Digital marketing glossary

What is a 301 redirect?

Written and reviewed by L.K. Monu Borkala · Updated 7 November 2026

Definition

A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect that automatically sends visitors and search engines from an old web address to a new one. It tells Google the page has moved for good, so Google can show the new URL in results and pass the old page's ranking signals, including links pointing to it, to the new address.

How it works

When a browser or Google's crawler asks for the old URL, the server replies with the status code 301 (Moved Permanently) and the new address, and the browser loads the new page instead. Visitors never see an error. Google treats a 301 as a strong signal that the new URL should be the one shown in search. A 302 redirect, by contrast, says the move is temporary, so Google may keep showing the old URL for a while. You can set up 301s in your hosting control panel, with a WordPress redirect plugin, or in your server settings. Each old URL should point to the closest matching new page.

Example

Imagine a furniture store in Jaipur rebuilding its website, which changes addresses like /products.php?id=42 to /sheesham-dining-tables. The old page for its ₹45,000 sheesham dining set has links from two home decor blogs and brings steady enquiries. If the owner simply deletes the old pages, those visitors land on an error page and the links stop helping. With a 301 from each old address to its matching new page, visitors reach the right product and Google moves the rankings across over time.

An illustration: the business and the rupee figures are made up to show how the idea works.

Common mistake

Redirecting every old page to the homepage. Google can treat that much like a missing page, and visitors who wanted a specific product have to start searching again. Another mistake is creating chains, where page A redirects to B, which redirects to C. Point each old URL straight to its closest new page, and update your own internal links to the new address.