What is a 301 redirect, and does my small business website need one?

A 301 redirect is a permanent forwarding instruction for a web address. When someone opens the old address, the server sends them to the new one. If you change your domain, rebuild your site, rename a page, or delete a page that people still visit, you need a 301 redirect.

Without one, the old address shows a “page not found” error. Customers who saved your link hit a dead end. Google drops the old page from its results, and the new page starts with no history.

What a 301 redirect does

The number 301 is a status code. It tells browsers and search engines that the page moved and the move is permanent. Google follows the redirect and treats the new address as the replacement for the old one.

A 302 redirect says the move is temporary. Google keeps the old address in its results. A 302 is the wrong choice for a rebuild or a domain change. Ask whoever sets up your redirects which type they use.

When a small business needs one

You change your domain name. A plumber in Vernon who moves from a long domain to a short one needs every page on the old domain to forward to its match on the new one. Here is what a domain is and how it works.

You rebuild your website. A new site often changes page addresses. Your old “/about-us” page may become “/about”. Each old address needs a redirect to its new match. This is the biggest protection for your search results during a rebuild. I cover the rest in will a website redesign hurt my SEO.

You merge or delete pages. If you drop a service you no longer offer, send its old page to the closest related page. Do not leave it as an error.

You switch to HTTPS or settle on one version of your address. Your site can load as “http” or “https” and with or without “www”. Only one version should be the real one. The others redirect to it. If your browser shows a warning, read why your website says “Not secure”.

You own old domains. Many owners buy a .com and a .ca, or keep an old name after a rebrand. Each extra domain should forward to your main site. I did this when I moved my own older domains onto this site. Every old address forwards to the same page here.

Match each old page to a new page

The best redirect sends a visitor to the page that answers the same question. Old “/roofing-repairs” goes to new “/roofing-repairs”. If the page is gone, it goes to the closest match.

Sending every old address to your home page is a common shortcut. It costs you. Google can treat a redirect to an unrelated page as a missing page. Visitors land on a page they did not ask for and leave.

Keep redirects to one hop

A redirect chain happens when address A forwards to B, and B forwards to C. Each step adds load time and a chance for something to break. Point A straight to C.

This matters most when you have a few old domains. Check each one. Type the old address into a browser and watch where it lands.

How to check your redirects

Make a list of every page on your current site before you change anything. A site with ten pages takes a few minutes. Then open each old address after the change and confirm it lands on the right new page. Check the address bar, not only the page content.

Test on a phone as well. Mobile browsers sometimes keep an old saved copy of a page.

Also check your Google Business Profile and social accounts. Their links to your site must point to an address that works. Here is how to set up your Google Business Profile.

How redirects get set up

The method depends on where your site lives. WordPress sites can use a redirect plugin or a server setting. Squarespace calls the feature URL mappings. Wix calls it the Redirect Manager. A custom site sets redirects in its hosting configuration.

Redirects for a whole old domain are set where the domain is managed, or at the host that serves it. If you do not know who controls your domain, find out before the move. Who owns your website walks through how to check.

How long to keep redirects

Keep them as long as you own the old domain or the old pages still get visitors. Redirects cost nothing to leave in place. Removing them brings the dead ends back.

Do not let an old domain expire. Someone else can buy it, and your old links will then send customers to a stranger’s site.

What I do on a rebuild

Every rebuild I do starts with a list of the old addresses. I match each one to a new page and set the redirects before launch. After launch I test every address on the list. A redirect plan is part of the project, and it goes in the written quote.

If you are planning a new site or a domain change, book a consult and bring the list of addresses you use today.