Redirect
A way to send both users and search engines from one URL to a different URL.
Full definition
Redirects automatically forward visitors from one URL to another. The most important redirect types for SEO are: 301 (permanent redirect — passes ~99% of link equity to the new URL, tells Google the move is permanent), 302 (temporary redirect — doesn't pass full link equity, tells Google the old URL may come back), and 307 (temporary, HTTP/1.1 equivalent of 302). Common redirect use cases include: URL restructuring after a site redesign, consolidating duplicate content, changing domains, and handling discontinued product pages. Redirect chains (redirects that point to other redirects) and redirect loops are common technical SEO issues that slow crawling and dilute link equity.
Real-world example
When a company changes its domain from old-brand.com to new-brand.com, 301 redirects on every URL ensure link equity, traffic, and rankings transfer to the new domain.
Related terms
An HTML tag that tells search engines which version of a duplicate or similar page is the preferred one to index.
Read definitionThe ability of search engine bots to access and crawl a website's pages.
Read definitionA third-party metric (developed by Moz) that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search results, scored 1–100.
Read definitionA link from one website pointing to another, used by search engines as a vote of authority and relevance.
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