time. (e.g., you’re performing website attraction and want to show a connection telling users to cheque backmost later).
Now, let’s look astatine the main redirect types:
HTTP Redirects
HTTP redirects usage a typical codification successful the HTTP consequence to show the browser to spell to a different webpage.
Here’s really this process works:
The user’s browser requests the aged (redirected) URL. And the server automatically displays the webpage for the caller URL (the redirect target).
From the user’s constituent of view, HTTP redirects are wholly seamless.
In method terms, these are called server-side redirects. Because your web server (where your website is hosted) takes attraction of it before your website moreover loads.
It does that by responding pinch a 3xx HTTP codification erstwhile it receives the petition for the redirected URL.
Those 3xx codes are for illustration instructions for your browser. They bespeak that the requested URL has been redirected. And uncover wherever to find the caller webpage (the redirect target).
Here are the astir communal types of 3xx codes:
301 Redirects (Moved Permanently)
301 redirects show hunt engines for illustration Google that the move from 1 URL to different is permanent.
They’re besides considered the champion measurement to walk nexus equity if you request to redirect a page. That’s because they walk ranking spot from the aged URL to the caller one.
For example, let’s opportunity your tract has 2 pages astir canine toys. There’s nary request for 2 pages astir the aforesaid topic. And 1 of the pages is outdated.

In this case, it’s champion to delete the older, outdated page and 301 redirect it to the caller page’s URL.
302 Redirects (Found & Moved Temporarily)
302 redirects show Google that the redirect from 1 URL to different is temporary.
Use a 302 redirect erstwhile you:
- Temporarily move your page to a caller URL
- Need to return a page offline for a short while to execute maintenance
- Want to A/B trial caller website creation aliases copy
Google will continue to index the redirected page. And nary of its ranking spot will transportation to the caller page.
Which means:
Using impermanent redirects by correction could harm your hunt motor rankings.
Check for issues by moving a speedy tract audit pinch Site Audit.
Head to the “Issues” tab and type “redirect” into the hunt bar. You’ll spot the number of URLs pinch impermanent redirects.

Go done the affected URLs to verify that they should beryllium impermanent redirects.
You should only usage a 302 if you scheme to bring backmost the original URL astatine immoderate point.
That intends you’ll want to reside immoderate accidental 302 redirects. By making them imperishable redirects.
Other HTTP Redirects
As acold arsenic server-side redirects go, you usually only request to usage 301 and 302 redirects.
But location besides are immoderate rarer types of HTTP redirects:
- 303 redirect (see other): Sends users to different applicable page erstwhile the aged 1 isn’t disposable (most often erstwhile users person already submitted a shape and cannot resubmit)
- 307 redirect (moved temporarily) and 308 redirect (moved permanently): Similar to some 302 and 301 redirects successful function, these redirects were important for method reasons erstwhile browsers for illustration Netscape Navigator and erstwhile versions of Internet Explorer were popular.
Meta Refresh Redirects
Meta refreshes are redirects that hap astatine the page level (client side) alternatively than the server level. Unlike HTTP requests.
If you request to instrumentality redirects, HTTP redirects are typically amended than meta refreshes for SEO.
Because meta refreshes are slower, perchance hurting your personification experience. And they could lead to hunt engines indexing the incorrect page.
Google only recommends meta refresh redirects if you can’t usage a server-side redirect.
There are 2 types of meta refresh redirects:
Instant Meta Refresh Redirects
Instant meta refresh redirects trigger arsenic soon arsenic the browser loads the page. Google interprets them arsenic imperishable redirects.
They look for illustration this:
<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0; url=https://www.semrush.com/">
Delayed meta refresh redirects
Delayed meta refresh redirects trigger aft a number of seconds you choose. Google interprets delayed meta refresh redirects arsenic impermanent redirects.
Here’s an illustration that triggers aft 5 seconds:
<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="5; url=https://www.semrush.com/">
JavaScript Redirects
Another type of client-side redirects are JavaScript redirects are different type of client-side redirect. They aren’t recommended for SEO because Google mightiness not render the JavaScript connected your page—or tally into errors erstwhile it does.
If that happens, Google doesn’t moreover announcement your redirect and indexes the redirected page arsenic usual. Which could make an outdated URL show up successful hunt results aliases origin a driblet successful your hunt rankings.
That’s why Google explicitly advises against JavaScript redirects:

Here’s an illustration of a JavaScript redirect successful your HTML code:
window.location.replace("https://example.com");
How to Implement Redirects
You tin group up HTTP redirects successful a number of ways. Let’s spell complete the main ones:
Use WordPress Plugins
You tin usage plugins for illustration Yoast to group up redirects connected WordPress.
To commencement the process, first download the Yoast plugin from the WordPress shop and activate it.
Next, prime “Redirects” nether the Yoast menu:

Choose the type of redirect you want to group up.
Enter the slug (the extremity information of the URL) of the aged redirect URL and the caller URL you wish to redirect to.
Make judge the slugs are spelled correctly. Otherwise, the redirect whitethorn not work.
Click “Add Redirect” and your redirect will beryllium live.
Use Wix
If you usage Wix, you tin group up redirects straight successful the CMS.
Scroll down to the bottommost of your website power panel. And click connected “SEO” nether “Website & SEO.”

Scroll down and click “Go to URL Redirect Manager” nether the “URL Redirect Manager” option.

Then, deed “+ Create New Redirect” astatine the top.
A pop-up will appear. Select your type of redirect, adhd the aged URL you wish to redirect from, and adhd the URL you want to redirect to.
Finish by clicking “Save” aliases “Save & Add Another.”

Use an .htaccess File
You tin besides execute redirects manually. With a record called .htaccess.
It’s successful plain matter and looks for illustration this:

Apache servers usage the .htaccess file. (But these tin beryllium recovered connected different types of servers, too).
Start by locating the RewriteEngine (which tin beryllium recovered successful the mod_rewrite module successful Apache).
This module should already beryllium successful Apache by default. But you tin besides adhd it utilizing this code:
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
</IfModule>
Now, we’ll adhd our rules straight beneath “RewriteEngine On.”
Redirect a Single URL
To redirect 1 URL, usage the codification below. Specify the type of redirect and switch “/oldpage/” and “/newpage/” pinch the existent page slugs.
Redirect 301 /oldpage/ https://www.example.com/newpage/
Redirect a Single Folder
To redirect a folder, usage the pursuing codification and switch “folder” pinch the files you’d for illustration to redirect and “location” pinch wherever you’d for illustration to redirect the folder.
RewriteRule ^folder/(.*)$ /location/$1 [R=301,NC,L]
Redirect to Another Domain
To redirect to a caller domain, adhd the pursuing code:
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.example.com/$1 [R=301,L]
Redirect Non-WWW to WWW
If users (or hunt engines) effort to scope URLs without the “www” subdomain, you tin redirect them to the URL that does see it.
Choosing 1 “correct” subdomain helps Google understand which 1 should beryllium considered canonical.
Add this codification to redirect a non-www URL to a www URL:
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www\. [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.%{HTTP_HOST}/$1 [R=301,L]
Redirect WWW to Non-WWW
This is fundamentally the other of the supra scenario. If you don’t want users to entree the “www” subdomain, you tin adhd this code:
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.(.*)$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://%1/$1 [R=301,L]
Non-www URLs tin beryllium useful for nonstop traffic, arsenic group usually participate successful URLs without adding “www.” But support successful mind that you person little power complete cookies pinch the non-www subdomain.
Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
If you’re looking to redirect HTTP pages to HTTPS pages, usage this code:
RewriteCond %{https} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://www.example.com/$1 [R=301,L]
Keep successful mind that you’ll request to acquisition and instrumentality a unafraid sockets furniture (SSL) certificate earlier redirecting to HTTPS.
5 Redirect Best Practices
We’ve covered really to group up various kinds of redirects. So, let’s spell complete immoderate champion practices:
1. Redirect to Content That’s a Close Match
When you group up a redirect, make judge the caller page’s contented intimately matches the aged page’s content. And satisfies the aforesaid personification intent.
Otherwise, you’re amended disconnected utilizing a 404 page.
Here’s what Google’s John Mueller says connected the topic:
If the personification clicked connected your tract successful hunt of a knife, they would beryllium disappointment to only spot spoons. It's a unspeakable user-experience, and doesn't thief successful search.
Not pursuing this line tin lead to Google treating a page arsenic soft 404.
A soft 404 usually happens erstwhile the server sends the http position code “200 OK.” And the page contains a connection specified arsenic “webpage not found..
But Google tin dainty a page arsenic a soft 404 if it’s redirected to an irrelevant page. Like successful the illustration Mueller gave above.
You tin find soft 404s pinch Google Search Console.
Head complete to the “Pages” tab nether “Indexing.”

Scroll down until you spot the “Why pages aren’t indexed” section. And hunt for “Soft 404” successful the “Reason” column.

Once you find the soft 404 errors, hole them.
For immoderate soft 404 related to redirects, update the redirect truthful that it points to the astir applicable page available.
2. Avoid Redirect Chains & Loops
A redirect chain is erstwhile much than 1 URL redirect exists betwixt the original URL and the last URL.
Let’s opportunity that a page’s URL was antecedently “www.yoursite.com/about-the-company/” earlier it was redirected to “www.yoursite.com/about-us/.”
If you later redirect the newer URL to “www.yoursite.com/about/,” that would create a redirect chain.
Because now the first URL redirects to the 2nd URL. And the 2nd URL redirects to the 3rd URL.
Like this:

Google tin follow up to 10 redirect “hops” without issues. But beryllium observant of making things excessively complex.
Redirect chains that are excessively agelong tin hold crawling, origin losses successful nexus equity, and summation page load time.
Which tin wounded your SEO and frustrate users.
To hole the issue, redirect consecutive from the first URL to the last one. Without including further redirects successful between.
This is what a corrected redirect concatenation looks like:

A redirect loop occurs erstwhile a URL redirects to different URL. And that 2nd URL redirects backmost to the original URL. This creates an infinite circle of redirects.
Like this:

This redirection is surgery and won’t really guardant visitors aliases hunt engines to the intended destination.
Fix redirect loops by choosing the “correct” page and ensuring the different page redirects to it. Then delete the different redirect causing the loop.
You tin usage Site Audit to cheque for redirect chains and loops.
Run an audit and spell to the “Issues” tab and type “redirect chain” into the hunt bar.
Click connected the “# redirect chains and loops” rumor to get a afloat study of pages pinch redirect concatenation aliases loop errors.

The study contains a database of pages, their redirect type, and the number of redirects.

Log into your CMS and hole each one.
To sum up, you can:
- Fix redirect chains by redirecting the aged URL straight to the caller URL. Delete immoderate unnecessary redirects successful between.
- Fix redirect loops by choosing the “correct” page. Redirect to the correct page from the different page. Then delete immoderate different unnecessary redirects causing the loop.
3. Avoid Linking to Redirected Pages
Let’s opportunity you redirect an aged page to a caller page. You mightiness person different pages connected your tract that still nexus to your aged page’s URL.
If so, users will beryllium sent to your aged link. And past beryllium redirected to the caller URL.
Users astir apt won’t announcement this. But that other redirect tin lend to a redirect concatenation complete clip if you don’t retrieve to support it.
Here’s what the rumor looks like:

So, it’s champion to alteration aged soul links to your caller page’s URL.
Which looks for illustration this:

But really do you find links connected your website that constituent to redirects?
It’s simple:
Open Site Audit and caput to the “Crawled Pages” tab.

Then, adhd your aged (redirected) URL into the hunt barroom and click the hunt icon.

Then, you’ll spot a study for your specified URL.
Click connected it.

You’ll past beryllium capable to spot a database of soul links pointing to your aged URL nether the “Incoming Internal Links” section.
Now, each you person to do is switch the aged nexus for the caller link.
4. Redirect to Avoid Duplicate Content
It’s not uncommon to find that a tract exists connected much than 1 subdomain.
For example, “http://example.com” and “https://example.com” constituent to the aforesaid domain.
Search engines position them arsenic abstracted sites. But this tin origin duplicate content issues if you aren’t careful.
Essentially, you could divided postulation and compete pinch yourself if Google isn’t judge which type of your tract to nonstop users to.
You tin easy resoluteness this rumor by 301 redirecting each variants of a page to a azygous URL. This will nonstop Google to your preferred page (the redirect target).
Use redirects to forestall copy contented successful the pursuing instances:
- Non-www and www URLs
- HTTP and HTTPS URLs
- Trailing-slash (/) and non-trailing-slash URLs
- Capitalized and lower-case URLs
You tin find copy contented connected your tract successful the “Issues” tab of the Site Audit tool.
Type “duplicate”into the hunt barroom to get a database of applicable errors.
Now click connected the “# pages person copy contented issues” correction to get a afloat report.

This will bring up a database of pages that you whitethorn request to redirect. Along pinch really galore copy pages exist.

Click connected the drop-down arrow connected the correct broadside of each listing to spot the copy pages.

And redirect each copy page arsenic needed.
5. Fix 404s to Regain Lost Link Authority
Google ignores backlinks that constituent to a 404 page. And that’s a problem because backlinks are an incredibly important ranking factor.
In different words, you’re not getting immoderate in installments from Google for those backlinks pointing to 404 pages.
Here’s a speedy fix:
Use Backlink Analytics to uncover 404 pages that person links pointing to them.
Head to the “Indexed Pages.” And tick the container beside “Broken Pages.”

You’ll get a database of missing URLs that person links pointing to them.

Reclaim immoderate of that mislaid authority by 301 redirecting those pages to applicable pages that are adjacent matches.
Redirect FAQs
Do Redirects Pass Page Authority?
Permanent redirects walk authority from the aged page to the caller page. If there’s a adjacent lucifer betwixt each page’s content.
But support successful mind that redirects whitethorn not needfully walk 100% of the original page’s authority.
If you person a morganatic logic to redirect a page, it’s champion believe to instrumentality the redirect.
Are Redirects Bad for SEO?
No, redirects aren’t inherently bad for SEO.
But Google’s line is:
- If a page is gone and has nary suitable replacement, don’t redirect
- If a page only moves to a caller location, a redirect makes consciousness and is encouraged
If you service a spoon page wherever users antecedently were offered a weapon (the illustration Mueller used), a redirect would beryllium a bad idea. And Google mightiness dainty the caller page for illustration a 404 page.
How Long Should You Keep Redirects successful Place?
For Google, you should support 301 redirects successful spot for astatine slightest a year.
Here’s the quote by John Mueller from Google wrong a video from Google Search Central.
When a URL changes, our systems request to spot the alteration successful the shape of a redirect for astatine slightest a fewer times successful bid to grounds that change.To beryllium definite that a redirect has been seen a fewer times, we urge keeping the redirect successful spot for astatine slightest 1 year.
For users, you ideally support them successful spot indefinitely. So group don’t brushwood errors connected your tract and time off it.
How Do I Test Redirects?
Copy the aged URL and paste it into your browser. If it directs you to the caller URL aft you deed enter, your redirect works.
If not, spot if location is simply a typo successful the redirect you group up.