Even in 2019, site owners do not know which type of redirection is best for SEO.
In simple terms, a redirect is a way to redirect users and search engines to a different URL than the one they originally requested.
You may want to redirect the page for a variety of reasons, including:
• URL not working.
• You have a new site or page.
• You are fixing a web page and you want users to switch to another page while the old one is under construction.
The purpose of the redirection will certainly affect which of the redirects you should choose. It is important to know the difference between them, because the wrong choice can affect your success in SEO.
So which redirect is best for SEO?
What is a 301 redirect?
The 301 redirect sends a message to search engines that the website or page has been moved forever.
Yet, after a year, check if people are being redirected using this redirect. If they are, find out where they come from, and try to correct the source before canceling the redirect.
When should I use 301 redirects?
Many people use this type of redirection when they buy domains from which they want to redirect traffic to their main domain (incorrect spellings of the brand, variants of your brand or corresponding domains with high “domain authority”).
It is also useful to use 301 in the case when your domain includes “www”. People tend to miss “www” when writing or entering website names, so a constant redirect from a website without a “www” ensures that they get to your website.
It is also advisable to use 301 if you have combined two websites together.
What is a 302 redirect?
Redirect 302 lets search engines know that a website or page has been temporarily moved.
When should I use 302 redirects?
You will use this type of redirection if you want to send users to a new site or page within a short period of time, for example, when you update your site.
Use 302 only if you plan to eventually return the old page. You can also use the 302 redirect if you want to test a new page and get consumer reviews without damaging the rating of the original page.
How do both redirects affect SEO?
When you use 301, Google removes the old page from the index, and most of the value from this page is transferred to the new one.
It is important to note that every time you move a page from one URL to another, search engines will take some time to notice this change and see any potential impact / rating change.
When you choose a 302 redirect, the original page remains indexed in Google, and no value (link equality) is transferred to the new URL, because Google knows that this is just temporary. Thus, you will save any traffic value and authority of this page.
Problems usually arise when people do not know the difference between redirects and, for example, choose 302 to redirect the site forever.
In fact, they create a new website or page and do not transfer any value that they have accumulated on the website source over time.
That is why it is important to understand the difference between the 301 and 302 redirects, and to skillfully use both.
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