What is a 301 redirect?

A 301 redirect is an HTTP response that tells browsers and search engines a page has moved permanently to a new address. The server answers the old URL with status 301 and a Location header naming the new URL, and the visitor is sent there automatically. Google treats it as a strong sign that the new URL should be the one it indexes.

Why it matters

Pages move for ordinary reasons: you change a URL, merge two pages, switch to HTTPS or move to a new domain. Without a redirect, old links and bookmarks lead to an error page and the value those links carried is lost. A 301 redirect keeps visitors on track and tells search engines where the content lives now.

How to set one up

Decide the exact old URL and the exact new URL. Send each old page to its closest equivalent, not everything to the home page.
Add the rule where your site is served. In Apache .htaccess:

Redirect 301 /old-page /new-page

In nginx:

location = /old-page {
    return 301 /new-page;
}

In a CMS, use its redirect manager or a redirect plugin and choose "301 Moved Permanently".
Check the result with curl:

curl -sI https://example.com/old-page

Look for a first line such as HTTP/2 301 and a location header with the new address. 6. Open the new URL in a browser and confirm it returns a normal 200 page, not another redirect. 7. Update internal links, the sitemap and canonical tags so they use the new URL directly.

Common mistakes

Using a 301 for something that is only temporary, such as a short maintenance page. Use a 302 or 307 for that.
Redirecting many different old pages to one unrelated page, which search engines may treat like a soft 404.
Building chains where A goes to B and B goes to C.
Leaving internal links pointing at the old URL after the redirect exists.
Removing the redirect after a few weeks, while old links are still in use.

Frequently asked questions

Does a 301 redirect pass ranking signals?

Google follows 301 redirects and uses them as a strong hint for choosing the canonical URL. Google's documentation describes redirects as a way to consolidate signals when a page moves. It does not promise that rankings stay identical.

How long should I keep a 301 redirect?

Keep it for as long as practical. Google's site move guidance is to leave redirects in place for a long time, and a year or more is a sensible target if old links are still in use.

What is the difference between 301 and 308?

Both mean permanent. A 308 additionally requires the browser to repeat the original request method, such as POST. For ordinary page moves, 301 is the usual and well-supported choice.

Want to see how your own pages respond? Try the free website sample.