A Comprehensive Guide to 301 and 302 Redirects

• Introduction
• What is 301 Redirect?
• How to Redirect Site Pages
• What is 301 and 302?
• Redirect Easy 301
• Is 301 Important in SEO?
• Redirect htaccess
• 301 Redirect in WordPress
• Example of 302 Redirect
• Conclusion

Introduction

Redirecting site pages is an essential part of website management. Whether you’re moving your website to a new domain or updating your URL structure, redirecting site pages can help you maintain your search engine rankings and improve user experience. In this blog post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about redirecting site pages using 301 and 302 redirects.

What is 301 Redirect?

A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect from one URL to another. It tells search engines that the original URL has been permanently moved to a new location. When users try to access the old URL, they will be automatically redirected to the new URL. A 301 redirect passes on the link equity of the old page to the new page, which helps preserve your website’s traffic, link equity, and overall SEO value.

How to Redirect Site Pages

To redirect site pages using a 301 redirect, you can use the following methods:

1. Navigate to Tools > Redirection. In the Add new redirection section, enter the old URL you want to redirect in the Source URL field. Enter the new URL you want to redirect to in the Target URL field. For Group, click the drop-down menu and choose a group. In our tests, we selected Redirections. Click Add Redirect to save the 301 redirect.

2. Find Tools > Redirection > Add New. Then, add your source URL and target URL. Be sure to select a 301 – Moved Permanently HTTP code. When you’re finished, hit Add Redirect.

3. Add the following code to the very bottom of your file: # BEGIN 301 Redirects Redirect 301 /old-post/ # END 301 Redirects. 

4. Simply replace /old-post/ with your old URL, then add the new URL to replace.

5. Go to Tools > Redirection in your WordPress dashboard. In the Redirection section, click on Add New. In the Source URL field, enter the old URL that you want to redirect. In the Target URL field, enter the new URL that you want to redirect to. In the Match section, select the type of redirect you want to use, such as URL only or URL and referrer.

What is 301 and 302?

A 302 redirect is a temporary redirect from one URL to another. It tells search engines that the original URL has been temporarily moved to a new location. When users try to access the old URL, they will be automatically redirected to the new URL.

Redirect Easy 301

Redirect Easy 301 is a plugin that helps you manage and create 301 redirects for your WordPress site. It’s easy to use and perfect for new sites or repairing links after reorganizing your old content.

Is 301 Important in SEO?

Yes! Using a 301 redirect can help preserve your website’s traffic, link equity, and overall SEO value.

Redirect htaccess

To create a redirect using htaccess, add the following code at the top of your htaccess file:

RewriteEngine On

RewriteRule ^old-page.html$ /new-page.html [R=301,L]

Replace /old-page.html with your old page’s URL and /new-page.html with your new page’s URL.

301 Redirect in WordPress

To create a 301 redirect in WordPress using a plugin like Redirection:

1. Install and activate Redirection from your WordPress dashboard.
2. Navigate to Tools > Redirection.
3. Enter your source URL and target URL.
4. Choose “Redirection” as your group.
5. Click “Add Redirect.”

Example of 302 Redirect

A common example of a 302 redirect is when an e-commerce site temporarily redirects users from an out-of-stock product page to a related product page or a page letting them know when the product is likely to be back in stock.

Conclusion

Redirecting site pages using 301 and 302 redirects is an essential part of website management. By following these simple steps, you can easily redirect site pages while maintaining your search engine rankings and improving user experience.