301 redirect: what it is and when to use it

What is a 301 redirect

A 301 redirect is an HTTP server response with the status code 301 Moved Permanently, telling the browser and search engine crawlers that the requested page has permanently moved to a new URL. This is a permanent redirect, unlike a temporary 302.

With a 301 redirect, the browser automatically goes to the new URL, and the user barely notices the redirect.

Why use a 301 redirect

A 301 redirect is used in the following cases:

• Site migration — changing the domain (example.ru → example.com)
• URL change — restructuring site sections
• HTTP → HTTPS — forcing a redirect to the secure version
• www → non-www — standardizing domain versions
• Deleted pages — redirecting to a relevant current page

How to configure a 301 redirect

Nginx

# Постоянный редирект одной страницы
location /old-page {
    return 301 /new-page;
}

# Смена домена
server {
    server_name old-domain.com;
    return 301 https://new-domain.com$request_uri;
}

# HTTP → HTTPS
server {
    listen 80;
    return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
}

Apache (.htaccess)

# Одна страница
Redirect 301 /old-page /new-page

# Вся папка
RedirectMatch 301 ^/old-section/(.*) /new-section/$1

# Смена домена
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^old-domain\.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule (.*) https://new-domain.com/$1 [R=301,L]

Next.js

// next.config.js
async redirects() {
  return [{
    source: '/old-page',
    destination: '/new-page',
    permanent: true, // это 301
  }];
}

SEO impact of a 301 redirect

Google passes almost all link equity (PageRank) through 301 redirects. It was previously believed that 15% was lost; Google now says that all of it is passed on.

Important: Redirect chains reduce effectiveness:

/page → /page-v2 → /page-v3  ← плохо
/page → /page-v3              ← хорошо

Check redirects with reChecker

Use Redirect Checker to analyze redirect chains. The tool shows:

• All redirects and their status codes
• The number of steps in the chain
• The final destination URL
• The time taken by each redirect

FAQ

What is the difference between 301 and 302? 301 is permanent (permanent), and search engines update their index. 302 is temporary (found), and search engines retain the original URL. Use 301 for permanent changes.

Does a 301 redirect slow down loading? Each redirect adds an HTTP round trip (100–300 ms). Minimize chains and remove intermediate redirects.

How long does a 301 redirect pass on link equity? Indefinitely, as long as the redirect is active. Google updates its index gradually—it may take several weeks after setup.