301 Redirect Mapper
Plan and generate 301 redirect mappings for site migrations and URL changes. Enter values for instant results with step-by-step formulas.
Reviewed by Daniel Agrici, Founder & Lead Developer
Formula
Redirect 301 /old-path https://domain.com/new-path
A 301 redirect permanently maps an old URL to a new one. The server responds with HTTP status 301, passing approximately 90-99% of link equity to the destination URL. This tool validates mappings and generates server-specific redirect rules.
Worked Examples
Example 1: Blog URL Restructure
Problem:A website is restructuring its blog URLs from /blog/2023/01/my-post to /blog/my-post. Generate the .htaccess redirect for 3 posts.
Solution:Redirect 301 /blog/2023/01/seo-guide https://example.com/blog/seo-guide\nRedirect 301 /blog/2023/02/content-tips https://example.com/blog/content-tips\nRedirect 301 /blog/2023/03/link-building https://example.com/blog/link-building\n\nAll redirects are direct (no chains) and use absolute destination URLs.
Result:3 redirect rules generated | 0 errors | 0 warnings
Example 2: Domain Migration with Service Pages
Problem:Migrating from oldsite.com to newsite.com. Map /services/web-design to /solutions/web-design, /services/seo to /solutions/seo-services, /about to /company/about-us.
Solution:Redirect 301 /services/web-design https://newsite.com/solutions/web-design\nRedirect 301 /services/seo https://newsite.com/solutions/seo-services\nRedirect 301 /about https://newsite.com/company/about-us\n\nEach old URL maps directly to the most relevant new page. No chains detected.
Result:3 redirect rules | Direct mapping | Full link equity preserved
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a 301 redirect and when should I use one?
A 301 redirect is a permanent server-side redirect that tells both browsers and search engines that a page has permanently moved to a new location. It automatically sends visitors and search engine crawlers to the new URL. You should use 301 redirects during site migrations, when restructuring your URL architecture, after deleting or merging pages, when changing domain names, or when consolidating duplicate content. The 301 status code signals to search engines that approximately ninety to ninety-nine percent of the original page's link equity should transfer to the new URL. This makes it crucial for maintaining your search rankings during any URL changes. Without proper 301 redirects, you risk losing organic traffic and accumulated SEO authority.
What is the difference between a 301 and 302 redirect?
A 301 redirect indicates a permanent move, while a 302 redirect indicates a temporary move. With a 301, search engines transfer the link equity and ranking signals to the new URL and eventually remove the old URL from their index. With a 302, search engines keep the old URL indexed because they expect the page to return to its original location. Using a 302 when you should use a 301 is a common mistake that can prevent link equity from passing to the new page, potentially hurting your rankings. Use 302 redirects only for genuinely temporary situations, such as A/B testing, maintenance pages, or geolocation-based redirects where the original URL will be used again in the future.
How do redirect chains affect SEO and performance?
Redirect chains occur when one redirect points to another redirect, creating a sequence like A redirects to B, and B redirects to C. These chains cause several problems for both SEO and user experience. Each redirect in the chain adds latency, typically fifty to five hundred milliseconds per hop, which slows down page load times. From an SEO perspective, Google has stated that they will follow up to five redirects in a chain but may lose link equity with each hop. Some studies suggest each redirect in a chain can cause a loss of about ten to fifteen percent of link equity. Best practice is to always redirect directly from the original URL to the final destination URL, eliminating intermediary hops entirely.
What is the difference between Apache and Nginx redirect syntax?
Apache and Nginx use entirely different configuration syntax for redirects. Apache uses the mod_rewrite module with directives like Redirect 301 or RewriteRule placed in .htaccess files or the main server configuration. Nginx does not support .htaccess files and instead uses rewrite directives or return statements within server block configurations. An Apache redirect like Redirect 301 /old https://example.com/new translates to rewrite ^/old$ /new permanent in Nginx. Apache processes .htaccess on every request which adds overhead, while Nginx reads its config once at startup making it faster. When migrating between servers, you must manually convert all redirect rules to the correct syntax for the target platform.
References
Reviewed by Daniel Agrici, Founder & Lead Developer · Editorial policy