A redirect is an instruction on the server: anyone asking for this address, send them to that one. A 301 means the move is permanent. Google treats a 301 as a strong signal that the new page replaces the old one, and shifts the old page’s place in the results to it over time.
When you need them
- A new website with a different page structure (/services.html becomes /services/roof-repair).
- Moving from Wix, Squarespace or WordPress, which all build addresses differently.
- Changing your domain name.
- Merging two pages into one, or retiring a service page.
- Switching between www and non-www, or http to https. One version should redirect to the other.
The mistakes we see
- Redirecting everything to the home page. Google tends to treat that as a soft 404, a page that no longer exists, so the old page’s value is lost anyway. Redirect each old page to the closest matching new one.
- Chains. A redirects to B, which redirects to C. Each hop slows things down and some get dropped. Point old addresses straight at their final destination.
- Temporary redirects for permanent moves. A 302 says “this is temporary, keep the old page”. Use 301 or 308 for permanent changes.
- Removing redirects too soon. Google recommends keeping them for at least a year. We keep them indefinitely; they cost nothing and old links never stop arriving.
- Forgetting the old domain. If you change domains, keep the old one registered and redirecting, page by page, for years.
Check your redirects
Paste an old address into your browser and watch where it lands. In Search Console, the Pages report lists “Page with redirect” for old addresses that redirect correctly, and “Not found (404)” for ones that broke.
Written by Nikita Huttenlocher, founder and lead engineer at Huttenlocher Technologies, a web design and software company in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.