What is a redirect?
The redirect is between two pages. For example, you enter the Page URL A in your web browser. A page tells the browser that the Actual content can be found on page B. The browser goes to page B.
There are different types of redirects that can be used to tell web browsers and search engine robots that content can be found on a new page.
Permanent 301 Redirect
If you use a redirect server side, the web server returns the redirect as soon as the page is attempted to be accessed. The user never sees any of the contents of the initial page.
A “permanent 301 redirect” is a server redirect that tells search engine bots that the old URL should no longer be used. The new URL should be used instead.
This is useful when you change your Internet addresses for the better, e.g. when you redesign your website.
Temporary 302 Redirect
A 302 redirect also happens on the server side. The difference is that a “temporary 302 redirect” tells search engines that URL may change. According to John Mueller “Search engines tend to index content (and keep all flags) at [the original URL], since it is sure to always be redirected to [the new URL].
These temporary redirects are useful for redirects that depend on your browser settings. country, device or language of the user.
JavaScript Redirects
The JavaScript redirect is a call client-side redirection. This means that the web server displays the original page first. The home page tells the browser that the content is on another page.
According to John Mueller, “Caching depends on server configuration, and search engines have to guess what you're trying to do (index under [the original URL] or [the redirected URL]).”
Refresh meta redirects
These redirects are similar to JavaScript redirects. A meta tag on the original page redirects the browser to a new page. These redirects are not recommended.
303, 304 redirects and other things
It is generally not recommended to use these redirects. This is what John Mueller says about this: “. If you have strong inclinations towards one of the other types of redirects, feel free to use them. We're going to have to figure out which URLs to index, so if you have them also make sure to follow up with other canonicalization signals.”
You can redirect as many URLs on your site as you want at the same time. However, you should keep the redirect chain as short as possible. Google tracks up to five redirects in a chain.
Source: Free SEO News
