Editor’s Notice: That is half one in every of a two-part collection on making a 301 redirect technique as a part of the web site redesign course of. Half two, “search engine optimisation: Find out how to Create a 301 Redirect Map, for Web site Redesigns,” we revealed subsequently.

In most web site redesigns, SEO depends on an correct, full, and flawlessly executed 301 redirect technique.

An ironclad 301 redirect technique preserves as a lot as 85 % of the hyperlink authority that the present web site has earned over its lifetime and funnels it into the brand new web site to provide it a powerful begin. These 301 redirects command search engines like google to switch hyperlink authority and belief from the outdated URL to the brand new one. With out 301 redirects, the brand new URLs have to start out over from zero to earn the flexibility to rank in pure search and drive clients and gross sales.

I’ve seen redirect methods save redesign launches, and I’ve seen the shortage of them destroy a web site’s pure search efficiency. To see some examples, see “search engine optimisation Site visitors Modifications When URLs Change,” my earlier article on that subject.

Why are redirect methods so necessary to search engine optimisation? Consider a web site’s hyperlink authority like an enormous, chilly glass of essentially the most superb juice ever. The outdated web site has all of that superb juice, however the newly redesigned web site is losing away in a parched, windblown desert. The redesigned web site has no juice to maintain it as a result of its URLs are model new: no hyperlinks to create authority, no historical past to create belief, no indexation to create relevance. The redesigned web site desperately wants that tumbler of juice to provide it life. The 301 redirect technique maps out which of the outdated URLs must pour their juice into every of the brand new URLs, giving the redesigned web site a lift of a lot wanted and hard-earned hyperlink authority.

What Is a 301 Redirect?

A 301 everlasting redirect is an HTTP server response standing code. When a browser (or a search bot) requests a web page from the net server and the web page hundreds within the browser, the very first thing the server sends again to the browser is a 200 OK response standing code. The 200 OK standing tells the browser, “Sure, there’s a web page at this URL, every part is ok and I’m sending you the web page to show now.”

In contrast, when the server sends the browser a 301 everlasting redirect it’s saying, “Oh, wait, this web page moved and it’s by no means coming again to this URL. Right here’s the brand new URL to request, I’m sending you there now.”

For search engine optimisation, the 301 redirect is critically necessary within the redesign course of as a result of solely the 301 everlasting redirect accomplishes all three of those targets:

  1. Redirect the requestor (clients and bots);
  2. Cross 85 % of the hyperlink authority and belief to the brand new URL;
  3. Immediate the various search engines to de-index the outdated URL.

Builders sometimes create the precise redirects, as a result of the redirects normally must both be written manually as common expressions or managed throughout the admin interface for the location’s platform. There are lots of different methods to redirect or end-of-life a web page, however none of them accomplish all three of the targets above. Builders could recommend one other methodology, however you must insist on 301 redirects for redirect methods.

  • 302 momentary redirects solely redirect the client; they don’t cross hyperlink authority or immediate de-indexation.
  • 404 file not discovered errors solely immediate de-indexation; they waste the web page’s hyperlink authority.
  • Canonical tags request that the various search engines cross hyperlink authority to an actual copy of that web page at a unique URL. Search engine could ignore that request, and in a redesign the outdated and new pages will definitely not be actual copies of one another.
  • Meta refresh and JavaScript redirects solely redirect the client, they don’t cross hyperlink authority.

Sadly, redirects are usually amongst builders’ least favourite duties as a result of they’re time consuming and require in depth testing. Creating an in depth 301-redirect technique may help ease the burden.

Find out how to Create a 301 Redirect Technique

The primary piece of the technique is solely a redirect map – a spreadsheet that accommodates outdated URLs paired up with the brand new URLs to which they’re most related. In complete, a redirect technique accommodates the next items:

  • Record of stakeholders;
  • Timeline as a part of the bigger redesign timeline;
  • 301 redirect map;
  • Testing plan;
  • Measurement plan.

At the start of the redesign challenge, make sure that the 301-redirect technique is a part of the general challenge timeline. Work with the challenge driver to find out which milestones the redirect technique must intersect and who the stakeholders must be at every level.

As a common guideline, the redirect map can solely be accomplished after the redesign URLs are finalized. Finalizing URLs on the finish means a rush to finish the map and a big undesirable burden on the builders as they’re making an attempt to hammer out the ultimate bugs earlier than launch. Set the deadline for finalizing URLs as early as attainable – proper after the sitemap or structure of the location has been finalized. When the record of pages and the way all of them join by way of the navigation is full, the URLs might be assigned.

Finalizing URLs early additionally forces conversations round edge circumstances for touchdown web page URLs for e mail packages, associates, paid search, analytics monitoring, and different exceptions that didn’t make it into the sitemap planning. Getting these items out of the way in which early within the growth course of makes for a a lot smoother course of because the timeline will get tight towards the tip of the event cycle.

Itemizing URLs for the 301 Redirect Map

When the brand new URLs are finalized, create a spreadsheet with the brand new URLs and their web page names and numeric identifiers from the wireframe or sitemap. These are the URLs you’ll 301 redirect to — i.e., the vacation spot URLs.

Create one other record of the outdated URLs, the URLs that exist immediately on the location. The record of outdated URLs ought to include the URL and the web page identify or title tag, whichever is best to incorporate. Mix information from a number of sources and take away the duplicates on the finish.

  • Crawl the location. Uncover each file on the location and export a listing of all recordsdata full with title tags, meta descriptions, and plenty of different helpful items of knowledge. If the location is giant and the device runs out of reminiscence earlier than ending, restrict the crawler to crawl solely HTML recordsdata or run a number of crawls restricted to particular subdomains or directories. Strive Hyperlink Sleuth or Screaming Frog search engine optimisation Spider. Hyperlink Sleuth is free, however search engine optimisation Spider has extra options that might be very helpful for those who plan to make use of it regularly.
  • Analytics. Export pure search touchdown web page experiences from net analytics to get a listing of the URLs that search engines like google ship visits to. This report will nearly actually include surprising URLs. If the analytics bundle tracks web page identify quite than URL, a customized report might be wanted to get to the precise URL.
  • Webmaster Instruments. Export experiences of the pure search touchdown web page URLs and the pages which have acquired hyperlinks. These are crucial pages for a web site’s search engine optimisation as a result of the search engine is aware of about them and has already assigned some worth to them.
  • Scrape the index. One of the simplest ways to find a web site’s mud bunnies hiding in Google’s index is to make use of a “web site: question” search on Google. For instance, if the location lives at www.fakesite.com, simply Google “web site: www.fakesite.com” and Google will return a listing of the pages it has listed. Restrict the question to particular elements of the location to get a extra full record. For instance, Googling “web site: fakesite.com” with out the www will return a listing of pages listed with out the www subdomain. If the primary web site is hosted on the www subdomain, then every part with out www is one thing additional or unintended or forgotten. Perhaps there’s an “data” subdomain within the listings, so altering the question to “web site: data.fakesite.com” would give a listing of all of the pages Google has listed on the “data” subdomain. Typically remnants of previous designs and forgotten advertising campaigns are nonetheless listed. Including these outdated pages to the 301 redirect map will concurrently get them out of the index so nobody unintentionally stumbles on them and likewise harvest no matter hyperlink authority they could nonetheless have to learn the redesigned web site.
  • Ask different stakeholders. Different advertising channels use touchdown pages at devoted URLs or monitoring parameters to measure the success of their packages. In some circumstances, this system will stop to perform if the URLs change with out discover. Ask for a listing of URLs from the homeowners of the associates program, e mail advertising, paid search, samples and coupons, analytics monitoring, and every other initiative that depends on specialised URLs. They’ll have the ability to let you know if a URL ought to or mustn’t change primarily based on the redesign. Collectively, work out easy methods to deal with it within the redirect map so that every one URLs that want to alter or keep the identical are captured in a single place for the builders to motion.

At this level there are two lists: outdated URLs and new URLs. The following step within the course of is to merge the 2 lists and create a spreadsheet that matches each outdated URL with essentially the most related new URL attainable. The following installment will element easy methods to create the 301 redirect map, in addition to determine the weather wanted in a testing plan and measurement plan to spherical out the 301 redirect technique.

See half two, “search engine optimisation: Find out how to Create a 301 Redirect Map, for Web site Redesigns.”