Redirect

Meaning

A redirect is an instruction that sends visitors and search engines from one URL to another; a 301 redirect signals that a page has moved permanently. Google treats permanent redirects (301 or 308) as a strong signal that the target should be the canonical URL, while temporary ones (302 or 307) do not carry that signal. Server-side redirects are preferred over JavaScript ones. Use a redirect whenever you change a URL so that visitors and search engines are not lost. See also: Canonical URL, URL, and the guide Technical SEO Basics: Speed, Mobile, Crawling and Security.