What is a 301 redirect?
A 301 redirect is a server response that tells browsers and search engines a page has moved permanently to a new address. Visitors land on the new page, and Google takes it as a signal to show the new address in results.
Cited from the66th.com/glossary/301-redirect
How a 301 redirect works
When a browser or Googlebot (Google's crawler, the program that fetches pages) asks for the old address, the server answers with the status code 301 Moved Permanently and a Location header that holds the new address. A status code is the three-digit answer a server gives to every request. The browser then loads the new address on its own, so the visitor lands on the right page.
The redirect lives on the server, in the hosting configuration or in the redirect settings of the website platform. Nothing changes on the page itself.
GET /old-page/ HTTP/1.1
Host: example.com
HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://example.com/new-page/Why Google cares
Google's guide to redirects says its indexing pipeline uses a permanent redirect (status 301 or 308) as a signal to make the new address canonical, meaning the version Google shows in results. A temporary redirect (302, 303 or 307) sends no such signal, and the guide keeps it for moves that will be undone.
The same guide recommends a permanent server-side redirect whenever possible, and treats JavaScript redirects as a last resort, because Google might never see one if rendering the page fails.
What it means for your business
Google and other websites know each of your pages by its address. Change an address without a redirect, and visitors, links and Google all reach a 404, the error a server returns when a page is not found.
Redirects matter most when you rename pages, merge two pages into one, move to a new domain or rebuild the site. They matter least for a page that never had visitors or links. Google's site move guide asks site owners to keep redirects for as long as possible, generally at least one year. Redirects are part of our technical SEO services.
Common mistakes
- Using a temporary 302 redirect for a permanent move. Google's redirect guide says a temporary redirect is no signal that the new address is canonical, so use a 301 or 308.
- Sending every old page to the home page. Point each old address to its closest match on the new site, and let pages with no match return a 404.
- Chaining redirects, where address A points to B and B points to C. Point A straight to C, so every visit takes one step.
- Removing redirects a few months after a move. Google's site move guide asks for at least a year.
Related terms
Sources: Google Search Central, Redirects and Google Search, 14 April 2026; Google Search Central, Site moves and migrations, 20 August 2026.