When it comes to performing SEO on a real estate website, there are many things to consider. One tool that can help with this is the 301 redirect. A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect from one URL to another. It is a critical tool for webmasters, particularly those in the real estate industry. In this article, we will discuss what a 301 redirect is, why you should use it, and how to set it up properly.
What is a 301 redirect?
A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect from one URL to another. It tells search engines that the original URL has been permanently moved to the new URL. This is important because it ensures that any links that pointed to the original URL will now give the new URL the credit it deserves. This helps to preserve the authority of your website and can help to increase your search engine ranking.
Why should you use a 301 redirect?
There are many reasons why you might want to use a 301 redirect. One of the most common reasons is when you change the URL of a page on your website. Perhaps you have updated your website design, moved to a new content management system, or changed the structure of your website. In any of these cases, there may be URLs that are no longer valid. This could result in broken links, which can harm your website’s search engine ranking. By using a 301 redirect, you can ensure that any links to the old URL will now point to the correct URL.
Another reason to use a 301 redirect is when you merge two websites into one. If you have two websites that have similar content, you may choose to merge them into one website. This can be a great way to consolidate your online presence and maximize your search engine ranking. However, if you don’t use a 301 redirect to handle the old URLs, you could end up with broken links. This would harm your search engine ranking and could result in lost traffic.
How to set up a 301 redirect using .htaccess file
Setting up a 301 redirect is relatively simple. All you need is access to your web server’s .htaccess file. This file is typically located in the root directory of your website. Once you have access to the file, you can add a line of code that will tell the server to redirect any requests for the old URL to the new URL.
Here’s an example of what the code might look like:
redirect 301 /old-page.html https://www.yourdomain.com/new-page.html
This code tells the server to redirect any requests for “old-page.html” to “https://www.yourdomain.com/new-page.html”. You can include as many URLs as you need, using this format.
How to test to make sure your 301 worked:
After you have set up your 301 redirects, you should test them to make sure they are working properly. There are a few different tools you can use to do this. The easiest is to simply try accessing the old URL in your browser and see if you are redirected to the correct new URL. If the redirect is working properly, you should be automatically redirected to the new page.
Another method is to use a tool like Screaming Frog or Google Search Console. These tools will crawl your website and identify any broken links. If you still see broken links after setting up your 301 redirects, you may need to investigate further to determine what went wrong.
Conclusion: Using a 301 redirect for your real estate website can be a critical tool for maintaining your search engine ranking and preserving the authority of your website. By following the steps outlined in this article, you should be able to set up your own 301 redirects and ensure that any broken links are fixed. Remember to test your redirects thoroughly to make sure they are working as expected. With a little effort and attention to detail, you can keep your real estate website healthy and thriving.