Redirects and canonicals

When a page moves, every old link to it still exists somewhere, such as in search results, other sites, bookmarks, emails and AI answers. A redirect map keeps those links working. Canonical signals tell search engines and agents which address is the one.

Required

• Keep every old address in one redirect map

  Required

  Keep every address you have ever published in one redirect map, and check it before any other route. Never delete an entry.

• Send each old page to its closest new page

  Required

  Redirect each old address to the new page that best replaces it. Never send many old pages to the home page.

• Link only to final addresses

  Required

  Link only to addresses that answer 200. Never link to a redirect from your own pages, sitemap, feeds or canonical tags.

• Use the right redirect code

  Required

  Use a server-side permanent redirect (301 or 308) for anything that moved for good. Use a temporary one (302, 303 or 307) only for short-term changes.

• Make every canonical signal agree

  Required

  Give each page one canonical address, and make the canonical tag, sitemap, Open Graph address, hreflang links and internal links all use exactly that address.

Recommended

• Answer 404 or 410 when a page is gone for good

  Recommended

  Answer unknown addresses and content removed with no replacement with 404 or 410 and a helpful page. Never show "not found" with a 200, and never send unknown pages to the home page.

• Move a site or domain without losing links

  Recommended

  When a whole site or domain moves, redirect every old address one to one. Keep the redirects as long as possible, and at least a year.

• Watch for broken old links

  Recommended

  Check regularly which missing addresses people still request, and add a redirect for the ones with a replacement.

Optional

• Say who made each redirect

  Optional

  Name the system that made each redirect in a Redirect-By header, so you can trace redirects.

Avoid

• Avoid meta refresh and JavaScript redirects

  Avoid

  Don't redirect with <meta http-equiv="refresh"> or JavaScript. Do it on the server.