Redirecting may seem like an easy process, but there goes a lot into it as well. It has its own benefits when it comes to on-site SEO. Websites also change their structures and tend to move from one domain to another. In the following blog, we will help you to learn about redirects, so you can correctly use them without losing your rankings and helping the search engines know the changes you have made on your website.
What is a Redirect?
Redirecting is a process involving the forwarding of one URL from another one. Both users and the search engines are directed to a different URL from the other URL where it was initially requested. There are numerous types of redirects with their own uses.
Types of Redirects
There are 2 main types of redirect, server side redirects and client side. Server side redirect can further be divided into following redirects: temporary, permanent, geoip redirects. Client side redirects are meta refresh and javascript redirects.
1. 301 Moved Permanently
A 301 direct refers to the permanent redirect process through which almost 99 percent of the link equity or merely the ranking power transfers to the redirected page. The HTTP status code is associated with 301 types of redirect. This is why it is also considered to be one of the best methods for redirecting on websites.
1a. When to Use a 301 Redirect?
- Moving to a New Domain
- Changing URLs
- Merging or Deleting Pages
- Fixing Duplicate Content Issues
- Rebranding or Redesigning
- Recovering from Penalties
1b. Which is Better: “404 Error Pages” or 301 Redirect for 404 Pages?
Both 404 status codes and 301 redirects can be effective, but the choice depends on the specific situation.
- If a page is missing because two sites were merged, you can use a 301 redirect to direct old or outdated pages to new pages with similar topics.
- If there is no similar topic match, let those pages return a 404 response, indicating that the page is absent.
1c. How Long to Keep 301 Redirect for?
Google recommends keeping 301 redirects in place for at least a year. It takes time for Google to process significant changes, such as a site move.
If redirects are in place for less than a year, Google may not crawl the links enough times to recognize the site has been moved permanently.
2. 302 Found (HTTP 1.1) / Moved Temporarily (HTTP 1.0)
A 302 redirect lets search engines know that a website or page has been moved temporarily.
2a. When Should You Use 302 Redirects?
Use this type of redirect to direct users to a new site or page temporarily, such as during a website redesign or update.
When used properly, a 302 redirect will not harm your SEO efforts. The original page remains indexed in Google, and no link equity is transferred to the new URL because Google understands the move is temporary.
3. 307 Moved Temporarily (HTTP 1.1 Only)
There is another temporary redirects known as the 307 redirects. The 307 redirect succeeds the HTTP 1.1 and the 302 redirects. It appears that the crawlers usually prefer 302 in some cases, but it is still much more efficient to use 301 redirects in the majority of the cases. In this case, the content is moved only for temporary purposes, and it can be useful in cases such as maintenance. However, it is quite impossible to know if the search engines recognize the page as compatible or not. Therefore, it is better to use the 302 redirects for the content when it is temporarily moved.
4. Geo IP Redirects
Geo IP redirection automatically directs website visitors based on their geolocation (country, state, or city). This process involves detecting a visitor’s location through their IP address and matching it with a database of IPs and locations.
Googlebot typically crawls and indexes websites from a single location. If your site displays different content based on location, only one version will be indexed by search engines. Therefore, if there is important content on your site, ensure it is included in the default version that is visible to all users.
5. Meta Refresh
Meta refreshers are the type of redirects that are found on the level of the page instead of the server level. One drawback of the meta-refresh is that they are usually slower.
The only thing you should know about this tag is that you should never use it for implementing redirects. Instead, set up server side redirects for Google to pick it up right.
You can configure a meta refresh by including the following meta tag in the head element of your webpage. The value “10” specifies that the page will refresh after 60 seconds. You can adjust this value to set the refresh interval to your preferred duration.
<meta http-equiv=”refresh” content=”10″>
6. Java Script Redirection
JavaScript redirects are a method used to inform both users and web crawlers that a page has been moved to a new location. While they are commonly used to notify users about changes in URL structure, they can serve various other purposes as well.
Although Google now handles JavaScript rendering quite effectively, there can still be issues. This applies to other platforms as well, such as Spotify and various e-commerce sites. If JavaScript redirects are your only option, then you will need to rely on them.
Redirect Bad Practices
There are certain practices involved in the redirecting process.
Redirecting All of The 404 Broken URLs to the Main Or Home Page
It is possible that all the 404 Broken URLs to the main page. This usually occurs when the focus is not paid to the 404 URLs and is mapped on the appropriate landing page. In this regard, it is often suggested by Google and other search engines to focus on these 404 URLs as well.
One way to deal with these URLs is to optimize them, so the users can find them interesting, engage with them, and browser further or find anything that they might be looking for.
It is also recommended by the search engines that the redirected page content should not be irrelevant when compared to the old page. Or the redirected pages will be considered soft 404, and you will eventually fail to get the rank of the page.
Specific Redirecting to the Incorrect Mobile Page
In case you have two different URLs for your mobile and desktop sites, it is essential to ensure that the users are redirected to the right page of the mobile version.
For instance, if your desktop site is “mysite.com” and the mobile site is “m.mysite.com,” then the correct redirecting would be “m.mysite.com/entertainment/” to “m.mysite.com/entertainment/” instead of “m.mysite.com/entertainment/” to “mysite.com/entertainment/.”
Therefore, you should ensure that if your page is 404 on the desktop site, it should also be 404 on the mobile version of the page. In case you don’t have a mobile version for a specific page, it is better to avoid redirecting to the mobile version of the website and keep the users on the desktop version of the page.
Usage of the Meta Refresh
It is possible to also redirect the pages with the help of meta refresh tags using example such: as
If such a tag is interested in the old page, then the users can be redirected to the new page. This redirect is not allowed by Google; therefore, it is best to avoid it and use other processes of redirecting. This is because search engines and crawlers are not best at recognizing such types of redirects. The same case is for all the JavaScript redirects.
Redirection Chain and Loop
A redirect chain occurs when multiple redirects are involved between the initial URL and the final destination URL. For example:
URL A → URL B → URL C → URL D
In contrast, a redirect loop happens when a URL redirects to another URL, which eventually redirects back to the original URL, creating an infinite loop. This prevents both users and search engines from accessing the page, resulting in error messages and failed page loads.
Example of a Redirect Loop:
URL A → URL B → URL C → URL A
There are several considerations regarding redirect chains, including how much PageRank is passed, how much value may decay, and how many redirects Google will follow. Google generally follows redirects and transfers some value through them.
While having redirect chains doesn’t incur a penalty, it’s best to limit them to no more than five hops, as Google might stop following them if there are too many. Redirect chains can add a few milliseconds to page load times and may not pass 100% of PageRank value to the destination, but these effects are minimal and usually not a major SEO concern.
To optimize redirects, consider restructuring them. For example, if you have a chain like A → B → C, create direct redirects like A → C and B → C instead.
Some Common Questions About Redirects for SEO (FAQs)
Q.1 Are redirects good for SEO?
When people ask SEO Companies if redirects are suitable for the SEO or not, this usually depends upon the cases. Redirects are generally not bad for the SEO strategies, but it also matters that they are placed at appropriate places. Redirects are essential because bad implementation can create a loss of traffic, as well as PageRank. The process of redirecting is also vital if you are making any changes to the URLs. After all, it is also crucial that the hard work you have done for getting a particular rank on the search engine and the audience you have collected are not lost.
Q.2 What is there a need to redirect a URL?
By redirecting a URL that has been changed, both the crawlers and users can be sent to the new URL. In this way, it can increase the convenience of the users, as well as the crawlers. URLs are also incredibly important to be redirected if you are changing the structure of the URL, deleting a specific post, moving the website to another domain, or deleting a specific page. While doing so, all the visitors can be redirected to appropriate places from those dreaded 404 pages.
Q.3 What is an appropriate and efficient way to manage redirects in WordPress?
Although there is no specific need, it is still helpful to redirect the manager in the WordPress plugin. Many people struggle with the notion of redirects and the work required to add and manage them. This is why it is worth getting WordPress SEO plugins and using them as redirect tools.
Q.4 Is there any need to redirect HTTP to HTTPS?
It is worth redirecting the HTTP traffic to HTTPS if you plan to move towards the preferred HTTPS protocol to the website. It is important to remember that the site can get in trouble from the search engines if the website is present on both HTTPS and HTTP.