301 redirect

Use a 301 when you rename a page or move a section for good. Example: move /pricing-new to /pricing, or /blog/how-to from /guides/how-to. It preserves users, links and rankings.

As of 2016, Google has said 301, 302 and other redirects do not lose PageRank in themselves. Still, a clean move is faster and breaks less.

Fix pages that get type-ins or links first. If your /pricing changes, ship the 301 the same day you launch the new URL and update every internal link to the final URL.

Set redirects at the server or the edge. Use your web server config, CDN rules or framework router. Avoid app-level hacks that run after the page loads.

Update internal links and the XML sitemap to the final URL. Remove old links in nav, footers and markdown. Keep the 301 in place long term.

Both are permanent. 308 is the HTTP/1.1 permanent redirect that keeps the request method. A POST stays a POST. 301 may turn a POST into a GET.

• Use 301 for page and asset URL changes: /guides/getting-started to /guides/get-started.
• Use 308 when the method must persist: moving /api/v1/login to /api/v2/login.
• For http to https or domain moves, 301 is fine for web pages.

1. 1

   Trace the hop

   Use a URL redirect checker or curl -I to see each status and target. You want one hop, 301 or 308, to the final URL.

2. 2

   Test key paths

   Check home, /pricing, /login, any old slugs, and canonical variations like http to https and no-www to www.

3. 3

   Verify in Search Console

   Inspect the old URL. The tool should show a redirect and the indexed page as the target. Check the Page with redirect report for totals.

4. 4

   Watch logs or analytics

   Look for hits to old URLs dropping. Track 404s after the change and add 301s for any missed slugs.

A fixed page loads once at the final URL, shows no mixed redirects, and every internal link points straight to it.

Chains slow the fetch and add risk. A to B to C is two hops, two chances to fail. Google follows up to ten hops before giving up on a URL.

• Cut chains to one hop. Change A to point to C.
• Update internal links from A and B to C.
• Replace old canonicals and hreflang targets with the final URL.
• Consolidate rules so that http to https and non-www to www resolve in a single hop.
• After a domain move, keep the old host live with 301s for as long as you can.

Example: yourproduct.com/blog/post to yourproduct.com/guides/post, then to yourproduct.com/guides/post-2026. Replace both with one 301 from /blog/post to /guides/post-2026, and update links.