How to Avoid 301 Redirect Mistakes: Lessons from Steve’s SEO Journey
301 Redirect Confusion: A Tale from the SEO Trenches
I wanted to share a story that might resonate with many of you who are navigating the sometimes murky waters of SEO. It revolves around 301 redirects and how something seemingly simple can spiral into a bit of a muddle if you’re not careful.
So, a while back, I got an email from Steve, a listener of my podcast and a keen user of Keywords People Use. Steve’s from Louisiana in the US—lovely bloke—and he’s been immersing himself in the world of SEO for about a year now. He’s eager, enthusiastic, and like many who are new to the game, he’s picking up bits and bobs as he goes along.
Steve was in the process of updating some content on his site. He’d revamped a page quite significantly and decided to change the URL to better match the new content. Now, on the face of it, that might seem like a sensible move. You update the content, so why not update the URL to reflect that? But here’s where things get a bit sticky.
He’d put in place a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one, which is, in theory, the right thing to do. A 301 tells search engines that a page has permanently moved to a new location, passing along any link equity and keeping things flowing smoothly. But Steve wasn’t entirely sure he’d done it correctly, so he reached out to me for a bit of guidance.
Now, I have to admit, I’m generally quite cautious about changing URLs. As a rule of thumb, I tend not to mess with them unless absolutely necessary. Even if I’m giving the content a significant overhaul, I’ll usually keep the same URL. The reason being, the actual keywords in the URL play a very minor role in SEO. Google’s algorithms are sophisticated enough to understand the context and content of your page without needing exact match keywords in the URL.
Moreover, when you implement a 301 redirect, there’s often a slight degradation in the ranking signals passed on. It’s not an exact science, but some reckon you might lose around 10% of the link equity in the process. So, unless there’s a compelling reason to change the URL, it’s usually better to leave it be.
I shared these thoughts with Steve, explaining that while he’d already made the change, it might be worth considering in future whether altering the URL is the best course of action. Content can rank for a multitude of keywords, and it’s nigh on impossible to cram them all into the URL slug. So, it’s perfectly fine if the URL doesn’t match every keyword you’re targeting.
Steve seemed to take this on board, but then came back with another concern. He noticed that in Google Search Console, the old URL was still appearing. This made him worry that perhaps the redirect wasn’t set up properly or that Google was somehow confused.
The thing is, Google Search Console isn’t always instantaneous. Data can lag, and changes to your site might not reflect immediately in the reports. I reassured Steve that this was normal and that he should give it a bit of time for Google to recrawl his site and update its index.
But Steve, wanting to be proactive, decided to take matters into his own hands. He tried to fix what he perceived as an issue by setting up another redirect. Unfortunately, he ended up 301 redirecting the new URL back to the old one, creating what’s known as a circular redirect.
Imagine going to a shop that’s moved premises. There’s a sign on the door saying they’ve relocated to a new address. So you head over there, only to find another sign saying they’ve moved back to the original place. You’d be confused, right? That’s essentially what happens with a circular redirect. Search engines and browsers end up going round in circles until they eventually give up.
When Steve told me about this, the penny dropped. I realised he’d inadvertently set up this loop, causing both users and search engines to hit a dead end. I guided him through undoing the extra redirect, ensuring that only the original 301 from the old URL to the new one was in place.
This little adventure had a few key lessons worth highlighting:
1. Think Carefully Before Changing URLs: It’s tempting to tweak URLs to match updated content or target keywords, but it’s often unnecessary. The risks generally outweigh the benefits, given the minor role URLs play in overall SEO.
2. Understand How 301 Redirects Work: While they are essential tools for directing traffic and preserving link equity, they need to be used correctly. Misconfigurations can lead to issues like circular redirects, which can be detrimental to your site’s performance.
3. Be Patient with Search Console: Changes aren’t reflected instantly in Google Search Console. It’s important not to panic if you don’t see immediate updates. Give it some time, and avoid making hasty alterations based on delayed data.
4. Avoid Circular Redirects at All Costs: Always double-check your redirects to ensure they point in one direction only. Circular redirects can effectively render your content inaccessible, which is the last thing you want.
In hindsight, Steve’s eagerness to optimise his site is commendable. Mistakes happen, especially when you’re learning, and the important thing is to understand why they occurred and how to fix them. I’m glad he reached out, and we managed to sort it all out in the end.
Actually, Steve’s keen to come on the podcast soon, and I’m looking forward to that chat. It’d be great to delve into his experiences as someone relatively new to SEO—discussing the challenges he’s faced, the successes he’s had, and his plans moving forward.
At the end of the day, SEO isn’t as daunting as it might seem. Sure, there are technical bits that can trip you up, but with a solid understanding of the basics and a bit of patience, it’s all quite manageable.