301 Redirect
A 301 redirect is a permanent HTTP redirect that sends users and search engines from one URL to another, passing nearly all link equity to the destination.
Reviewed by Alexander Yarovenko · Updated: 2026-09-18
What is a 301 Redirect?
A 301 redirect is a server-level instruction that permanently points one URL to another. When a browser or crawler requests the old URL, the server responds with HTTP status code 301 and a Location header containing the new URL.
SEO Impact
Google treats 301 redirects as permanent signals and transfers approximately 99% of PageRank (link equity) to the destination URL. This makes 301s the correct choice whenever you rename, merge, or move a page you want to rank.
| Redirect Type | Permanence | Link Equity Passed |
|---|---|---|
| 301 | Permanent | ~99% |
| 302 | Temporary | Minimal |
| Meta refresh | Page-level | Less reliable |
When to Use 301
- Migrating a site to a new domain
- Switching from HTTP to HTTPS
- Consolidating duplicate content URLs
- Deleting a page that has backlinks — redirect to the closest equivalent
- Changing URL structure (e.g., removing /category/ from slugs)
Common Mistakes
- Using a 302 for permanent changes — Google keeps the old URL indexed
- Redirect chains: A → B → C loses a small amount of equity at each hop
- Redirect loops: A → B → A cause crawl errors
How to Implement
# Apache (.htaccess)
Redirect 301 /old-page https://example.com/new-page
# Nginx
return 301 https://example.com/new-page;How to use this concept in SEO
Use a 301 when a URL has permanently moved and the old address should be replaced in search. Update internal links and the sitemap to the destination instead of making Google repeatedly traverse the redirect.
Audit checklist
- Confirm that the implementation matches the page purpose and the user task.
- Check the HTTP response, rendered HTML, canonical, robots rules, and internal links together.
- Use Search Console and analytics to verify the result instead of relying on one crawler signal.
- Test a representative URL on mobile and desktop after deployment.
- Document the expected outcome so regressions can be detected in the next audit.
Practical example
After moving /old-guide to /new-guide, the old URL returns one 301 directly to the new 200 page; canonical and internal links also point to /new-guide.
How to validate the result
Record the current crawl, indexation, performance, and traffic state before changing anything. Recheck the affected template and a representative URL after deployment, then monitor Search Console over the following crawl cycle. A technical change is complete only when the live response and Google’s observed state agree.