Redirecting a URL is the process in which one URL is forwarded to another URL. Redirection is an HTTP Status Code usually assigned to the current page and tells the server or webpage to redirect to another page or article through the URL.
The webserver uses redirecting URLs to indicate the new URL which replaces the current existing URL. And when the user goes through that URL, the search engines present a new page on the user’s browser instead of the earlier one.
While using the Redirecting URLs, it is essential to make sure that incorrect information is not transferred to the search engines because it leads to a loss in the traffic on the website. The exciting fact about redirection is that it automatically redirects visitors to another page without letting them notice it.
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Types Of Redirects
There are two types of Redirects, i.e., 301 redirects and 302 redirects.
These are HTTP status codes that report the success of requests trying to access the URLs to google.
What Is 301 Redirect?
A 301 redirect is a permanent and perpetual redirect. It notifies the google bots that a new location has been assigned to the original page and the original URL has been changed now, and thus, it no longer exists. It is one of the most immeasurable means of redirecting URLs because it is speedy and seamless.
Also, it does not alter the SEO ranking, which is the most significant advantage of 301 redirects. Also, 301 redirect places all the characteristics of the original page to the redirected page.
What Is 302 Redirect?
A 302 redirect is a type of temporary redirect. It used to redirect the URLs momentarily to a different page. And then plan to get the user back to the original page after some time. Developers are the main users of these redirects. These developers without damaging the SEO ranking and the original URL, try to show their clients potential changes on a new page.
There is a reason why we don’t use 302 redirects as permanent redirecting URLs. It is because if you place these as permanent, they primarily damage the SEO ranking of the content. And unlike 301 redirects, 302 redirects do not pass the features of the original page to the redirected page.
Why Redirecting URLs is essential?
Redirecting a URL presents the users with a new URL to keep minimum traffic and annoyance. The foremost cause behind redirecting users to dreaded 404 pages is that they do not replace the URL with a redirecting URL.
You should do this when the site is under maintenance, whether it is deleting a post, changing a URL structure, or changing the domain.
While redirecting URLs, one has to make sure not to redirect the URL to random articles which do not relate to the current article or the articles that no longer exist. And also, you should always redirect with relevant articles.
Is It True That Redirecting URLs Affects SEO?
Through various observations and research, it is clear that redirecting URLs affects SEO. But how it affects depends on multiple factors. Redirects are helpful. With the help of these, the users, along with the search engines, get a direction to their desired destination.
The best way of redirecting URLs without affecting the SEO ranking is by keeping the link and the keyword association the same as in the search index. This is prescribed because mostly unique URLs are used by the search indexes that pages have to identify. Thus, making changes in the URL creates difficulty in finding the location of the page and content.
The Takeaway
In all this process, the job of the search engines’ bots is to compare the content of the redirected page with the original page and to ascertain the relevance of the focus keywords. Because that is what makes the article appear at the top in the search indexes.