How it works
When a browser asks for an address, the server can answer that the page has moved and give a new address. The browser then loads the new one. The visitor usually notices nothing, except that the address bar has changed.
The answer comes with a number called a status code. Two of them cover most cases:
- 301 means the move is permanent. Search engines replace the old address with the new one in their results over time.
- 302 means the move is temporary. Search engines usually keep the old address, because you have said it will come back.
An example
You rename a page from /services-2019 to /services. Other sites link to the old address, and each backlink still points there. Some visitors have it bookmarked. Without a redirect, all of them land on an error page. With a 301 redirect, they land on the new page, and search engines learn that the new address has taken over from the old one.
Moving a site from http to HTTPS works the same way: every old address redirects to its secure version.
Why it matters
- Visitors do not hit dead ends. Old links, bookmarks and printed addresses keep working.
- The work on the old page is not lost. A permanent redirect tells search engines which page replaces it.
- Chains slow pages down. If one redirect leads to another, each step adds waiting time before the page starts to load. Point every old address straight at the final one.
How to check yours
- Type the old address into your browser and press Enter.
- Look at the address bar. Did you land on the page you expected?
- Open the redirect settings in your site builder. For a move that will stay, pick the 301 or "permanent" option.
- Update your own links and your XML sitemap so they use the final address, not the old one.
Then run the free audit on the final address to check the rest of the page.