One of the most common questions we get is “how can I safely move a web page?”
When moving a page or even doing something as simple as changing its filename (and thus its URL), it’s important to do it the right way. Done properly, you’ll let search engines know where the new page is, and ultimately, even transfer the link love and other relevance weight to the new page.
What’s the right way? Using a “301 redirect.” Lisa Barone, over on the Bruce Clay blog, has an excellent post explaining How to Properly Implement a 301 Redirect. Today’s Search Illustrated paints a graphic description of the process:
Graphic by Elliance, an eMarketing firm specializing in results-driven search engine marketing, web site design, and outbound eMarketing campaigns. The firm is the creator of the ennect online marketing toolkit. The Search Illustrated column appears Tuesdays at Search Engine Land.
Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.
Related Topics: Infographics | Search Illustrated | SEO: Domain Names & URLs | SEO: Redirects & Moving Sites
A so-called SEO expert told us that 301 redirects would not jeopardize our rankings, but we found out differently. We had to 301 every page when switching out technology and it killed our rankings for several months. Eventually, most of them came back.