In this today’s online world, everyone wants good ranking in Google search engine, and so many successful peoples or individuals accomplished the goal too, but some don’t get the ranking because of their mistakes. If you’re the one, who is worried about website traffic and ranking then you’re absolutely at right article. First of all, don’t worry because one of the most powerful tools in this field is the 301 redirection, this is only tool which either rank the website or ruin the website. Don’t worry, if you have done any mistakes with the 301 redirection and expecting help from here. Then definitely, you will get solution here.
In this today’s article, we will know everything about 301 redirection, like what exactly 301 redirection is, how 301 redirection affect SEO, when to implement this and when to not implement this. Also today we will answer some most critical problems which arises after switching back from new domain to old domain. By the end of this article, you will get proper knowledge about 301 redirection and will be able to make appropriate decision based on your condition.
What is 301 Redirection?
A 301 redirection is a permanent redirect from one URL to another. This means that when a user or search engine attempts to access the original URL, they are automatically get transferred to a different URL specified in the redirection rule. For example when you set-up 301 redirection, it just simply redirect your one domain to another domain like this (www.oldsite.com to www.newsite.com) this is what we call as 301 redirection.
How 301 Redirection affect SEO?
If you have set-up 301 redirection correctly, then there will be a minimal negative impact on SEO and can actually be beneficial. See, these are the reasons why I’m saying this:
1. Link Equity Transfer
When you use a 301 redirection, most of the link equity (ranking power) from the original URL is passed to the new URL. This means that the new URL can inherit the search engine ranking and authority of the old domain.
2. Preservation of Page Rank
Since a 301 redirection is permanent, search engines like Google will update their index to reflect the new URL, preserving the Page Rank and search engine ranking of the original URL over time.
3. Canonicalization
301 redirection help in canonicalization by preventing duplicate content issues. If multiple URLs have similar or identical content, using 301 redirection, you can consolidate them into a single authoritative URL, which is beneficial for SEO.
4. Indexation
Over time, search engines will drop the old URL from their index and replace it with the new URL. This helps in keeping the search engine index clean and relevant, ensuring that users are directed to the correct pages.
5. User Experience
By ensuring that users who click on old or outdated links are redirected to the correct, updated URL, 301 redirection improve user experience. A positive user experience can indirectly benefit SEO as search engines aim to rank pages that offer a good user experience.
When should I implement 301 Redirection?
You should use 301 redirection whenever you’re dealing with a permanent change to your website’s URL structure and want to maintain SEO benefits. For example:
1. Domain Change
When you are moving your website to a new domain from (www.oldsite.com to www.newsite.com), then a 301 redirection can be implemented, because it tells to Google search engine console to remove the old domain ranking from Google and replace with the new one instead.
2. URL Structure Change
When you decide to change the URL structure of your website (from www.example.com/old-page to www.example.com/new-page), then also, you can set-up 301 redirection because it will permanently redirect your traffic from the old URL to the new one. This will help visitors and search engines for better user experience and getting index properly.
3. Rebranding of your Website
If you are rebranding your website or content significantly, for example from (Technology category to Health category) then on that condition also, you can use 301 redirection, because it will help you to maintain link juice from the old pages to the new ones. Here link juice simply means your domain ranking power.
4. Content Consolidation or Merging Pages
If you combine multiple pages into one complete page, then also, you are allowed to use 301 redirection, because it will permanently redirect you from the old individual pages to the new consolidated pages, which will help in maintaining SEO value and user experience for visitors.
5. Transferring SEO Ranking to New Domain
Some website owners use 301 redirection to transfer their domain ranking to new domain. Why they transfer? Because If they notice any traffic down in their old domain or if they see their old domain is not getting rank any longer, then on that case also, they use 301 redirection to transfer all traffic to the new domain, and hence after getting all the traffic to new domain, their new domain get higher ranking as compared to the old domain ranking. But note that, while doing this, it takes time, if you don’t set-up 301 redirection correctly, then instead of getting rank to Google, your 95% of your traffic will be dropped, so be aware from using this method.
When I shouldn’t implement 301 Redirection?
301 Redirection is good when you’re changing your website domain, structure permanently but there are specific scenarios where it is not recommended to use 301 redirection. See, here are the reasons why I’m saying this:
1. Temporary Changes
When you’re moving a page temporarily, such as during a short-term campaign or for maintenance purposes. Then a 301 redirection is not recommended to use, instead you can use a 302 (Found) or 307 (Temporary Redirect). A 301 (Moved Permanently) tells search engines that the move is permanent, which can lead to the original URL being removed from the index and replaced by the new URL.
2. Content Testing
When you are doing A/B testing different versions of a page. Then also it’s not recommended to use 301 redirection as 301 redirects are permanent and can prevent users from seeing the test variations. Use JavaScript-based redirection or 302 redirects to ensure that all test versions are accessible.
3. Preserving Link Equity
When you want to preserve the SEO value (link equity) of a page. Then also don’t use 301 redirection because 301 redirection will transfer most of the link equity to the new URL, there is often a slight loss. If preserving every bit of link equity is crucial, so you can consider alternatives like canonical tags.
4. Handling Duplicate Content
When you have duplicate content across multiple URLs, then also you can’t use 301 redirection. Instead of using 301 redirection, using canonical tags can inform search engines about the preferred version without redirecting users away from the duplicate content URLs.
5. SEO Recovery
If you are attempting to recover from an SEO penalty or restore lost rankings. Then also don’t use 301 redirection as it needs proper knowledge and correct installation. Because a 301 redirection might not immediately restore your rankings and could complicate the issue. It’s often better to address the root cause directly on the affected URL rather than redirecting it.
Can I switch back to old domain after setting up 301 redirection?
Yes, you can switch back to your old domain after setting up a 301 redirection, but only when if you’re ready to take risk. What are the risks? They are given below such as:
1. Impact on SEO
301 redirection are permanent and tell search engines that a page has permanently moved to a new location. When you switch back to the old domain, you’ll need to update the 301 redirection to reflect this change. This might temporarily confuse search engines and could impact your site’s search rankings.
2. Time for Changes to Propagate
Changes in 301 redirection and domain switches take time to propagate through search engines and DNS servers. Switching back and forth might cause delays and lead to temporary downtime or access issues for your visitors and can result in low page duration time and overall bad user experience for your visitors.
3. Link Equity
301 redirection transfer link equity from the old URL to the new one. If you switch back, the link equity transfer process needs to happen again, which can take time and might not be as effective and instead it will harm your traffic and site ranking position.
4. User Experience
Frequent changes in domains can confuse your visitors. Ensure you communicate any changes clearly to your users to minimize confusion and maintain trust. But, if you do, usually all visitors don’t come to your old domain again and you can lost trust from your visitors.
5. Technical Considerations
When you do this, make sure to ensure your all technical aspects, such as SSL certificates, are correctly set up for the both domains including new and old when you switch back.
My Recommendation about the switching back to old domain Idea:
Well, genuinely speaking, switching back to old domain after setting up 301 redirection won’t be beneficial, instead it will make the situation more worse than now. Whatever traffic you’re getting currently, you should be happy with that, if you still thinking to switching back, then at the end, you will lost your ranking for both of your site. For now, it’s better for you to just wait for your new domain to get rank up or try to wait until your old domain transfer it’s all link juice (Ranking Power) to new domain. This process takes time and don’t reflect immediately. You should wait minimum four to six months to see the changes, if you have done everything correctly, then you can see the changes within the few couples of months.
Hope you may have understood everything about 301 redirection. If you still have any doubts regarding this 301 redirection, you are always welcome to ask anything in the comment section. Please let us know what do you say about this 301 redirection. Hope you may have find this article helpful, thanks for reading till here and best of luck for your SEO journey!
