A redirect tells a browser and a search engine that a page has moved and where it went. The only distinction most businesses need is permanent versus temporary: use permanent when the old address is not coming back, which is nearly always. Everything else in this area is detail that rarely changes a decision.
The two you will actually use
| Type | Meaning | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent (301) | This page has moved for good | Almost always. Restructured URLs, changed domain, merged pages, removed a page with a replacement. |
| Temporary (302) | This page is elsewhere for now | Genuinely temporary situations: maintenance, a seasonal page, split testing. |
The common error is using temporary redirects for permanent moves, frequently because a plugin or server default chose it. A permanent move signalled as temporary means search engines keep the old address as the one they consider real, so the move never fully takes effect.
If you are unsure which you need, you almost certainly need permanent.
What redirects are for
- Restructuring a site so old addresses continue to work
- Changing domain, where every old address needs a counterpart
- Merging pages, sending the retired one to its replacement
- Fixing address variations, so www and non-www, http and https, all resolve to one version
- Preserving old links from other sites, which are scarce and worth keeping
That last one is worth emphasising. A link from another site is something you cannot easily replace. Breaking it during a tidy-up discards something you may have taken years to earn.
The rules that prevent most problems
Redirect to the closest equivalent
An old page about drain clearing should point at your current drain clearing page, not the homepage. A relevant destination keeps the visitor's journey intact and preserves the value of the original page.
Do not send everything to the homepage
Mass redirection of unrelated pages to the homepage is generally treated as a soft error rather than a genuine move. It also confuses visitors, who expected specific content and received a front page.
Avoid chains
Page A redirecting to B, which redirects to C, works but wastes crawl effort and slows visitors. When you restructure a second time, update the original redirects to point at the final destination rather than layering new ones on top.
Never create a loop
A redirecting to B while B redirects to A produces an error page and nothing else. Usually caused by two separate rules written months apart by different people.
Keep them
Redirects are not temporary scaffolding to remove once things settle. Old links persist for years, and someone will follow one in 2031. Leave them in place indefinitely.
Where they get implemented
Several layers can do this, and the practical advice is to pick one and stay there.
- Server configuration is fastest and handles rules across a whole site well.
- Content management plugins are easier to manage without technical help and slightly slower.
- Application code is occasionally used and hardest to audit.
Rules spread across all three is how loops and chains get created, because nobody can see the whole picture.
What redirects cannot fix
- A page that was not good. Redirecting a weak page to a strong one does not transfer quality, only some accumulated signal.
- Irrelevant destinations. Pointing an old page at something unrelated is treated approximately as if the page had simply gone.
- A missing page with no equivalent. Sometimes the honest answer is a proper error page, as covered in the 404 page.
Checking your own
Two checks catch nearly everything.
Crawl your site and look at the redirect report, which reveals chains, loops, and rules pointing at pages that no longer exist. Then take a handful of genuinely old addresses, including any printed on vehicles or business cards, and load them manually. Those are the ones nobody thinks to test, and they are the ones customers actually type.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a 301 and 302 redirect?
A 301 signals a permanent move, meaning the old address is not returning, while a 302 signals a temporary one. Almost all business use cases are permanent, and using a temporary redirect for a permanent move means search engines continue treating the old address as the real one.
Should I redirect old pages to my homepage?
No. Mass redirection of unrelated pages to the homepage is generally treated as a soft error rather than a genuine move, and it confuses visitors who expected specific content. Each old page should point at its closest genuine equivalent.
What is a redirect chain?
One page redirecting to a second which redirects to a third. It works but wastes crawl effort and slows visitors, and it usually accumulates when a site is restructured more than once without updating the original rules to point at the final destination.
How long should redirects be kept in place?
Indefinitely. Links from other sites persist for years and people follow old addresses long after a change, so redirects should be treated as permanent infrastructure rather than temporary scaffolding to be removed once things settle.
Where should redirects be implemented?
In one place rather than several. Server configuration is fastest, content management plugins are easier to manage without technical help, and problems arise when rules are spread across multiple layers so nobody can see the complete picture.
Can redirects fix a page that was performing badly?
Only partially. Redirecting a weak page to a stronger one passes some accumulated signal but does not transfer quality, and pointing an old page at an irrelevant destination is treated roughly as if the page had simply been removed.
West Coast Media Solutions Inc. builds and maintains websites for businesses across Canada. Technical behaviour described here reflects how search engines and browsers currently work; specifics change, and your own configuration is what determines the outcome on your site.
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