What to do when you move or delete a page.
Pages move. Products get discontinued. Domain names change. If you do not redirect the old address to the new one, you lose visitors, you lose rankings, and you lose the trust you built with search engines and AI tools.
Imagine moving your shop but not telling anyone the new address.
Victor owns an auto repair shop in Mandaluyong. Business was growing, so he invested in a proper website on a new domain. He moved everything over one weekend — new design, new domain name, new hosting. The old site went dark on Monday morning.
Within two weeks, his phone stopped ringing. The customers who used to find him through Google were now landing on a dead page. Google had no idea where Victor’s shop went. Neither did ChatGPT, Perplexity, or any other AI search tool that used to recommend his business. All the search visibility he had built over three years vanished because he forgot one critical step: telling search engines where his pages moved.
That step is called a redirect.
A redirect is a simple instruction that says: “This page has moved. Send everyone — visitors and search engines alike — to the new address automatically.” It happens instantly, behind the scenes. Your visitor types the old URL or clicks an old link, and they arrive at the right page without ever seeing an error.
This article explains when you need redirects, how they work, and how to set them up on any platform — even if you have never touched a line of code.
Every URL is an address. Addresses need forwarding.
When you move to a new house, you set up mail forwarding at the post office. Every letter sent to your old address gets rerouted to the new one. A redirect does the same thing for web addresses.
Without a redirect, three bad things happen:
- Visitors see a “Page Not Found” error. They leave immediately. Most will not try to find your new page — they will go to a competitor instead.
- Google drops your rankings. The old page had earned its position through backlinks, content quality, and visitor engagement. When Google visits that URL and finds nothing, it removes the page from search results. The ranking value is gone.
- AI search tools stop recommending you. ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Copilot all rely on indexed web content. If your pages return errors, these tools have no content to cite. Your business disappears from AI-generated answers too.
Gabriella learned this the hard way. She runs a clothing boutique in Makati and decided to remove thirty old product pages for items she no longer sells. She deleted them outright — no redirects. Those pages had been linked to from fashion blogs, social media posts, and her own Google Business Profile. Every single link now pointed to a dead end. Her organic traffic dropped by forty percent in one month.
301 vs. 302 — permanent vs. temporary.
There are many types of redirects, but only two matter for business owners: the 301 and the 302.
301 redirect — “This page has moved permanently.”
A 301 redirect tells Google and every other search engine: the old address is gone for good. Please update your records and transfer the ranking value to the new address.
Use a 301 when:
- You move your entire website to a new domain (like Victor did)
- You delete a product page and want to send visitors to a related category instead (like Gabriella should have done)
- You change a page’s URL structure (from
/menu-items/adoboto/food/adobo) - You merge two pages into one
- You switch from HTTP to HTTPS
The 301 is your default choice for nearly every redirect situation. When in doubt, use a 301.
302 redirect — “This page has moved temporarily.”
A 302 redirect tells search engines: the old page is coming back. Do not transfer the ranking value yet. Keep the original URL in your index.
Use a 302 when:
- You are running a temporary promotion and want to send the homepage to a sale page for a week
- You are redesigning a single page and need to send traffic somewhere else while you work on it
- You are A/B testing two different versions of a page
Most small business owners will rarely need a 302. If the change is permanent, always use a 301.
Five situations every business owner will face.
1. You change your domain name
This is the biggest redirect job. Every page on your old domain needs a 301 redirect to the matching page on the new domain. Not just the homepage — every single page. Victor’s mistake was moving his domain without redirecting anything. His old domain had dozens of indexed pages, each with its own ranking history. All of that authority vanished overnight.
2. You delete or discontinue a page
When Gabriella removed her old product pages, each one should have redirected to the most relevant alternative — the parent category page, a similar product, or at minimum the homepage. This preserves the link value those pages had earned and gives visitors a useful destination instead of an error.
3. You restructure your URLs
Rodel runs a restaurant in Taguig. When he redesigned his website, his developer changed the menu URL structure from /menu-items/sinigang to /our-menu/soups/sinigang. The new structure was more organized, but every old URL became a dead link. Dozens of review sites, food blogs, and social media posts linked to the old addresses. Without redirects, all of those links pointed nowhere.
4. You redesign your entire site
Nina owns a salon in Quezon City. She hired a developer to build a completely new website. The new site looked beautiful, but the developer built it from scratch with entirely new page names. The old “Services” page was at /services. The new one was at /what-we-offer. The old “Book Now” page was at /book. The new one was at /appointments. Without redirects for every changed URL, Nina’s search rankings collapsed within weeks.
5. You switch from HTTP to HTTPS
If your site switches from http:// to https:// (which it should, for security), every HTTP URL needs a 301 redirect to its HTTPS equivalent. Most hosting providers and platforms handle this automatically, but it is worth verifying.
Platform-by-platform instructions.
WordPress
WordPress does not have built-in redirect management, but popular SEO plugins make it straightforward:
- Rank Math: Go to Rank Math → Redirections. Click “Add New.” Enter the old URL in the Source field and the new URL in the Destination field. Select “301 Permanent” as the redirect type. Save.
- Yoast Premium: Go to Yoast SEO → Redirects. Add the old and new URLs. The free version of Yoast does not include this feature.
- Redirection plugin (free): Install the Redirection plugin from the WordPress plugin directory. Go to Tools → Redirection. Add your source URL, target URL, and select the redirect type.
Shopify
Shopify has built-in redirect support. Go to your Shopify admin → Online Store → Navigation. Scroll down to “URL Redirects.” Click “Create URL redirect.” Enter the old path (just the part after your domain) and the new path. Shopify automatically creates a 301 redirect. Shopify also creates redirects automatically when you change a product or page URL, as long as you check the “Create a URL redirect” box.
Wix
In your Wix dashboard, go to SEO Tools → URL Redirect Manager. Click “New Redirect.” Choose “Single Redirect” for one page or “Group Redirect” for multiple pages with a similar pattern. Enter the old and new URLs. Select 301 (Permanent) or 302 (Temporary). Save.
Squarespace
Go to Settings → Advanced → URL Mappings. Add a redirect rule in this format: /old-page -> /new-page 301. Each rule goes on its own line. Squarespace processes these from top to bottom.
Custom or static sites
If you have a custom-built website, your developer can set up redirects in the server configuration. On Apache servers, this is done in the .htaccess file. On Nginx servers, it goes in the server configuration file. If your site is hosted on a service like Hostinger, Cloudflare, or Netlify, each has its own redirect management interface. Ask your developer or hosting provider for help.
Six redirect errors that cost you traffic.
1. Not setting up redirects at all
This is the most common mistake. You delete a page or change a URL, and you simply forget about the old address. Every link pointing to that old address — from Google, from other websites, from your own social media posts — now leads to an error page. Victor and Gabriella both made this mistake. Do not repeat it.
2. Redirecting everything to the homepage
When you remove a product page, sending visitors to the homepage is better than showing an error, but only slightly. Google treats mass homepage redirects as “soft 404s” — it recognises that the destination is not truly relevant to the original page and may not pass the full ranking value. Whenever possible, redirect to the most relevant alternative page. Gabriella’s discontinued dress pages should redirect to her dresses category, not the homepage.
3. Using 302 when you mean 301
If the move is permanent, use a 301. A 302 tells Google to keep checking the old address because the page might come back. This delays the transfer of ranking value and can leave Google confused about which URL to show in results.
4. Creating redirect chains
A redirect chain happens when Page A redirects to Page B, which redirects to Page C, which redirects to Page D. Each hop adds loading time for visitors. More importantly, Google may stop following the chain after a few hops. Rodel’s restaurant site had this problem — after three rounds of URL changes over the years, some of his menu pages had three redirects stacked on top of each other. The solution is simple: always redirect from the original URL directly to the final destination. If you already have chains, update the old redirects to point straight to the current page.
5. Creating redirect loops
A redirect loop is when Page A redirects to Page B, and Page B redirects back to Page A. The browser bounces back and forth endlessly until it gives up and shows an error. This happens more often than you would expect, especially when multiple people manage redirects. Always test your redirects after setting them up.
6. Removing redirects too soon
Some site owners clean up their redirect lists after a few months, thinking the job is done. But other websites may link to your old URLs for years. Google itself may take months to fully process a redirect. Keep your 301 redirects in place permanently. They cost nothing and continue protecting your traffic indefinitely.
Why redirects matter for ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Copilot.
AI search tools do not maintain their own independent index of the web (with some exceptions). They largely depend on content that has been indexed by Google, Bing, and other traditional search engines. This means redirects affect AI search visibility in two important ways.
First, if your old URLs return errors instead of redirecting, the content at those addresses disappears from search indexes. AI tools that previously cited your business can no longer find the information. Your pages stop appearing in AI-generated answers.
Second, some AI crawlers — like those used by Perplexity and OpenAI — also crawl the web directly. When these crawlers encounter a properly configured 301 redirect, they follow it to the new page and update their records. When they encounter a dead page, they have nothing to work with.
Nina discovered this after her salon’s redesign. Not only did her Google rankings drop, but she also noticed that ChatGPT stopped recommending her salon when customers asked for hair treatment recommendations in her area. The AI tools had lost access to her service pages because the old URLs — the ones the AI had previously indexed — were all returning errors.
Proper redirects keep your content accessible everywhere people search, whether they are using Google, asking ChatGPT, querying Perplexity, or getting suggestions from Copilot.
What to do before, during, and after a URL change.
Before the change
- List every URL that will change. Open a spreadsheet. In column A, write every old URL. In column B, write the new destination for each one. Do not skip any page.
- Check Google Search Console. Look at which of your pages currently appear in Google. Make sure every indexed page that is moving has a redirect planned.
- Decide on the redirect type. For permanent changes, use 301. For temporary changes, use 302. When in doubt, use 301.
During the change
- Set up all redirects before (or at the same time as) the URL change. Do not wait. The moment the old URL stops working, visitors and search engines start losing access.
- Test every redirect. Visit each old URL in your browser. Verify that it lands on the correct new page. Check on both desktop and mobile.
After the change
- Submit your updated sitemap to Google Search Console so Google discovers the new URLs faster.
- Monitor Google Search Console for the next few weeks. Look for crawl errors, 404 pages, or indexing issues.
- Update your internal links. While redirects handle external links and search engines, update the links within your own site to point directly to the new URLs. This removes unnecessary redirect hops for your visitors.
- Update your Google Business Profile, social media profiles, and any directory listings to reflect the new URLs.
Moving to a new domain deserves extra care.
A domain change is the biggest redirect operation you will ever do. Every single page on your old domain needs a 301 redirect to the equivalent page on the new domain. Here is what Victor should have done:
- Keep the old domain active. Do not let it expire. You need it live so the redirects can work. Renew it for at least two more years.
- Set up page-by-page redirects.
oldsite.com/servicesredirects tonewsite.com/services.oldsite.com/contactredirects tonewsite.com/contact. Every page maps to its equivalent. - Use the Change of Address tool in Google Search Console. This tells Google directly that your site has moved to a new domain and speeds up the transition.
- Monitor both domains in Google Search Console for at least six months to make sure Google is properly transitioning.
Victor eventually set up his redirects two months after the move. He recovered about sixty percent of his lost traffic within three months. Had he done it from day one, the loss would have been minimal.
Common questions about redirects.
What is a redirect and why does my website need one?
A redirect is an instruction that automatically sends visitors and search engines from one URL to another. You need redirects whenever you move a page to a new address, delete a page, change your domain name, or restructure your URLs. Without a redirect, anyone visiting the old address sees a “Page Not Found” error, and any search rankings that page earned are lost.
What is the difference between a 301 and a 302 redirect?
A 301 tells search engines the move is permanent. Google transfers the ranking value from the old URL to the new one. A 302 tells search engines the move is temporary and the old page will come back. Google keeps the ranking value on the original URL. For most business situations — domain changes, deleted products, restructured URLs — you want a 301.
Will I lose my Google rankings if I move a page to a new URL?
If you set up a proper 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one, Google transfers most of your ranking value to the new address. There may be a brief dip in rankings during the transition, but it typically recovers within a few weeks. Without a redirect, you will almost certainly lose the rankings that page had built up over time.
How do I set up a redirect on WordPress, Shopify, or Wix?
On WordPress, use a plugin like Redirection or Rank Math (which includes redirect management). On Shopify, go to Settings → Navigation → URL Redirects. On Wix, go to SEO Tools → URL Redirect Manager. On Squarespace, go to Settings → Advanced → URL Mappings. Each platform makes it possible without touching code.
What is a redirect chain and why is it bad?
A redirect chain happens when one redirect points to another redirect, which points to another, forming a chain. For example, Page A redirects to Page B, which redirects to Page C. Each hop slows down visitors, and Google may stop following the chain after a few hops. The final page may never get the full ranking value. Always redirect directly from the original URL to the final destination.
Do redirects affect how AI search tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity find my content?
Yes. AI search tools pull information from pages indexed by Google and Bing. If your old pages return errors instead of redirecting properly, AI tools lose access to that content and may stop citing your business. Proper redirects ensure your content remains accessible to both traditional search engines and AI search surfaces like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Copilot.
How long should I keep a redirect in place?
Keep 301 redirects in place indefinitely, or for at least one full year at minimum. Google needs time to discover the redirect, re-crawl both URLs, and transfer the ranking signals. Other sites may still link to your old URL for years. Removing a redirect too early means those visitors and that link value hit a dead end. Redirects cost nothing to maintain, so there is no reason to remove them.
Terms used in this article.
- Redirect
- An automatic instruction that sends visitors and search engines from one URL to another.
- 301 redirect
- A permanent redirect. Tells search engines to transfer ranking value from the old URL to the new one.
- 302 redirect
- A temporary redirect. Tells search engines the old URL will return, so ranking value stays with the original address.
- Redirect chain
- A series of redirects where one URL redirects to another, which redirects to another. Chains slow down loading and may prevent full ranking transfer.
- Redirect loop
- When two or more URLs redirect to each other in a circle, causing an endless loop that results in an error for the visitor.
- 404 error
- The “Page Not Found” error a visitor sees when a URL no longer exists and no redirect is in place.
- Soft 404
- When a page loads successfully (no error code) but the content is irrelevant to the original URL. Google treats mass redirects to the homepage as soft 404s.
- Crawl budget
- The number of pages Google will crawl on your site in a given period. Redirect chains and errors waste crawl budget.
Bottom line: Every time you move, rename, or delete a page, set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the best available alternative. It takes less than a minute per page and protects the traffic, rankings, and AI search visibility you have worked hard to earn. Do it before the change goes live, and keep the redirects in place permanently.
Not sure which pages need redirects?
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