What Are 301 Redirects, and When Do You Need One?

A 301 redirect is a quiet, invisible instruction that sends anyone trying to reach an old URL straight to a new one instead — no broken link, no dead end, just a seamless handoff.

Why the "301" matters

The number specifically means "moved permanently." That distinction tells search engines to transfer the old page's ranking value to the new address, rather than treating it as a temporary detour. Get this wrong and you can lose search visibility you'd already earned.

When you actually need one

• Renaming a page's URL after publishing it
• Retiring an old page but keeping a similar one elsewhere
• Switching domains entirely, covered in moving from an old website to a new one
• Fixing a URL structure that changed during a redesign or rebuild

What happens if you skip it

Anyone with the old link — a bookmark, an old business card, a link from another site — lands on a dead page instead of your content. Search engines eventually notice the missing page too, and any ranking that page had built up over time can quietly evaporate.

You don't need to manage this yourself

Setting up a redirect is a quick, one-time technical step handled during a rebuild or URL change — not something you need to think about day to day once it's in place.