---
title: "301 redirect"
description: "A 301 redirect is a permanent URL redirect that passes link equity and affects SEO. Learn how it works and when to use it for moving content."
url: "https://nodea.io/en/glossary/301-redirect"
lang: "en"
updated: "2026-07-13"
---

# 301 redirect

> A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect from one URL to another, telling browsers and search engines that a resource has moved for good.

A **301 redirect** is a permanent redirect from one URL to another, telling browsers and search engines that a resource has moved for good. The HTTP 301 status code ('Moved Permanently') is the standard way to handle an address change while preserving hard-won SEO value and giving users a smooth path to the correct content.

## How a 301 redirect works

When a browser or search engine crawler requests the old address, the server responds with a 301 status and points to the new URL, to which the redirect happens immediately. Unlike a temporary redirect, a 301 signal instructs search engines to permanently update their index. Its key characteristics are:

- **Permanence** — an unambiguous signal that the address change is final.
- **Link equity transfer** — near-full transfer of backlink value to the new address.
- **Index update** — replacing the old URL with the new one in search results.
- **Caching** — browsers remember the redirect, speeding up subsequent visits.

## 301 redirects in practice

301 redirects are indispensable during many site operations:

1. **URL restructuring** — moving to [friendly URLs](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/friendly-url) without losing rankings.
2. **Domain migration** — moving an entire site to a new address.
3. **Content consolidation** — merging duplicate pages and eliminating [duplicate content](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/duplicate-content).

On Apache servers, 301 redirects are most often configured in the [.htaccess](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/htaccess) file. To avoid losing [link equity](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/link-juice), it is best to point the old address straight to its final destination, avoiding chains of multiple consecutive redirects.

### Common mistakes when implementing 301s

The most frequent mistake is mass-redirecting all old addresses to the home page instead of to their real equivalents — the user then loses context and the search engine treats such a redirect as a soft 404. Another problem is redirect chains (A→B→C), which slow loading and dilute link equity. It is also worth keeping the protocol and domain version consistent: redirects from HTTP to HTTPS and from the 'www' version to its non-'www' counterpart (or vice versa) should be set once and consistently, to avoid duplicate addresses. After every larger change it is worth verifying the response codes with a site-crawling tool.

### How is a 301 redirect different from a 302?

A 301 redirect signals a permanent change — search engines transfer the SEO value to the new address and update the index. A 302 is temporary: it signals that the old address will return, so link equity stays with the original URL. Permanent moves always use a 301.

### Does a 301 redirect pass link equity?

Yes. A 301 redirect passes almost all link value from the old address to the new one, so hard-won rankings and backlink authority are not lost after a URL change. That is the main reason it is used when moving content and restructuring URLs.

## Related

- [302 redirect](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/302-redirect)
- [Friendly URL](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/friendly-url)
- [.htaccess](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/htaccess)
- [Link juice](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/link-juice)
- [SEO](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/seo)

---

Languages: [pl](https://nodea.pl/pl/slownik-pojec/przekierowanie-301.md)  
Site index: [llms.txt](https://nodea.io/en/llms.txt)