A 301 redirect tells browsers and search engines that a page has moved permanently. The important decision is not how to write the rule. It is where you send the person who followed the old link.
Keep a useful URL when you can
The original question asked whether a poor URL could be replaced with a descriptive one using a 301. Yes, but a cosmetic URL change alone is not a reason to risk a working page. Keep established URLs when they still describe the content and fit the site.
If the URL must change, map the old page to its actual replacement. A product should lead to that product or a genuinely equivalent replacement, not a generic sales page.
Do not send everything to the homepage
The original article made this point in 2011: “301 redirects are an important part of a site rebuild but shouldn’t be used to simply redirect all old pages to a new home page.” That remains the useful lesson.
An expired offer with no replacement is different from a moved article. Return an appropriate 404 or 410 response when content is gone. Give the visitor useful navigation without pretending the missing page still exists.
Check the whole journey
Changing the address of the whole business needs a domain migration plan, not just individual redirect rules.
- Test the old URL, the redirect status and the destination.
- Point the redirect directly to the final page, not another redirect.
- Update internal links and the sitemap to use the destination URL.
- Keep the destination relevant, readable and available to search engines.
- Monitor important landing pages after launch rather than assuming a successful redirect guarantees unchanged rankings.
For store-specific decisions, see discontinued products and 404s. For protocol changes, use the HTTPS migration checklist.
This article has been updated to focus on relevant destinations and verified redirects. The migration checks follow Google’s site-move guidance, checked 10 September 2026.