What is a 301 Redirect?
A 301 redirect is an HTTP status code that permanently redirects one URL to another, passing most of the original link equity to the new destination.
How Does 301 Redirect Work?
When a website page moves to a new URL, a 301 redirect tells browsers and search engines that the move is permanent. This is the most common method for preserving search engine rankings when restructuring a site, changing domain names, or consolidating duplicate content under a single canonical URL.
Implementing 301 redirects correctly is critical for SEO because search engines transfer most of the ranking power from the old URL to the new one. They can be configured through server configuration files like .htaccess on Apache, through your hosting control panel, or programmatically within your application code.