What search engines say about redirects

Do search engines treat redirects differently from visitors?

They care about details a visitor never sees. The advice below comes from Google's own pages, so it describes Google Search. Other search engines may do things their own way.

Which address does Google show?

That depends on the redirect type. Google's redirect page says permanent redirects show the new target in search results. Temporary redirects show the source page in search results.¹

Google's crawler notes put it in terms of strength. A 301 is a strong signal that the redirect target should be processed. A 302 is only a weak one.² Those notes also say Google follows up to 10 redirect hops by default.²

What does Google recommend for a page that has moved for good?

A permanent redirect set up on the server. Google's site move guide recommends HTTP permanent redirects if possible, such as 301 and 308.³ "Server-side" means the redirect is sent by your web server before any page is loaded.

If you can't do that, there are fallbacks. Google says to use JavaScript redirects only if server-side or meta refresh redirects aren't possible.¹ The page on redirecting one page to another shows the server-side setups.

Does it matter whether I pick 301 or 308?

For Google, no. Its notes say it treats these status codes the same way. They also say to use the status code that's appropriate for the redirect, so that other clients, such as e-readers and other search engines, may benefit.² For more on each type, read about permanent and temporary redirects.

How long should I keep a redirect?

Google's site move guide says to keep redirects for as long as possible, generally at least 1 year.³

There's a catch. The same guide says redirects are slow for users, so it advises updating your own links, and high-volume links from other sites, to point at the new addresses.³

Why does Google still show my old address?

It can, and Google says that's normal. If you move to a new domain, it's very likely that Google will continue to occasionally show the old addresses in results, even though the new ones are already indexed.¹

Do I need to tell Google about a move?

Sometimes. Google's guide says its Change of Address tool in Search Console is only needed when moving from one domain or subdomain to another.³ If you're unsure which case you're in, read Google's own guide before you start.

What order should I do things in?

Start with the question of whether the old address is gone for good. That decides the type. Then set the redirect on the server if you can, since that's the method Google recommends first. Test it, update the links you control, and leave the redirect running well beyond the first few weeks.

Each step has its own page. The setup page covers the server rules. Before you rely on any of it, test the result. The page on checking a redirect shows you how.