Redirect (301)
Permanently sending visitors from one URL to another - like mail forwarding.
The Tradie Take
A 301 redirect is like updating your address with the post office when you move workshops. Anyone who sends mail (or visits) your old address gets automatically forwarded to the new one. Without it, their mail bounces back "return to sender" and you miss out. Same with your website - redirects preserve your traffic and rankings when pages move.
Definition
A 301 redirect tells browsers and search engines that a page has permanently moved to a new URL. It automatically sends anyone who visits the old address to the new one. This is crucial when you redesign your site, change page URLs, or merge websites. Without redirects, visitors get 404 errors and Google treats the old page as dead - you lose all that page's ranking power.
How It Works
- 1 A 301 redirect is set up on your server to point old URLs to new ones
- 2 When Googlebot visits the old URL, the 301 tells it "this page lives here now"
- 3 Most of the original page's ranking authority is transferred to the new URL
- 4 Visitors are sent to the new page without knowing it
Tips for Tradies
- Always use 301 (permanent) not 302 (temporary) for permanent moves
- When redesigning your site, map every old URL to its new equivalent
- Check for broken links after any site changes - every 404 is a lost opportunity