What is a 301 Redirect?
301 Redirects are critical for any website redesign as they instruct search engine crawlers (automated computer programs that scan the content on your website and add information to their database) to redirect old web page addresses to new addresses if changed during the website redesign process or general maintenance of a website.
But Why Do 301 Redirects Matter?
Over time, the pages on your website build up data. This can include links from other websites or directories, often referred to as backlinks.
Backlinks are an incredibly important part of the SEO formula that search engines use to rank websites. If you want to rank higher in the SERPs, then a solid backlink strategy needs to be part of your digital marketing strategy. Without these backlinks, it is almost guaranteed that your website’s SEO will suffer significantly.
One of the worst things a company can do is rename, delete, or change the URL of a page without giving instructions to bots/crawlers that the address has changed. These broken links will cost your website in the long run.
A Quick Example of 301 Redirect
Let’s look at a quick example of a 301 redirect. Here is one below:
Previous website address: http://www.yourdomain.com/about.html
New website address: http://www.yourdomain.com/about/
Though the two URL addresses above may appear somewhat similar, they are very different when it comes to search engine crawlers. The seemingly minor change in address means that bots/crawlers will not make the connection without proper instructions giving them a map to the new address. A very common way to handle this redirect is with an HT Access redirect. This is a special file found on Apache Web Servers. Within the HT Access file, the following instructions can be added to provide the mapping instructions:
301 redirect line: Redirect 301 /about.html http://www.yourdomain.com/about/
Now with that added, any time the old page is visited, it automatically redirects the user to the correct web page. This will help to pass what has been coined as “link juice” to the new page, maintaining the historical data that the page has accumulated.
Caution: 301 Redirects Can Easily Break Websites
When doing your redirects you do need to be very careful. 301 redirects are case-sensitive and even an extra space added when writing the instruction can break your website. It is often a good idea when adding lots of redirects, to do them in smaller chunks so that if something does happen, it is both easier and faster to track down the problematic line.
Be sure to test thoroughly when adding your redirects!
How to Add a 301 Redirect?
Are you sitting there asking yourself how to add a 301 redirect? While it is not overly complicated, it isn’t something you want to mess up. Otherwise, you won’t forward the traffic like you intended and will lose out on those valuable traffic opportunities. If you have a custom WordPress website there are solutions available for you when it comes to redirecting.
Fortunately, there are many different plugins available for CMS systems like WordPress. A redirection plugin is one of the more common options available. If your server is running Apache, adding redirects within the HT Access file is recommended though it does require some more technical knowledge.
And if you need a bit more help with your WordPress website, at Idea Marketing Group, our web developers and digital marketing experts got you covered! We can help make sure that your website is redirecting correctly and that you aren’t missing out on your website’s traffic.
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