301 redirect
A 301 redirect is a permanent signal to browsers and search engines that a page has moved permanently to a new address.
The number 301 is an HTTP status code. Unlike a temporary redirect (302), it tells Google: forget the old URL and transfer all SEO value (backlinks, index history) to the new one. Without 301 redirects during a website redesign, you lose a search position built up over years - the new page starts from zero.
The critical point of every redesign: if the URL structure changes (new page addresses), there must be a map of old URL → new URL, not just reliance on Google to "somehow" sort it out on its own.
In a website redesign this is one of the first steps, not an afterthought - preserving SEO value is part of the brief, not a bonus.
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