301 Redirects: What Are They and Why Are They Important?
301 redirects are an important part of your website’s SEO health. In this article, we will dive into the fundamentals of 301 redirects, including what they are, why they are important, and how to redirect a URL correctly.
Let’s begin with the basics: a 301 redirect is one of many types of HTTP response status codes. These response codes tell users and search engines whether or not a specific HTTP request has been successfully completed, and if not, what is happening with that URL.
When a URL responds normally, the status code for that page is in the 200-299 status code class. 100-199 status codes are used for informational responses (such as 102 - Processing), 400-499 for broken pages (such as 404 - Not Found) and 500-599 for server errors.
Finally, 300-399 codes are used for URL redirects. A 301 redirect is implemented when the URL of a given resource has moved or been changed permanently. This information is inputted into the source code of the broken or duplicate page to let search engines and browsers know where the live page is now located.
301 redirects are like the digital version of mail forwarding. When you move, you tell the post office your new address so that any incoming mail will be forwarded to your new address. 301 redirects generate a similar result for webpages.
Much like canonical links, 301 redirects are an incredibly useful tool for your SEO toolbox. Keep reading for 301 redirect best practices and recommendations for when they should and should not be used on your ecommerce website.
Use 301 Redirects to Fix Broken Pages (404 Errors)
404 Not Found—we have all seen this common error code before, whether as a user searching for a specific webpage or as a webmaster trying to resolve a broken page. 404 errors can be very frustrating for users, and harmful to your site’s SEO.
What causes these “Not Found” error codes to occur? When you delete or move a piece of content away from a specific URL, anyone who tries to visit that original URL will receive a 404 response. The best method for fixing 404s and other broken links is hiring an SEO expert to create a 301 redirect in your site’s backend, which will point to an appropriate live link replacement.
This solution ensures that both search engines and users will be directed to the live replacement page, rather than the broken page. Implementing a 301 redirect in this situation can have a positive impact on SEO and user experience, and may lead to higher engagement, conversions and revenue.
Use 301 Redirects to Consolidate Web Pages & Blog Posts
Does your website have two or more pages that are highly similar to one another? How about multiple blog posts that are optimized for the same keywords? As the amount of content on your website increases, your risk of keyword cannibalization grows as well. This occurs when your content starts to compete with other pages on your site—and yes, it’s bad for your site’s SEO rankings.
In this scenario, it is considered a best practice to choose a “winning” page and create a 301 redirect pointing from the “losing” page. This will ensure that the search engines only see one page for ranking. For blog posts, you may want to consolidate multiple competing posts into one mega-post. In this case, 301 redirect all of the old posts to the new consolidated post.
Use 301 Redirects When Migrating Your Site
Migrating your ecommerce website is no small task. If you are moving your site from one domain to another, it is critical to create 301 redirects from the old content to your new URLs. 301 redirects are the main mechanism for letting users and search engines know that your site has permanently changed its URLs.
In addition to a 301 redirect, wildcard redirects (also called catch-all subdomains) can be useful for site migrations, especially if your new site structure will be new and unique from your old site. Wildcard redirects help ensure that users will always be able to access a valid page on your site even if they request a non-existent URL. For more insights on platform specific migrations, read our experts roundup for Shopify and BigCommerce.
When NOT to Use a 301 Redirect
301 redirects are one of the most commonly recommended redirect solutions when dealing with a broken webpage. However, there are some scenarios where 301 redirects are not the most appropriate choice.
For example, if a product is temporarily out-of-stock on your ecommerce site, you should not use a 301 redirect to point to another product. Why not? Search engines view 301 redirects as permanent, which can cause problems if the out-of-stock product will be returning to your inventory in the near future. A 302 redirect or simply disabling ordering on that product page would be a more suitable solution.
Additionally, there is some debate within the SEO community as to how much “link juice” (or page rank potential) is lost with each 301 redirect. As a best practice, it is recommended to cap your number of 301 redirects at 3 total over the course of your site’s life. In other words, use your 301 redirects sparingly. If there is another solution that could be implemented, such as 302 redirects or canonical links, consider those alternatives.
After Creating a 301 Redirect, Replace Your Links
Although 301 redirects will successfully communicate to any browser and search engine the correct replacement link location, it’s still a good idea to replace outdated links. For instance, if you have links in your menu or on other pages pointing to the old URL, it’s recommended to update that link to point to the redirect destination URL instead.
Doing so will produce a faster crawl for Google and other search engines, as they will not have to visit yet another URL destination while crawling links within your site’s structure. This could result in quicker rankings for optimized pages.
Final Thoughts
301 redirects are a valuable tool for boosting user engagement and improving ecommerce SEO performance. When used correctly, they can make the difference between a successful site migration or rebuild and an unsuccessful one.
Have questions about whether or not it makes sense to implement 301 redirects on your ecommerce website? Need help measuring and optimizing your site’s overall SEO health? Contact the ecommerce SEO experts at Whitecap today.