301 redirect the seo way to rename or move files or folders

In this article I will discuss page redirection techniques, as what works and as what guard against. Let’s say you rename a (read out as well Lee Joon Ki As Seo Jung Woo ) on your website, in behalf of whatever reason. What is page redirection and how come would you want to use it. Perhaps you decided to revamp your entire naming convention, perhaps you decided to restructure your site and need to move down pages into different folders, or you as late as realized fact that you are missing precious keywords. Let’s florid a little on the keywords draw on a, since it is part of your look about engine ranking success.

Let’s say the page in question is at a guess customized USB drives and you named it page1. Then you read out some SEO (Search Engine Optimization) articles and you found check out fact that some look about engines use words in the actual file name as with look about keywords. Htm. Next time you do without a Google look about, get let down to a look out at a rate of the results, most will have words in the actual file name (in the URL section) bolded, denoting a keyword match. Your USB drives page will definitely benefit if named something like custom_usb_drives.

Htm instead. Linking issues. Now fact that you renamed your page, you as late as created a symphony of issues in behalf of yourself, in behalf of your users and in behalf of your position in look about engine results. You will have to point every link on your site to the new page name. If your site is thin, it should not be a good deal with, but then if your site is voluminous, you will inevitably make mistakes, mainly forgetting a link or two.

This will result in visitors getting the dreaded “404 page not found” error when clicking on your links, robots (as well know as with crawlers or spiders) avoiding you, etc. Let’s use the previous example, in behalf of great while your page1. (read out as well Lee Joon Ki As Seo Jung Woo ) if you are heavily relying on visitors from search engines, then and there all over again, people will get a “404 page not found error”. Htm was indexed on the part of major look about engines. If someone types “custom usb drives” in a look about engine box, your page shows way up on the at first look about results screen.

That is invented, only if someone clicks on the link, they will be pointed to page1. Htm, in so far as the at first page is the all alone in the look about engine’s index. Htm, not to custom_usb_drives. It will get let down to time, every such that often months, a mountain time ago the look about engines update their indexes with your new page name. Lost Page Rank (PR) issues.

Google developed a proprietary algorithm fact that assigns a Page Rank (PR) to every page on the web. PR is influenced on the part of many factors, all alone of the crucial ones being Link Popularity. PR is a number from 1 to 10 (10 being the unearthly) and is intended to be a representation of about now good-quality and accessible a given page is. Link Popularity is a representation of about now many “quality” or “relevant” sites link to your page. Without getting into too by far detail, it is increasingly intricate and time consuming to achieve a worthy PR in behalf of your pages, especially if you don’t have a really matchless website with exceptional and highly sought after happy.

If you are merely operating a commercial site, in a competitive market (such as with selling custom branded USB drives, as with in our example), then and there it takes a good deal with of of time and up against it work to build a clever page PR. Your renamed page will be seen as with a totally new page, with 0 PR. When you rename a page and discard the immemorial page, you as well discard the PR of the page. What is the solution. I will enter upon on the part of enumerating some of the methods used on the part of the non-initiated.

Not recommended solution 1. First thing fact that probably comes in you mind is. Duplicate happy. Well, how come can’t you as late as duplicate the page and let nature get let down to its course. In other words, you will have two same that pages, all alone named page1.

Htm and all alone custom_usb_drives. This gives you time to update each and all links and the look about engines will at the end index the new page. Htm. This solution is not viable in so far as look about engines will penalize you quite badly, ‘thinking’ fact that you are trying to scam them on the part of using the ‘duplicate content’ technique. Not recommended solution 2.

Custom error message. However, you will lose rankings on the next look about engine update as with the file will come out to be non-existent. You could make up a custom error page. As discussed above, it could be some time a mountain time ago the page with the new name will be indexed and will come out in people’s searches. Also, your web site visitors will be frustrated on the part of the that they now have to dig out through your site come across the shining information.

Not recommended solution 3. You could implement a such that called Meta refresh in a blank or customized page fact that has the name of the immemorial page (in our example, page1. An HTML Meta redirect. Htm) fact that points to the new page. The redirect can be instant, or delayed on the part of a predetermine amount of time.

The delayed redirect has the advantage fact that you can place an extra message, such as with “please be aware fact that the page you are looking in behalf of changed location…. Etc. . , etc…. You will be redirected automatically to the new location”

Without getting into the mechanics of the Meta redirect, which is basically a META tag statement you want ad to your HEADER section, know fact that there are as well Java Script techniques fact that achieve similar results. In the age-old, this was probably most of all used technique. What is dismissed at a guess this is fact that this is a technique as many a time as with not used on the part of spammers to tips and tricks look about engines and it should be avoided, unless the page is in a section of your site fact that isn't indexed (as well of note as with spidered or crawled). Search engine spammers make up a page fact that is optimized in behalf of certain keywords and phrases - it usually has no real happy.

The page is then and there picked way up on the part of some look about engines, but then when a visitor clicks on the look about engine entry, they are redirected to one more site, as many a time as with not unrelated. Using this form of look about engine deception will look over a site at the end banned or penalized on the part of major players such as with Google. Most look about engines have filters bring to light this. The recommended redirect strategy - 301 Redirect

A 301 redirect is most of all suitable, visitor favorable, robot (spider, crawler) favorable and look about engine favorable solution around in behalf of web sites fact that are hosted on servers running Apache. A 301 redirect is as late as a set up of commands you type into your. If you are not sure, check up with your hosting provider. Htaccess file. When a visitor (whether soul-person or robotic) requests a web page via any one means, your web server checks in behalf of a.

Htaccess file. Htaccess file contains specific instructions in behalf of certain requests, including security, redirection issues and about now to handle certain errors. The. The code "301" is interpreted as with "moved permanently". After the code, the URL of the missing or renamed page is noted, followed on the part of a space, then and there followed on the part of the new location or file name.

First as little as, you'll need come across the. If there is no. Htaccess file in the root directory of where each and all your web pages are stored. Htaccess file there, you can make up all alone with Notepad or a similar application. Make sure when you name the file fact that you remember to put the ".

" at a rate of the beginning of the file name. Some hosting providers offer redirect services through their “control panels”, such that you don’t have to carry out unfair level changes on the. This file has no tail extension. Htaccess file itself. Instead, they provide a user favorable interface in behalf of this.

Check with your hosting provider lay eyes as what the optimal way to carry out a 301 redirect is in your case. If there is a. I will go ahead the article with the barebones solution. Htaccess file already in existence with lines of code present, be very scrupulous not to change any one existing line unless you are familiar with the functions of the file. Scroll come down age-old each and all the existing code, leave a line space, then and there make up a new line fact that follows this example.

Redirect 301 /folder/page1. //www. Htm http. You. Com/folder/custom_usb_drives.

Htm It's as with free as with fact that. Save the file, upload it again your web and tru out it check out on the part of typing in the immemorial address to the page you've changed. You should be instantly and seamlessly transported to the new location.

Notes. //www" to the at first part of the statement - as late as put the path from the great level of your site to the page. Be sure not to add on "http. Also ensure fact that you leave a individual space between these elements. Redirect 301 (the instruction fact that the page has moved)

Htm (the unprecedented folder path and file name) /folder/page1. http.

//www. Com/folder/custom_usb_drives. You. Htm (new path and file name)

The same format applies not only to renamed files, but then as well to files moved to a different location. On the next indexing (crawling, spidering), the look about engine robot will obey the rule indicated in your. The 301 redirect is the safest way to preserve your rankings. Htaccess file and index the new page name every time a link or its private database tries to access the immemorial page. In the next update (all over again, this could get let down to months), the immemorial file name and path will be dropped and replaced with the new all alone.

Sometimes you may look over alternating old/new file names during the transition period, along with some plausible fluctuations in rankings as with things settle. What if your site is hosted on a Microsoft IIS server instead. Don't panic, this is normal. If you have access to the server, do without this. In internet services manager, right click on the file or folder you wish to redirect.

Select the radio titled "a redirection to a URL". Click "Apply". Enter the redirection page, check up "The accurate url entered above" and the "A permanent redirection in behalf of this resource". If you do without not have access to the server, ask your host to point you into the right direction. In conclusion, for the best and most of all transparent way (to both soul-person and robotic users) to rename and move down files on your web site, while preserving your look about engine ranks is the 301 redirect.