You might have experienced page redirects while using the internet. When you request a certain page you get redirected to another URL. It is a common practice to set redirects for deleted pages, in order to redirect users and crawlers to another but relevant page. Instead of annoying the users with a 404 Page Not Found error, it is always better to use the 301 redirect approach.
Questions about how redirects are crucial for SEO answered
Why redirect a URL?
Redirecting a modified URL means transferring search crawlers and visitors to a new URL, thus making sure that they still stay on your website. Whenever site maintenance tasks are performed, there will be some pages that require deletion.
You might also want to delete some of the obsolete pages on your website while moving to a new domain, or while upgrading http pages to https page. You can also use redirect strategy to test the efficiency of your lead generation pages. That way you will be able to try out new ideas to collect emails or to increase the numbers of your opt-in leads.
Websites will always need changes, page removals, and migrations, but you must ensure that your visitors do not land on the damaging 404 pages. Have a proper plan, before you remove stuff!
For small changes like deleting outdated posts, you will need to redirect the old URLs with 301 redirect protocol. You could also configure with a 410 to indicate that you have deleted the post. Remember never redirect your web pages to random URLs, or to the pages that are not related to the existing posts you are deleting.
Are redirects harmful to SEO?
In most cases, redirects are not damaging to SEO if placed correctly. One bad move and all the troubles ranging from traffic loss, to Page Rank damage, get triggered. Redirect WordPress is a MUST for changes to the URLs of your WP site. You will not want to toil all over again, to gather the backlinks, and on building audience to an updated page.
What is a 301 vs. 302 redirects?
301 redirects are the permanent address of a new URL. Visitors and SE bots get notified that the URL is moved to another destination. Never apply 301 status codes if you desire to use that precise URL address again. In that condition, you must use the temporary 302 redirects.
In 301 redirects, the link juice associated with the old URL gets transported to the new one. That however, is not the case with 302 redirects.
Is it necessary to redirect protocol http to https?
If you plan to transfer your site to popular and secure https protocol, then you will need to redirect current http traffic towards https. If you don’t, Google will not be happy if your site is found on both http & https. The browser will also display a NOT SECURE notification when the site is not secured to an https connection. Google prefers https websites as they are more secure and faster. Visitors also expect tight security!
A 302 status codes mean that the available content of a page is temporarily available on a new location, and it will regain its old URL very soon.
How can you manage WP redirects easily?
WordPress redirects can be managed automatically by installing a user-friendly WP 301 redirect plugin. It is an essential tool that can keep your WordPress site healthy and fresh.
