HTTP 301 Moved Permanently

What It Means

The HTTP 301 Moved Permanently status code indicates that the requested resource has been permanently moved to a new URL. Clients should update their bookmarks and search engines will transfer SEO value to the new URL.

SEO Impact

PageRank Transfer

301 redirects pass approximately 90-99% of link equity (PageRank) to the new URL. Search engines treat the new URL as the canonical version.

When to Use 301

Domain changes: Moving from old-domain.com to new-domain.com
URL restructuring: Changing /blog/post-123 to /articles/post-title
HTTPS migration: Redirecting HTTP to HTTPS
Merging content: Combining duplicate pages
www normalization: Redirecting www to non-www (or vice versa)

Example Response

HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://example.com/new-page
Content-Type: text/html

<html>
<body>
  This page has moved to
  <a href="https://example.com/new-page">here</a>.
</body>
</html>

301 vs 302 vs 308

Code	Type	SEO
301	Permanent, may change method	Passes link equity
302	Temporary	Keeps original indexed
308	Permanent, preserves method	Passes link equity

Implementation Examples

Nginx

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name old-domain.com;
    return 301 https://new-domain.com$request_uri;
}

Apache (.htaccess)

Redirect 301 /old-page https://example.com/new-page

Next.js

// next.config.js
module.exports = {
  async redirects() {
    return [
      {
        source: '/old-page',
        destination: '/new-page',
        permanent: true, // 301
      },
    ]
  },
}

Common Mistakes

Redirect chains: A → B → C. Keep it to one hop
Redirect loops: A → B → A causes infinite loops
Using 301 for temporary changes: Use 302 instead
Not updating internal links: Fix links, don't rely on redirects

Frequently Asked Questions

What does HTTP 301 Moved Permanently mean?

HTTP 301 Moved Permanently indicates that the requested resource has been permanently moved to a new URL provided in the Location header. Browsers and search engines will update their references to use the new URL.

How does a 301 redirect affect SEO?

A 301 redirect passes approximately 90-99% of link equity (ranking power) to the new URL. Search engines treat the new URL as the canonical version and will eventually de-index the old URL. This is the recommended redirect type for permanent URL changes.

What is the difference between 301 and 302?

A 301 is permanent and tells search engines to transfer SEO value to the new URL. A 302 is temporary and tells search engines to keep the original URL indexed. Use 301 for permanent moves (domain changes, URL restructuring) and 302 for temporary redirects (A/B tests, maintenance).

Can 301 redirects cause problems?

Yes. Common issues include redirect chains (A to B to C), redirect loops (A to B to A), and incorrectly using 301 for temporary changes. Each redirect adds latency, and chains waste crawl budget. Keep redirects to a single hop and update internal links to point directly to the final URL.

How do I monitor 301 redirects?

UptimeSignal can monitor the original URL and verify it redirects correctly to the new destination. If the redirect breaks or the destination becomes unavailable, you get alerted immediately. This is critical during domain migrations.