TL;DR

A 301 redirect permanently moves a page to a new URL. Search engines follow it, update their index, and transfer ~99% of link equity to the new URL. It's the safest way to change URLs without losing rankings.

Key Points

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301 redirects pass link equity (PageRank) to the destination URL — Google has confirmed near-full PageRank transfer for correctly implemented 301s

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A 302 redirect (temporary) does not transfer PageRank and should only be used for genuinely temporary redirects (A/B tests, maintenance pages)

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Redirect chains (A → B → C) dilute link equity at each hop and slow page load — always redirect directly to the final destination

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Implementing site-wide HTTPS migration requires 301 redirects from all HTTP URLs to their HTTPS equivalents

When to Use a 301 Redirect

A 301 redirect is appropriate any time a URL permanently changes^[1]. Common use cases: migrating from HTTP to HTTPS, changing URL slugs for SEO optimization, merging two pages into one after a Content Audit, consolidating duplicate content to a canonical URL, rebranding with a new domain, and removing trailing slashes or enforcing www vs non-www consistency. Every time you change a URL that has backlinks or Organic Traffic without implementing a 301 redirect, you're discarding the accumulated link equity those pages have built. Even a page with just a handful of external links is worth redirecting — broken links waste crawl budget and frustrate users.

301 vs 302 vs 307

HTTP has multiple redirect codes with distinct meanings for SEO^[1]^[2]. 301 (Moved Permanently): the resource has moved permanently; search engines update their index and pass link equity. 302 (Found / Moved Temporarily): the resource is temporarily at a different URL; search engines keep the original URL indexed and typically don't transfer link equity. 307 (Temporary Redirect): similar to 302 but preserves the HTTP method. 308 (Permanent Redirect): like 301 but preserves the HTTP method. For SEO purposes, always use 301 for permanent changes. Using 302 for a permanent move is a common mistake — the original URL stays indexed even as the content lives elsewhere, and no link equity is transferred.

Redirect Chains and Loops

A redirect chain occurs when A redirects to B, which redirects to C. Each hop in the chain wastes crawl budget and risks losing link equity^[2]. If URL A has backlinks and you redirect A → B → C, the authority flows through two hops instead of directly to the final destination — and Google may stop following the chain after too many hops. Fix chains by updating all redirects to point directly to the final URL. A redirect loop (A → B → A) causes browsers and crawlers to give up and show an error. Both problems are easily detected with crawl tools like Screaming Frog, which map your entire redirect graph. After any significant URL restructuring, audit for chains as a standard cleanup step.

SOURCES

Google Search Central — 301 Redirects and 302 Redirects

Moz — Redirection Guide for SEO

Last updated: June 9, 2026

Related Terms

Canonical URL

An HTML tag that tells search engines which version of a page is the preferred, authoritative URL when multiple URLs serve the same or very similar content.

Duplicate Content

Substantively identical or very similar content that appears on multiple URLs, either within the same site or across different sites, which can confuse search engines about which version to index and rank.

Crawlability

The ability of search engine bots to access, navigate, and read the pages on your website without encountering technical barriers.

HTTPS

HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure — the encrypted version of HTTP that secures data transmission between a user's browser and a web server using TLS/SSL certificates, protecting against data interception and man-in-the-middle attacks.

Put it into practice

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