Does a 301 redirect pass all the link value?

Effectively yes for a like-for-like redirect. Google has said 301s pass full PageRank. Value is lost when the redirect points somewhere irrelevant, so redirecting a discontinued product to the homepage usually loses most of its worth. Map each URL to its closest equivalent instead.

What is the difference between a 301 and a 302?

A 301 says the move is permanent and transfers ranking signals to the new URL; a 302 says it is temporary and keeps signals with the original. Using a 302 for a permanent move is one of the most common and most costly migration mistakes.

Technical SEO

301 Redirect

A 301 redirect is a status code signalling that a page has permanently moved to a new URL, sending both users and ranking signals to the new location.

It is the correct way to preserve SEO value when changing URLs or merging pages. For example, redirecting an old `/services-seo` URL to `/seo-thailand/` passes most of the old page's authority forward. Use it whenever a URL change is permanent.

Redirect debt accumulates quietly across a site's life. Each migration adds a layer, and after a few years requests can pass through three or four hops before reaching a real page, which slows every visit and wastes crawl requests. Flattening chains so each old URL points directly at its final destination is straightforward maintenance that rarely gets scheduled. Keep the redirects themselves permanently, though. Removing them once traffic looks stable breaks any external link still pointing at the old address, and those links are usually the most valuable thing the old URL had.

Example

A firm moves /services-seo to /seo-thailand/. The 301 tells Google the move is permanent, and the 40 external links pointing at the old address now count for the new one. Rankings wobble briefly, then settle at or above the old positions. The same move with no redirect would have returned 404 and started the page from zero.

Frequently asked questions

Does a 301 redirect pass all the link value?: Effectively yes for a like-for-like redirect. Google has said 301s pass full PageRank. Value is lost when the redirect points somewhere irrelevant, so redirecting a discontinued product to the homepage usually loses most of its worth. Map each URL to its closest equivalent instead.
What is the difference between a 301 and a 302?: A 301 says the move is permanent and transfers ranking signals to the new URL; a 302 says it is temporary and keeps signals with the original. Using a 302 for a permanent move is one of the most common and most costly migration mistakes.

Related terms

302 Redirect 404 Error Canonical Tag

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