A 301 redirect is a server-level instruction that permanently sends traffic from an old URL to a new one. Search engines treat it as a signal to transfer most ranking value from the old URL to the new destination, per Google Search Central (opens in new tab)’s guidance, making it the correct choice when a page moves or a domain changes.
Why Getting This Right Matters During a Website Move
Changing a domain or restructuring a site’s URLs without setting up proper 301 redirects is one of the most common ways a business accidentally loses years of accumulated search rankings overnight. Mapping every old URL to its correct new destination, rather than redirecting everything to just the homepage, preserves far more of that existing ranking value.
A chain of multiple redirects stacked one after another should also be avoided where possible, since each extra hop adds a small delay and some ranking signal can be lost along the way.
People also ask
What is the difference between a 301 and 302 redirect?
A 301 signals a permanent move and passes ranking value to the new URL; a 302 signals a temporary move and search engines keep the original URL indexed instead.
See also
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