# 301 redirect

> What the 301 status code means, why it signals the move to the new address to search engines, and which mistake happens most often during a relaunch.

Synonyms: 301, permanent redirect, redirect, URL redirect

Every page has an address. When it changes — in a relaunch, a restructure or a migration — every existing link to the old address leads nowhere. A 301 status code (a "301 redirect") catches that: anyone opening the old address arrives at the new one without a detour.

The 301 is the *permanent* variant. It tells search engines and AI systems not only "carry on here" but also "transfer what you knew about the old address to the new one". That is precisely why it is the tool of choice for carrying built-up visibility through a properly handled migration. Its counterpart, the 302, means "temporarily only" — using it by mistake gives away exactly that transfer.

The most common mistake in a relaunch is not the wrong redirect but the missing one. Every old address needs a destination, ideally the one that matches in substance rather than the homepage by default. Chains of several redirects should be resolved, and destinations that lead nowhere need checking before the old site is switched off.

How redirects work together with sitemaps and canonicals: [Found on Google](https://btlabs.dev/en/found-on-google).

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Source: https://btlabs.dev/en/glossary/301-redirect
Last-Modified: 2026-09-25T11:15:06.269Z
Languages: [de](https://btlabs.dev/llms/de/glossary/301-weiterleitung) · [it](https://btlabs.dev/llms/it/glossary/reindirizzamento-301)
See also: [llms.txt](https://btlabs.dev/llms.txt) · [ai.txt (Policy)](https://btlabs.dev/ai.txt) · [identity.json](https://btlabs.dev/identity.json)