.htaccess Redirect Generator — 301 Redirects Explained
A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect that tells browsers and search engines that a page has moved to a new location. It is the correct way to preserve SEO rankings, avoid broken links, and keep visitors from landing on dead pages when you restructure your website.
When Do You Need a 301 Redirect?
- URL changes: Renaming pages or changing your URL structure (e.g. moving from .html to clean URLs)
- Domain migrations: Moving your site to a new domain
- HTTP to HTTPS: Redirecting all traffic to the secure version
- Non-www to www: Standardizing your canonical domain
- Deleting pages: Pointing old pages to the most relevant replacement
Why 301 Instead of Other Redirects?
- 301 (Moved Permanently): Preserves SEO value — search engines transfer link equity to the new URL
- 302 (Found/Temporary): Keeps the old URL indexed; only use for temporary changes
- 307 (Temporary): Similar to 302 but method-preserving
Best Practices
- Always redirect to the most relevant page — never blanket-redirect everything to the homepage
- Keep redirect chains minimal; point to the final URL directly
- Test redirects after deploying to ensure no loops occur
- Keep 301 redirects in place permanently — browsers cache them aggressively