# What is a 301 redirect?

A 301 redirect is a permanent server response that sends visitors and search engines from an old URL to a new one, and Google treats it as a signal that the new URL should be the one shown in search results.

- Canonical URL: https://movermarketing.ai/learn/glossary/301-redirect
- Topic: [Glossary](https://movermarketing.ai/learn/glossary)
- Format: Glossary
- Publisher: Mover Marketing AI, reviewed by Nicholas DiMoro

## Learning objectives

After reading this article you will be able to:

- Define a 301 redirect
- Tell permanent redirects apart from temporary ones

## What is a 301 redirect?

A 301 redirect is a server response that says a page has "moved permanently" to a new URL. Browsers follow it automatically, and so do search engines. A visitor who opens the old address lands on the new one.

Google treats it as more than a forward. It says that with a permanent redirect, "the indexing pipeline uses the redirect as a signal that the redirect target should be canonical."

## How is a 301 different from a 302?

The number tells search engines how long the move lasts:

| Type | Codes | What Google shows in search results |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent | 301, 308 | "the new redirect target" |
| Temporary | 302, 303, 307 | "the source page" |

Google says to use permanent redirects "when you're sure that the redirect won't be reverted."

## When does a moving company need one?

Whenever a page's address changes for good: a redesign with new URLs, a service page that's been merged into another, or a move to a new domain. Each old URL should redirect straight to its closest new page, not through a chain of redirects. See [how to redesign a website without losing rankings](https://movermarketing.ai/learn/websites/website-redesign-without-losing-rankings).

Redirects are also one of the ways Google picks a page's preferred URL. See [what is a canonical tag](https://movermarketing.ai/learn/glossary/canonical-tag).

## FAQs

### What's the difference between a 301 and a 302 redirect?

A 301 is permanent and a 302 is temporary. Google says permanent redirects show the new URL in search results, while temporary redirects show the original URL.

### Is a 301 redirect good for SEO?

It's the right choice when a page has moved for good. Google uses a permanent redirect as a signal that the target should be canonical, and recommends server-side permanent redirects such as 301 and 308 for site moves.

## Related articles

- [How to redesign a website without losing rankings](https://movermarketing.ai/learn/websites/website-redesign-without-losing-rankings)
- [What is a canonical tag?](https://movermarketing.ai/learn/glossary/canonical-tag)

## Sources

- [Google Search Central: Redirects and Google Search](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/301-redirects)
- [Google Search Central: How to specify a canonical URL with rel="canonical" and other methods](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/consolidate-duplicate-urls)