Redirects bad practices that can harm your website

Redirects are essential for directing users from old web pages to new addresses, whether it’s a large-scale migration of a website to a different domain or the relocation of individual pages. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the various types of redirects and provide insights on how to configure them properly. Correct redirect setup is crucial because if they are not configured correctly, it can negatively impact both the crawling of your website by search bots and the overall user experience.

What are redirects?

So, what exactly are redirects? Redirects involve transferring a user from one URL address to another. if the old one has been deleted or moved. Technically it works very easy. If the client browser requests the URL address of the old page, then your web server returns a 3xx status code and location with the new address in the HTTP header. Subsequently, the client’s browser automatically navigates to the new URL and retrieves the content from there.

What are the types of redirects?

Let’s explore the different types of redirects in more detail. There are two main types: permanent redirects and temporary redirects.

Permanent redirects, indicated by 301 and 308 status codes, are used when a page has been permanently moved to a new address. These redirects ensure that both users and search engines are directed to the new location, indicating that the old page is no longer available and should be replaced with the new one.

On the other hand, temporary redirects, identified by 302 and 307 status codes, signify that the page has changed its address temporarily and will be accessible again after a certain period. Temporary redirects are useful when you need to perform maintenance or make temporary changes to a page’s location.

Additionally, there are JavaScript redirects that utilize the window.location.href or window.location.replace function. With JavaScript redirects, the status code remains 200, but the URL in the browser’s address bar is updated, and the content of the new page is loaded. However, it’s worth noting that search engines, such as Google, may not process JavaScript redirects accurately. It is therefore recommended to use server redirects with appropriate status code changes for better compatibility and reliability.

Understanding the different types of redirects will help you make informed decisions when configuring redirects for your website. Now, let’s delve into best practices and common errors to ensure your redirects are set up correctly.

Why are redirects important?

Understanding the importance of redirects is crucial for maintaining a strong SEO strategy. Incorrectly configured redirects can have detrimental effects on your website’s search engine optimization. Let’s explore some of the negative consequences that can arise from improper redirect setup.

When a user attempts to access an old page that has been indexed, but the redirect is not correctly configured, they will be directed to a 404 page instead of the intended new page. This not only creates a poor user experience but also hampers their ability to reach the desired content. Additionally, search engines rely on redirects to replace old URL addresses with new ones in their indexes. If redirects are absent or contain errors, search engines like Google won’t be able to properly update the URLs, resulting in a loss of rankings and positions in the search engine results page (SERP).

There are various scenarios where incorrectly configured redirects can negatively impact your SEO efforts. It’s important to be aware of these cases and avoid the most common errors when setting up redirects. Now, let’s delve into these cases and explore how to ensure your redirects are properly configured to maximize your website’s SEO performance.

Using a temporary 302 redirect instead of a 301

One common mistake when setting up redirects is using a 302 redirect instead of a 301 redirect. While a temporary redirect is appropriate when a page has changed its address temporarily, there are instances where temporary redirects are misused.

For example, when redirecting from HTTP to HTTPS, it is highly unlikely that the website will ever revert to the non-secure HTTP protocol. In such cases, a 301 redirect should be used to indicate a permanent move to HTTPS, ensuring that search engines recognize and update the URLs accordingly.

Similarly, if a page has been deleted, it should return a 404 status code to indicate that it no longer exists. However, using a 302 redirect to a 404 page can confuse search engines, as they may interpret it as a temporary move rather than permanent deletion.

Another error to avoid is using a 302 redirect for pages that have actually moved permanently. While search engines may eventually treat a 302 redirect as permanent if the old URL remains inaccessible, it takes time for them to make this adjustment. As a result, the old address will continue to appear in the SERP for an extended period, rather than being replaced by the new one.

Redirect to homepage

One common practice that should be avoided is redirecting all deleted pages to the website’s homepage. While this may seem like a convenient solution, it is not recommended by Google. In fact, this approach can lead to a soft 404 error.

When a page is deleted and there is no equivalent replacement with similar content, it is best to allow the page to return a 404 or 410 status code. This indicates to search engines and users that the page no longer exists. By returning the appropriate status code, you provide clear information about the page’s absence, which is important for maintaining a healthy website structure.

Redirecting all deleted pages to the homepage can create confusion for both search engines and users. It gives the impression that the content still exists, leading to a poor user experience. It’s better to allow search engines to understand that the page is no longer available and focus on other relevant content on your website.

Redirects to avoid 404

Redirecting pages solely for the sake of redirecting is not recommended. It is normal for websites to have pages that return 404 or 410 status codes when the content is not available. These status codes inform both users and search engines that the requested page does not exist.

Redirecting all 404 or 410 pages to another location, such as the homepage, can actually degrade the user experience. Users expect to find relevant content when they visit a webpage, and redirecting them to a different page without similar content can lead to confusion and frustration.

Instead, it is best to handle 404 and 410 status codes appropriately. If you have created new pages that contain similar or equivalent content to replace the deleted ones, you can set up redirects to guide users to the relevant pages. This ensures a seamless transition for users and helps them find the information they are looking for.

However, if no suitable alternative content exists, it is recommended to allow the pages to return the appropriate status codes. This allows search engines to understand that the content is no longer available and prevents misleading redirects.

In addition, it is necessary to remove any links pointing to 404 and 410 pages in the HTML code of your website. By doing so, you reduce the frequency of search bots crawling these non-existent pages, which can help improve the crawling efficiency and overall performance of your website.

Redirect chains

A redirect chain refers to a series of consecutive redirects that occur when a user or search engine attempts to access a particular page. While redirects are useful for guiding users to the correct destination, having too many redirects in a chain can negatively impact performance and user experience.

When a redirect chain is encountered, the client browser needs to expend additional resources to follow each redirect until it reaches the final location. Similarly, search engine crawlers have limitations on how many redirects they will follow in a chain. Typically, search engines stop following redirects after encountering more than 5 redirects in a chain.

To optimize the handling of multiple page address changes, it is recommended to set up direct redirects from the original pages to the final destination. For example, if you have made changes to several pages (page 1, page 2, etc.) and the new addresses all point to page 5, it is advisable to set up individual redirects from each of the original pages to page 5. This way, you can bypass the intermediate redirects and provide a more efficient and seamless experience for users and search engines.

It is not necessary to maintain the entire redirect chain with all the intermediate URLs. By setting up direct redirects, you simplify the process and minimize the resources required to reach the desired destination. This approach helps ensure smoother navigation and faster access to content, enhancing both user satisfaction and search engine crawling efficiency.

Remember to periodically review and update your redirects to reflect any changes in page addresses and avoid unnecessary redirect chains. 

Redirect loop

A redirect loop occurs when a page is configured to redirect to itself, creating an endless cycle of redirection. This can happen due to misconfigurations or errors in the redirect rules. When a user or search engine bot tries to access the page, it gets trapped in the loop, resulting in an inability to reach the desired content.

Redirect loops can have detrimental effects on user experience and search engine optimization. Users will be unable to access the page they intended to visit, leading to frustration and a negative impression of the website. Additionally, search engine bots won’t be able to crawl and index the page’s content, causing it to lose visibility in search engine results.

Changing image URLs without redirects

During website migrations or when changing image URLs, it is common for redirects to be overlooked. However, our analysis of client logs has revealed a significant issue: search engines encounter numerous 404 status codes when attempting to access the old image links after the address change. This happens because search engine bots continue to scan the old image links for a certain period of time.

It is crucial to address this issue by configuring redirects specifically for image URLs. Failing to do so can result in search engines repeatedly encountering 404 errors, indicating that the requested image content is not found. By setting up redirects, you enable the bots to successfully crawl and index the updated image content. This is particularly important if your website receives a substantial amount of traffic from Google Images or other image search platforms. 

Also, remember to set up redirects to other pages on your website, even if they don’t seem important to you.

No redirects are set for replica/duplicate domains

It is important to address the issue of replicas or duplicates of a website that have different URLs. Even one different character in the URL can be seen as a distinct web address by search engines. Therefore, it is crucial to carefully examine these replicas and implement automatic page-by-page redirects to ensure a consistent user experience and maintain search engine visibility.

Here are some key redirects to consider for different replica domains.

• HTTP to HTTPS: If you have a replica of your website on the HTTP protocol, it is essential to redirect it to the secure HTTPS version. This ensures that users are securely accessing your website and prevents any potential security risks. Configure automatic redirects to direct users from the HTTP replica to the corresponding HTTPS replica.
• www to non-www (or vice versa): If you have replicas of your website with different variations of the “www” prefix, it is important to establish a consistent URL structure. Choose whether you want to use the “www” prefix or not and set up automatic redirects accordingly. This helps avoid confusion for users and ensures that search engines recognize your preferred URL format.
• Trailing slash on URLs: Another consideration is the presence or absence of a trailing slash (“/”) at the end of URLs. While this may seem like a minor detail, search engines treat URLs with and without trailing slashes as separate addresses. Decide on your preferred URL structure (with or without a trailing slash) and configure automatic redirects to ensure consistency throughout your website.

Only permanent redirects should be configured for the mentioned cases.

Remember to regularly monitor and update these redirects as you make changes to your website structure or URL preferences. 

No Redirects for case-sensitive URLs

As we mentioned above, even a single special character in a URL can make it a different page for search engines. While users may not notice whether links with uppercase or lowercase characters are used in the URL, search bots recognize them as two distinct URLs. Therefore, we strongly recommend setting up automatic permanent redirects to ensure consistency.

Disabling redirects is very quick after setup

Disabling redirects is often mistakenly perceived as a quick and viable action once the initial setup is complete. However, it is important to debunk this misconception. Even after search engines have thoroughly crawled and indexed all the new URL addresses, it is unwise to overlook the importance of redirects. Redirects play a critical role in maintaining the integrity of your website’s structure and preserving the user experience. In our experience, search bots can crawl pages with a redirect for even more than a year.

Instead of considering disabling redirects, it is best practice to keep them forever. By doing so, you ensure consistent and seamless navigation for both users and search engine bots. 

Conclusion

Broken and incorrect redirects not only compromise the user experience but also lead to a wastage of valuable crawl budget. It is crucial not only to establish redirects but also to actively track and manage them. By doing so, you can ensure optimal website performance and enhance user satisfaction.

When users encounter false redirects, they are directed to unintended pages or encounter broken links. This can be frustrating and disruptive to their browsing experience, potentially leading to high bounce rates and diminished engagement.

Furthermore, broken redirects can also impact your website’s crawl budget. Search engine bots allocate a limited amount of resources for crawling and indexing web pages. When false redirects are encountered, these resources are wasted on crawling unnecessary pages, preventing the bots from efficiently discovering and indexing new, relevant content. This can hinder the visibility and ranking potential of your website in search results.