Websites
Redirect (301)
An instruction that sends anyone visiting an old web address to the new one automatically. A 301 is the permanent kind, and it carries the old page's search standing over to the new page.
Why it matters for your business
Every time you rename a page or rebuild a site, old addresses live on in Google, bookmarks and other sites' links. Without redirects, those visitors hit a dead page and your rankings reset. A redirect map is the cheapest insurance in a redesign.
In practice
A hotel's old /rooms.html page becomes /accommodations. A 301 sends the old link, and the search ranking it earned, straight to the new page.
Related terms
Want this handled rather than explained?
Two minute intake. A real person reads every one and replies within a business day.