A 301 redirect is implemented when a web page changes its destination URL. Its job is to inform and re-direct the search engine spider of this move.

Think of it as a removal service…

• When you have an office move such as Leapfrogg have recently you need to be able to transport all of you new information to your new destination. This is the job of a 301 re-direct, it should preserve your search engine rankings for a particular page.
• Or if you change page names or are moving files around then this is a great safety net enabling you to maintain your web presence.
• 301 is a code, it translates to a search engine that a page or URL has moved permanently after the code the missing URL or named page is noted by the search engine and follows through to the new path.

Every moving day needs a removal man…

• You can set in place a re-direct by contacting your developer and asking them to set one up using the .htaccess file. This file contains the specific instructions for the re-direct, including security information, redirection issues and how to handle certain errors.
• The next time a search engine spider reaches your website the rule within the .htaccess file re-directs it to the correct destination (you wouldn’t want your office furniture ending up in a cake shop – or perhaps you would!)
• The spider doesn’t actually read the .htaccess file, but recognizes the response from the server as valid.