When updating or migrating your site, it’s common to break a few pages or links. Usually, a user’s browser will return an error code when a user tries to click through to a broken or missing page. If a user receives an error multiple times, they’re much more likely to exit from your website, which could impact your bounce rate.
301 redirects help point users to the correct page when they select a broken link. If you have a WordPress site, you can still set up redirects. Let’s review how.
What are redirects?
Redirects are a type of technique that sends users and bots to an updated URL. When users click on a broken link or encounter a broken page, a redirect automatically sends them to the correct URL.
Redirects can impact your SEO; search engine bots need them too. if Google explores your site and can’t find a page, it can impact that page’s ranking. However, if the Google bots find a redirect, it’ll consider what kind of redirect used and how long its been in place when ranking your page.
Redirects help the user experience, sending a user to the new location, especially if they didn’t know you’ve moved or refreshed.
How to Use Redirects
Redirects are often used to update a website that has migrated to a new server. You can also use them if you’ve done a website update, changed any page URLs, or made updates to your website’s navigation.
You can also redirect a page to avoid creating duplicate content. If you’re moving content o a new page with an updated URL, you can use a redirect to direct users from the old page to the new one.
Types of redirects
- 301: These are “permanent redirects.” You’ll use 301 redirects when a page has been moved to a new destination permanently. 301 redirects hold the most link equity, and work best for SEO.
- 302/307: Use these redirects when moving a page temporarily or when you want to redirect users to a new website or page temporarily.
- Meta refresh: You’ll usually see this type of redirect used client-side (i.e, in your browser) and not your server. They direct users to a new page after a specified amount of time. They’re not recommended for SEO purposes.
- HTTP to HTTPS: This type of redirect that forces browsers to display the HTTPS version of a page.
Each type of redirect can be slotted into two categories:
- Client-side redirects: These redirects happen directly in the browser. A user can trigger a client-side redirect when selecting a link. For example, if you select a page and receive an an option to “click on this link if you’re not redirected in 5 seconds,” you’ve encountered a client-side redirect.
- Server-side redirects: This redirect occurs when a web server answers with a server status code. When a user clicks on an outdated page or link and they are automatically redirected to a new page, you can thank a server-side redirect.
Redirecting URLs via htaccess file
An htaccess file is a configuration file that tells your server how to display pages from the WordPress root directory. We only suggest you redirect using this method if you are, or have, a web developer or you are familiar with the the technical backend of your WordPress CMS.
