301 redirect

A 301 redirect is how you tell browsers and search engines that a page has moved for good. Anyone who opens the old address automatically ends up at the new location, without noticing anything. For search engines, that signal is important: it tells them that the new URL now takes the place of the old one, including the signals the old page has built up over the years.

The number 301 is an HTTP status code. There is also the 302 redirect, which indicates a temporary move. The difference seems small, but it determines how Google interprets the change. If the change is permanent, a 301 is the right choice.

When do you need a 301 redirect?

There are more moments when you need a redirect than you might think. The most common situations are:

• you move to a new domain name or switch to HTTPS;
• you rework your URL structure or change a page's slug;
• you merge two pages on the same topic into one stronger page;
• you drop a product or service, but there is a logical alternative;
• you choose one fixed version of your domain, for example with or without www.

Take an accountancy firm in London that has its website rebuilt. The old page /services/vat-return becomes /accounting/vat. Without a redirect, visitors and search engines following the old link end up on a 404 error. With a 301, they arrive neatly on the new page, and links from other websites keep their value.

Why redirects matter for your visibility

A page that has been around for a while has often built up backlinks, internal links and a place in the search results. If you change the URL without a redirect, you are essentially throwing that away. Google says a permanent redirect is a strong signal to treat the new URL as the canonical version, so most of the signals built up move along with it.

This also matters for AI search engines such as ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini. These systems fetch information from the web and refer to sources. An old URL that redirects properly ensures that such a reference still ends up at your current content rather than at an error page.

Common mistakes with 301 redirects

• Redirect chains: page A redirects to B, which redirects to C. Every extra step slows things down and makes the whole setup more error-prone. Always redirect straight to the final destination.
• Sending everything to the homepage: redirecting a removed product page to the homepage doesn't help the visitor. Google may treat this as a "soft 404".
• Using temporary for something permanent: a 302 where a 301 belongs sends an unclear signal.
• Not updating internal links: a redirect is a safety net. Update your own internal links to the new URL too.

How to check your redirects

After a migration or major rework, it pays to test all your old URLs systematically. A crawler shows which addresses return a 301, where chains or loops occur and which pages still end in an error. With a technical SEO analysis of your website, you can track down such problems before they cost you visitors and visibility.