{"id":1277,"date":"2016-11-10T13:48:55","date_gmt":"2016-11-10T13:48:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.searchenginewatch.com\/2016\/11\/10\/guide-to-301-redirects-and-canonical-tags\/"},"modified":"2019-05-28T09:53:33","modified_gmt":"2019-05-28T09:53:33","slug":"guide-to-301-redirects-and-canonical-tags","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2016\/11\/10\/guide-to-301-redirects-and-canonical-tags\/","title":{"rendered":"Guide to 301 redirects and canonical tags"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you need to redirect a website or individual webpage to a different location, there are a number of different tactics you can employ.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Each comes with their benefits and their problems, but if implemented correctly with best practice in mind, you shouldn’t need to worry too much.<\/p>\n

In this guide we’ll be focusing on 301 redirects, 302 redirects and canonical tag\u00a0options, discussing what each one does, how you can overcome\u00a0duplicate content<\/a> issues and how to implement each without affecting your existing search visibility.<\/p>\n

Some\u00a0of the advice has been sourced from an earlier article<\/a>\u00a0published on SEW written by Brad Miller, with updated guidance from Moz, Google and our own contributors.<\/p>\n

What is a redirect?<\/h2>\n

A redirect will simply send a user from the URL they originally requested to a different webpage. This works for both visitors and search engines<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Why would you use a redirect?<\/h2>\n

According to Hubspot<\/a>, there are three main reasons why you would use a redirect.<\/p>\n

1) To associate common web conventions with one URL to maximize domain authority<\/strong><\/h3>\n

So if there are multiple versions of your domain name (for instance http:\/\/www.example.com and plain old example.com) there’s a chance you’ll encounter duplicate content issues. By setting up a permanent redirect (a 301 redirect) from one version of your site to your preferred version, search engines<\/a> will know the correct domain to index.<\/p>\n

2) To rebrand or rename a website with a different URL<\/strong><\/h3>\n

You’ll want to set up a permanent redirect if your website name changes.<\/p>\n

3) To direct traffic to a website from other URLs owned by the same organization<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Occasionally brands may purchase website URLs that are variations on their existing brands in order to secure them. These URLs can be redirected to the proper brand domain.<\/p>\n

There are countless other reasons why you’d set up a redirect, and it can just be for an individual webpage rather than a whole domain.<\/p>\n

What is a 301 redirect?<\/h2>\n

As mentioned earlier, a 301 redirect<\/a> is a permanent redirect. It basically tells users<\/a> and search engines,\u00a0\u201cThat information now resides somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benefits of 301 redirect<\/h2>\n

According to our own\u00a0guide to response codes<\/a>\u00a0written by Aimee Jarboe…<\/p>\n

A 301 response is ideal for correcting visitors who come to the wrong version of your domain, like non-www redirecting to www. This code should also be used when you update and move content within your site.<\/p>\n

In terms of SEO, a link from a 301 redirected page shouldn\u2019t lose any ranking power compared to a link from a non-301 redirected page.<\/p>\n

There was a previously held assumption that there would be a loss of PageRank (around 15%) but this is no longer the case. As reported by Moz in August 2016<\/a>:<\/p>\n