A 'Redirection' or 'Redirect' of a web page or a whole site is a way of automatically transferring the site visitor from one URL to another. There are several ways of technically implementing redirects, but for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes, we advise using an 'HTTP 301 Permanent Redirect'. Unlike the default 'HTTP 302 Temporary Redirect', the recommended 'HTTP 301 Permanent Redirect' tells the search engines that the old web page or site is no longer in use and the new page or site is now in place. This brings many SEO and Search Engine Result Placement (SERP) benefits.
The purpose of the 'HTTP 302 Temporary Redirect' advises that the old page or site is temporarily unavailable and therefore redirected, but is expected to be back in the near future. The Google, Bing and other
Search Engines treat these two situations differently, so this difference between the '301 Redirect' and the '302 redirect' is most important for search engine crawlers.
When the search search engine crawler encounters a link to your site whose URL is configured with a permanent redirect, your web server (usually Apache) responds with a 301 status code and then redirects the crawler to the new URL. The search engine not only accepts the redirect to the new URL, but then also begins the process of transferring any existing page rank value from the old URL to the new one in the redirect. It is that second part of that process that is so important for SEO and that is not accomplished with a 302 Redirect.
The transfer of page rank value between URLs in the search engine index is not an overnight process, if it has been correctly with a 301 Redirect, your site updates will soon be reflected in the search engine results pages (SERPs) without a hitch.
Comparing 301 redirects to rel=”canonical” tags
Some folks know that all of the major search engines announced in early 2009 their planned support for a new HTML tag attribute. Within the <link> tag (found in the <head> section of the page code), they promised support for the new attribute “rel”, used along with the associated value “canonical”, followed by the standard attribute “href” and a URL for its associated value. For example:
The intention of the rel=canonical tag is to inform the search engine crawlers of the single primary (aka canonical) URL for the page content. This is very helpful when a site uses dynamic attribute variables in its URLs. Dynamic URLs can lead to the indexing of multiple versions of a URL for any given page, resulting in index content duplication (which search engines hate!).
While the use of the <link> tag with the rel=canonical attribute is helpful for a page, it’s not a reliable substitute for 301 redirects. Here are the reasons for this:
For starters, in early 2009 and for a long time afterward, Google was the only search engine fully supporting the use of the rel=canonical tag. This has been improving slowly over time, but there still may be questions about how strongly each search engine accepts and uses the tag’s data. On the other hand, all of the search engines fully support 301 redirects.
Secondly, rel=canonical tags are still regarded by the search engines as hints or suggestions, not firm directives. On the other hand, 301 redirects are firm instructions.
Lastly, unlike 301 redirects, which can be configured in one file for the whole site, each webpage needs its own edit to add the new line of custom code for the rel=canonical tag.
That all said, the use of rel=canonical tags can be beneficial to redirecting blog pages (assuming you have access and the technical skill to edit the blog’s source code for a given page’s <head> tag module). In this edge case, the use of a 301 can mean the loss of the original page’s associated user comments and social shares, which all have their own SEO value.
We recommend that clients consider using rel=canonical tags to help minimize indexed content duplication. Regardless for standard matters of reassigning the function and search index values of old URLs to new, we advise clients stick with tried and true 301 redirects.
Checking Redirections
If you have been looking for an efficient way to track redirects and headers, there is no better way that to do it while browsing. While I have mostly seen people recommending Firebug for this process, I believe other tools can actually be faster and simpler than that. Especially now that more developer tools are being released to fit this need.
These are the five I personally think are the best for tracking redirects while browsing. Some are extensions/add-ons, but others are website based and great for quick use and reference.
1: Redirect Detective
Here is a very simple, basic tool. You enter any URL and Redirect Detective shows you every redirect and meta-refresh until you get to the final landing page. We use use Redirect Detective daily to find the source of ads, but you might have another use for the information.
Redirect Detective has two cool features:
- Visualization
- Cookie alert (see the small yellow 'cookie images' in the screenshot on the left)
Redirect Detective doesn’t offer any advanced settings, but it is a great tester if you just want to follow the one or more redirects on any site. They have other tools to check out listed along the bottom that are also handy. These include an affiliate link tracer, a 301 tracker which is handy for a very common error code, ad link tracker and a redirect tracer (different than the redirect tracker).
They don’t offer any other features and changes are rare but it is still a good site to keep in the bookmarks.
2: WhereGoes?
WhereGoes? is a ....There is a quick reference guide on the page of the most commonly returned HTTP response codes (200, 301, 302, 404, 503), including a definition of each as well as links to more comprehensive code lists you can check out. Using the tool is very easy, you just put in the URL and run the check.
3: Header Checker Tool
There is a quick reference guide on the page of the most commonly returned HTTP response codes (200, 301, 302, 404, 503), including a definition of each as well as links to more comprehensive code lists you can check out. Using the tool is very easy, you just put in the URL and run the check.
4: Redirect Check
Redirect Check is a ....There is a quick reference guide on the page of the most commonly returned HTTP response codes (200, 301, 302, 404, 503), including a definition of each as well as links to more comprehensive code lists you can check out. Using the tool is very easy, you just put in the URL and run the check.
5: Internet Officer
Internet Officer is a ....There is a quick reference guide on the page of the most commonly returned HTTP response codes (200, 301, 302, 404, 503), including a definition of each as well as links to more comprehensive code lists you can check out. Using the tool is very easy, you just put in the URL and run the check.
6: Rex Swain's HTTP Viewer
Rex Swain's HTTP Viewer ....There is a quick reference guide on the page of the most commonly returned HTTP response codes (200, 301, 302, 404, 503), including a definition of each as well as links to more comprehensive code lists you can check out. Using the tool is very easy, you just put in the URL and run the check.
7: Browser Add-Ons - Firefox
Stop DNS redirects and smart page redirects, review shortened URLS (like TinyURL) and a lot more with this helpful Firefox tool. The only criticism I have for this one is that it doesn’t offer a helpful manual on how to use it.
While those of us who have used redirect trackers in the past will be able to figure it out, this isn’t the best tool for beginners who have never had to do so before. This is a great tool for intermediate and advanced users, though… It has just what you need and nothing you don’t, and was clearly made by a developer who knows his stuff.
Do you know any browser specific redirect path trackers? Let us know in the comments.
8: Browser Add-Ons - Chrome
I want to start by telling you the best part about this Chrome extension: no spammy ads or withheld features that you have to pay to get access to. In a time when so many tools are being offered in hobbled and ad-riddled "Lite" versions, it is nice to be able to get all of the benefits of a redirect tracker without being bullied into paying for it. It is also very simple, so anyone can use it without any fuss.
No more having to manually check header status codes or spending ages moving down an unending path. Just install and go!
Get more Information and Updates on 301 Redirections here:
