If you are “of a certain age,” you have probably been working on or with the internet for decades. You have used and visited countless websites, logged into innumerable portals, and even contributed to several online forums. So, you probably have encountered different types of redirects. Do you have some recollection of going to a website and seeing a big “404 website not found” message? This can be very frustrating. To avoid this frustration for your customers, you can use different types of redirects to help them navigate your website.
What is a Redirect and What Does a Redirect Do?
According to techtarget.com, redirection is a technique for moving visitors to a different web page than the one they requested. A redirect works with search engines to guide your website visitors to your most current and up-to-date site. You can set this up to happen automatically if you have moved or deleted content within your website.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “If it’s on the internet, it’s there forever?” While that might not necessarily be true for all your content, it certainly is (mostly) true according to the search engine. Deleted pages are still in the search engine index, unless you tell the search engine otherwise.
Types of Redirects
This means that people can still search for, find, and land on a website that no longer exists. They will then see a 404-error page. If this page is associated with your business, your reputation and customer experience can take a hit. It’s easy to avoid this negative interaction through simple redirects.
There are 5 types of redirects that are commonly used. They range from temporarily needing the redirect to permanently removing the page from the internet. Below, we will go over why you might want to use each of these redirects and which one is which.
Types of Redirects: 301- The Permanent Redirect
A permanent redirect is just that – permanent. This means that you have moved a certain webpage of yours from one URL to a new URL and that this change is now permanent. This redirect is common for content that you would like to remain available to your target audience.
Types of Redirects: 302 & 307- Found Temporary Redirect
These redirects help the search engine understand that the changes you made are not permanent changes. A few website changes may come about because of a special event, holiday, time off, etc. Whatever the reason for your change, it is ultimately temporary, and using the correct redirect will help keep your pages ranking appropriately.
Types of Redirects: 410- Content Deleted
When you delete a page and don’t plan on ever reintroducing that page, you should use a 410 redirect. This signals that the page should be deleted from search engine indexes. If you want a fast and reliable way to remove content permanently from a search engine, use a 410 redirect.
Types of Redirects: 451- Content Unavailable for Legal Reasons
There are very rare occasions that the 451 redirect is needed. 451 is only used when you remove content for legal reasons. Therefore, most businesses will never need to use the 451 redirect.
Looking for a Little More Guidance?
If you are still a little confused about which redirect your website needs, or how to deploy such redirects, GreenStar Marketing can help. Our experienced team can not only help you create, deploy, and manage redirects, but also ensure your SEO and website are not only up to snuff, but also exceeding expectations.
GreenStar Marketing wants to ensure that your customers have a great online experience. If websites aren’t your thing, that’s okay, because it’s ours! Contact us today so we can help you update your website!
