The Ultimate Guide to Redirects: URL Redirections Explained

What Are Redirects?

Redirects allow users to move between one website and the next.

First URL: This is one the user clicked, typed in, or else asked for. The second URL is the latest destination URL.

Redirections function in the same way as search engines. They are used to redirect search engines from one specific URL to another.

Website owners typically set up redirects to pages that are not working, have duplicate content, or were moved to different URLs.

So, search engines and users can access the most relevant and current page.

This is good for user experience. It can also help prevent SEO issues.

This can help your site improve its position on search engines.

Let’s start by discussing the reasons why redirects are crucial.

Why Are Redirects Important?

Redirects are crucial because they:

• Transmit traffic forward from one URL to the next after the old URL is no longer in use
• Backlinks that forward authority links to a website that has been relocated
• Enhance the overall user experience by making sure that visitors do not land on duplicate or broken pages

If you don’t create redirects, you may lose your search engine ranking and have unhappy customers.

Let’s look at an instance:

When you delete or move the page, you don’t place a redirect. Users will get an error code 404 on the part of the server.

That can result in an unsatisfactory user experience.

Typically, pages with 404 display the error code. This is an example:

It could be a better user experience. A 404 could lead users to leave your website.

Proper redirects prevent 404 errors. This helps users locate the websites they’re looking for.

What happens if you have backlinks linking to a website that was moved (and has now been triggering the 404 error)?

Big problem:

You don’t get any credibility from these backlinks. It’s been proven from Google Search Advocate John Mueller:

When to Use Redirects

Here’s a list that outlines the most frequent causes for redirections:

• You change the URL of the webpage (from URL A and URL B)
• You delete a page
• You can add category tags to parent pages that impact URLs
• Your website has been moved to a different domain
• You’re doing maintenance on a web page
• You merge two or more duplicate web pages
• Your site is moved from HTTP to HTTPS.

A redirect can be applied to one URL or a set of URLs. Redirecting a domain’s entire address to a different domain name is also possible.

It is possible to choose different types of redirection in your particular circumstance. Let’s look at the most commonly used types and the best times to utilize them.

Types of Redirects

Two significant categories of redirect fall into permanent and temporary.

Users will not be able to discern the difference in the 2. However, they are crucial for search engines.

Here’s why:

Permanent redirects are helpful when you don’t want to show the previous page in the future. Like if you delete a page. Or if you combine duplicate pages.

They inform search engines it’s okay to eliminate that old address from their search results and display the new URL.

There are also temporary redirects. They are used when you must redirect a webpage for a short period.

For instance:

Say you’re performing website maintenance. You can send users a temporary page informing them to return when maintenance is completed.

If a temporary redirect is used, Google typically keeps the original URL on its list longer than it would with a permanent redirection.

It’s because the temporary redirect signalizes that the previous URL will become the primary URL again shortly.

Since redirects send signals to Google Google, selecting the appropriate one that conveys the message you intend to accomplish through a specific URL is essential.

We’ll now cover HTTP redirects (which will likely be used most often), meta refresh redirects, and JavaScript redirects. And when to use them.