redirects-and-url-strategy

name	redirects-and-url-strategy
description	Use when changing URLs or restructuring site. Redirects preserve SEO; broken redirects lose authority.

Redirects and URL Strategy

301 (permanent) preserves PageRank. 302 (temporary) doesn't. Use 301 for permanent moves; never chain (301→301→301).

Redirect types

Type	Use	SEO impact
301 Permanent	Permanent URL change	Passes ~95% of authority
302 Temporary	Temporary (A/B test, maintenance)	Passes some authority
307 Temporary	Same as 302, more strict	Same as 302
308 Permanent	Same as 301, preserves method	Same as 301
Meta refresh	Avoid	Doesn't pass authority
JavaScript redirect	Avoid for SEO	Slow, not all crawlers follow

Redirect chain avoidance

BAD: /old → /intermediate → /current (3 hops, loses authority each) GOOD: /old → /current (1 hop)

Audit redirects regularly. Consolidate chains.

Tool: Screaming Frog (crawls site, identifies redirect chains).

Mass redirect strategy

When changing many URLs:

1. Map old → new in spreadsheet
2. Implement at server/CDN level (Cloudflare Workers)
3. Test 1-by-1 (curl + check status codes)
4. Update sitemap to reflect new URLs
5. Submit URL changes via Search Console
6. Monitor traffic for 90 days post-change

Where this fits in the X3 empire

Redirect strategy for CardPrepAI site restructuring.