Technical SEO : What is a 301 Redirect?

Redirection is the process of forwarding one URL to a different URL.

A redirect is a way to send both users and search engines to a different URL from the one they originally requested.

301 Moved Permanently

A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect which passes between 90-99% of link equity (ranking power) to the redirected page.

301 Redirect .htaccess Code Example

Redirect 301 /oldfile.htm https://example.net/newfile.htm

301 is a status code which a server sends to your browser. It is one of many possible status codes, some of which you’ve probably heard about (including 404 – Not Found, 403 – Forbidden and, 500 – Server Error). When you visit a webpage and the server sends the page normally, the status code it attaches to that page is 200 – OK.

If you 301 redirect Page A–>Page B, then human visitors will be taken to Page B automatically and never see Page A. If you rel=canonical Page A–>Page B, then search engines will know that Page B is canonical, but people will be able to visit both URLs. Make sure your solution matches the desired outcome.