Main Types of Redirects

Main Types of Redirects:

1. 301 Moved Permanently:
   • Used for permanent redirection from one URL to another.
   • Transfers "link equity" (SEO significance).
   • Applied when changing domains, site structures.
   • .htaccess:
     Apache

      

      Redirect 301 /old-page.html http://www.example.com/new-page.html 

     Or for the entire site:
     Apache

      

      RewriteEngine On RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.newdomain.com/$1 [R=301,L] 

   • PHP:
     PHP

      

      <?php header("HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently"); header("Location: http://www.example.com/new-page.php"); exit(); ?> 

   • JavaScript:
     JavaScript

      

      window.location.replace("http://www.example.com/new-page.html"); 

2. 302 Found / 302 Moved Temporarily:
   • Used for temporary redirection.
   • Does not transfer "link equity."
   • Applied during technical maintenance, A/B testing.
   • .htaccess:
     Apache

      

      Redirect 302 /temp-page.html http://www.example.com/temp-new-page.html 

   • PHP:
     PHP

      

      <?php header("HTTP/1.1 302 Found"); header("Location: http://www.example.com/temp-new-page.php"); exit(); ?> 

   • JavaScript:
     JavaScript

      

      window.location.replace("http://www.example.com/temporary-page.html"); 

3. 307 Temporary Redirect:
   • Similar to 302, but preserves the request method (e.g., POST).
   • PHP:
     PHP

      

      <?php header("HTTP/1.1 307 Temporary Redirect"); header("Location: http://www.example.com/temp-new-page.php"); exit(); ?> 

4. 308 Permanent Redirect:
   • Similar to 301, but preserves the request method.
   • PHP:
     PHP

      

      <?php header("HTTP/1.1 308 Permanent Redirect"); header("Location: http://www.example.com/new-page.php"); exit(); ?> 

5. Meta Refresh Tag:
   • Implemented via HTML.
   • Not recommended for SEO.
   • Rarely used.
   • HTML:
     HTML

      

      <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="5;url=http://www.example.com/new-page.html"> 

6. JavaScript Redirect:
   • Implemented using JavaScript.
   • Not recommended for SEO.
   • Used for redirects based on user actions.
   • JavaScript:
     JavaScript

      

      window.location.href = "http://www.example.com/new-page.html"; 

Comments on Usage:

• 301: For permanent URL changes, preserving SEO.
• 302: For temporary redirects, A/B testing.
• 307 and 308: For preserving the request method when it's crucial.
• Meta refresh tag: For simple client-side redirects (not recommended for SEO).
• JavaScript redirect: For dynamic client-side redirects.

Key Points:

• Choosing the correct redirect type is critical for SEO and user experience.
• .htaccess is processed by the web server, making redirects fast.
• PHP redirects are executed server-side, providing flexibility.
• JavaScript redirects are executed client-side.
• When using PHP redirects, ensure the redirect code executes before any browser output.
• JavaScript redirects may not work if the user has JavaScript disabled.