301 Redirect

What is a 301 Redirect?

A 301 Redirect is a status code that tells search engines and users that the page has been moved permanently, and ensures that it is sent to the correct page. Since this is permanent, when you use a 301 Redirectthat the content of the page has been moved forever. Users are redirected to a new page that has replaced the old one.

The Redirect typically helps to URL of the page when it appears in search engine results. If you have invested in building a website or opening an online store, pay special attention to the impact this has on your website.

You can think of a 301 redirect as a change of address form that you would have to fill out in the mail if you moved. Just as your email is redirected from your old address to your new address, your web traffic is redirected from your old URL on the new URL sent.

Fortunately, you won't lose all your hard work to get your old website listed in search engine results pages (SERPs) to build up. All your existing SEO values and link equity for the old URL will be waiting for your new URL transferred.

When should you use a 301 redirect?

When a Webmaster Inadvertently a 302-redirect when it should have used a 301 redirect, this can cause problems on the website. Since search engines react differently to each redirect, you need to make sure you have the correct one set up. Otherwise, the Search Engine realize that it is a mistake, and stop trying to make the Traffic to the wrong side.

By knowing the differences between 301 and 302 redirects, you can prevent this from happening and help improve your site's performance at the Search engine optimization optimize, as well as make sure you don't lose any of the SEO you built up on your previous site.

There are several cases where it is a better option to use a 301 Redirect to use, which is a permanent Redirect is.

When you301 redirectsshould use:

• If you have a Transfer domainn want
• When Links to obsolete URLs to a new page must be sent. For example: When you merge two websites
• You use several different URLs to access your website. You should use a single URL as your preferred destination and use your 301 redirects to Traffic send to your new website
• You your Website domain name permanently changed have and want it to transition as seamlessly as possible from old website
• You your Website launched in a new CMS have and your URL structure has changed
• Detour from an old URL on a new URL, if the structure of a website has changed.
• Redirect from non-www to www version of a websiteto ensure that visitors always see the preferred version of a website.
• Redirection from HTTP to HTTPSto ensure that data transfers are secure.
• Detour from a temporary URL on a permanent URL, when a product or site is finally made available.
• Redirection from a page that no longer exists, to a similar page or a 404 error page to improve user experience.
• Redirecting multiple URLs to a single destinationURL, at Duplicate Content to avoid.
• Redirection from a mobile website to the desktop version or vice versa, based on the user's device.
• Redirection from a landing page to the corresponding subpage, based on the user's geographic location.
• Redirection from a non-functioning page to a functioning page, in order to improve the user experience and Traffic to be obtained.
• Redirection from an old campaignURL to the current landing page to improve the user experience and increase the Traffic to be obtained.

When a 301 Redirect is set up, your new page will appear in the search engine results with a 301 Redirect displayed. The 301 code tells search engines that you have moved your site permanently, and the entire Traffic should be redirected from your old content to the new one. The search engines can then redirect the search engine ranking and value signals to the new URL because they will see this location as your new, permanent home.

Although this is the better choice in most scenarios, there are certain times when it would be a better option to use a 302 redirect (302 Redirect) to use.

Advantages

The biggest advantage of a 301 redirect is that it informs search engines that a page has been moved. This ensures that linkjuice, the Ranking-factor generated by inbound links is not lost. It also helps improve the user experience, as users are redirected to the new page after the redirect instead of being shown an error page.

Other benefits of 301 redirects:

1. Improve user experience by ensuring that visitors always see the right page.
2. Protection against loss of Traffic, as visitors are automatically redirected to the correct page when the URL was changed.
3. Protection from Duplicate Contentby pointing multiple URLs to a single target URL.URL be redirected.
4. Improve SEO, as search engines can detect that a page has been moved and the new URL in the search results.
5. Support mobile devices and geographic locations by allowing specific pages to be redirected for specific devices or locations.
6. Receipt of Backlinks, by referring to the new URL instead of being redirected to a 404 error page.
7. Protect against security risks by redirecting from HTTP to HTTPS to secure data transfers.
8. Ability to redirect multiple domains or subdomains to a single website.
9. Customize marketing campaigns by allowing old campaign URLs to be redirected to the current landing page.
10. Ease of implementation and maintenance, as 301 redirects can be set up server-side and in most cases do not require code changes.

Set up 301 redirects

Setting up a 301 redirect is essential if you want to create a URL want to permanently redirect to another. This ensures that users and search engines are redirected to the updated content while maintaining the SEO values of the original page. Here are some examples of how you can set up a 301 redirect for different platforms:

1. WordPress: There are several plugins for WordPress that can help you set up 301 redirects. A popular Plugin is "Redirection". After the installation you can use the Dashboard of the plugin the old URL and the new targetURL to set up the forwarding.

2. Shopify: On Shopify, you can set up 301 redirects directly in the admin area. To do this, go to "Online Store" > "Navigation" > "URL-Forwards". Click "URL-Add forwarding" and enter the old URL and the new targetURL one.
3. Shopware: In Shopware you can create 301 redirects via the Backend set up. To do this, go to "Content" > "Shop pages" and select the page for which you want to set up the redirect. In the "SEO" tab, you will find the "SEO redirects" section. Here you can set the new targetURL and select "301" as the forwarding type.

Remember that it's important to set up 301 redirects correctly to avoid potential issues with user experience and SEO rankings.

Disadvantages

However, there is also a risk that 301 redirects are slow because the server must execute the code before it calls the new page. This can lead to a poor user experience, especially for users with slow connections. Another disadvantage is that using 301 redirects can put a load on the server, especially if they are used frequently.

Other disadvantages of 301 redirects:

1. Slowing down the loading time, because the server needs time to perform the redirection.
2. Possible loss of linkjuice, since Backlinks on the old URL no longer work and therefore have to be adapted to the new URL not be passed on.
3. Possible loss of Traffic, if visitors cannot successfully follow the redirection.
4. Troubleshooting difficulties, as problems with detour are not always easy to identify.
5. Confusion for search engines if there are too many redirects or they are designed in an unclear way.

Typical use cases

Here are some use cases where 301 redirects can be beneficial:

1. Move to a new domain: When you move your website to a new domain, you need to redirect all URLs from the old domain to the new one to get traffic, Backlinks and the Ranking in search engines. A 301 redirect signals the search engines that the move is permanent and causes them to index the new domain and transfer the SEO values.
2. Change from URL-Structures: If you change the structure of your URLs, for example from "www.beispiel.de/produkte/12345" to "www.beispiel.de/produkte/schönes-produkt", you should set up a 301 redirect so that users and search engines can see the new URL find and the SEO values are preserved.
3. Merging content: If you want to merge several similar pages into a single, more comprehensive page, you should set up 301 redirects from the old pages to the new page. This ensures that users and search engines are redirected to the updated content and the SEO values of the original pages are maintained.
4. Removal of outdated or no longer relevant pages: If you want to delete or replace a page that is outdated or no longer relevant, you should set up a 301 redirect to a similar or thematically appropriate page. This ensures that users don't encounter an error page (404) and that the SEO values of the old page are preserved.

In all these cases, 301 redirects help improve user experience and maintain your website's SEO values. Be sure to set them up correctly and check them regularly to avoid potential problems.

Typical errors when using 301 redirects:

301 redirects are an excellent tool, for example, to redirect old URLs to new ones or to remove duplicate Content to avoid. However, some mistakes can be made here as well. Here are the most common ones:

1. Redirect-loops: This occurs when you URL Redirect A to B, then B to C, and finally C back to A. This not only leads to a poor user experience, but can also confuse search engine crawlers.
2. Too many consecutive redirects: When a URL is redirected to another and then another and so on, this can both affect load time and cause crawlers to terminate the process prematurely.
3. Using temporary forwarding instead of permanent forwarding: A 301 status code stands for a permanent redirect and tells search engines that the new page permanently replaces the old one. A 302, on the other hand, is only temporary and should not be used if you want to maintain the SEO values of the old page.
4. Incorrect targetURL: It happens surprisingly often that the targetURL is entered incorrectly. This negatively impacts the user experience and represents a missed opportunity to improve the Ranking of the target page.
5. Excessive use of redirects: Less is often more. It is not advisable to forward every single page that has ever been created, especially if these pages have hardly any Traffic or Backlinks generate. This can be your Crawl budget load unnecessarily and make excessive use of the server.
6. Lack of monitoring: After setting up the 301 redirects, it is important to monitor them continuously. You should check if they are working correctly, if the new page is successfully indexed has been and whether the Link Juice was transferred accordingly.
7. Unnecessary parameters and fragments: Make sure that the redirection does not include irrelevant URL-parameters or fragment IDs are transferred as well.
8. Ignore canonical tags: If you use 301 redirects, you should also adjust the canonical tag on the landing page accordingly to show search engines the correct version of the page.

Considering these points can significantly contribute to the successful implementation of 301 redirects and thus avoid potential SEO problems.

Conclusion

Of course. 301 redirects are an indispensable tool in the SEO toolbox and serve mainly to increase the SEO power of an old URL on a new URL to transfer. When implemented correctly, they are an efficient way to add SEO value, Traffic and user-friendliness to be maintained or increased.

Let's take a concrete example: Let's say you run an online store for shoes and have previously sold your sports shoes under the URL "www.meinshop.de/sportschuhe" sold. You decide to restructure the website and now want to sell these products under "www.meinshop.de/laufschuhe". Without a 301 redirect, all Backlinks, which refers to the old URL refer to lose their SEO power. That would be a big loss of SEO potential. By setting up a 301 redirect from the old to the new URL make sure that the SEO strength you have already built is not lost.

However, there are also pitfalls and typical mistakes to avoid, such as Redirect-loops, too many consecutive redirects or the incorrect use of temporary 302 redirects. One of the most serious mistakes would be to use the old URL to delete without setting up a forwarding. In such a case, not only would the Backlinks lose their effect, but users would be redirected to a 404 error page, which significantly affects the user experience.

Proper use of 301 redirects therefore requires careful planning and implementation. It is critical to develop a clear URL redirection strategy and monitor performance regularly to ensure that the SEO goals are achieved and the user experience remains optimal. Ideally, 301 redirects should be part of a broader SEO strategy and not considered as an isolated tactic.

In summary, 301 redirects are a very effective SEO tool when used wisely and carefully. They are essential for any kind of website migration, rebranding or restructuring and should not be missing in the SEO repertoire.