Published on 05/25/2007

Different redirection methods and their implications on search engine optimization: Meta-Refresh Javascript Redirect You can redirect visitors by placing a snippet of javascript code within the HTML code of the page you want to redirect. With this method, you can specify the number of seconds before the visitor is automatically redirected to the new page. Search engines dont like this method, because of the potential for abuse: you could write an optimized page for a non-competitive search term, and then automatically redirect your unsuspecting visitor to whatever URL you want.

Redirection Methods

Different redirection methods and their implications on search engine optimization:

Meta-Refresh Javascript Redirect
You can redirect visitors by placing a snippet of javascript code within the HTML code of the page you want to redirect. With this method, you can specify the number of seconds before the visitor is automatically redirected to the new page. Search engines dont like this method, because of the potential for abuse: you could write an optimized page for a non-competitive search term, and then automatically redirect your unsuspecting visitor to whatever URL you want.
Parked Domains
You could register an additional domain name, park it, and make it point to the DNS servers of your main sites hosting account, so that when somebody types the additional domain, they will be transported to your main site. However, this approach may lead to search engines listing the same content twice, one for your main domain, and one for your additional domain. Even if your intentions are good, this approach is not recommended, since search engines may penalize your site for duplicate content.
302 and 301 Redirects
When a request for a page or URL is made by a browser, agent or spider, the web server where the page is hosted checks a file called .htaccess. This file contains instructions on how to handle specific requests and also plays a key role in security. The .htaccess file can be modified so that it instructs browsers, agents or spiders that the page has either temporarily moved (302 redirect) or permanently moved (301 redirect). It is usually possible to implement this redirect without messing with the .htaccess file directly, using your web hosts control panel instead.From a search engine perspective, 301 redirects are the only acceptable way to redirect URLs.
The URL Forwarding Feature
Most domain registrars offer a feature called URL Forwarding. With this feature, you can register a new domain, such as mydomain.net, and have it point to mydomain.com. The problem, however, is that registrars usually do this by implementing a 302 redirect (page moved temporarily). While Google handles 302 redirects very well, passing link popularity from the additional domain to the main one, other search engines dont do this well, diluting link popularity by splitting it between the two domains, and negatively affecting rankings. Therefore, it is better not to use this method, and implement a 301 redirect instead.
Redirecting Old URLs
To 301 redirect an old URL to a new one, just go to your web hosts control panel, and choose the Redirects option. You can then set up the redirect by filling the blanks. You want to choose redirect option Permanent to implement a 301 redirect.
Redirecting additional domains
To 301 redirect an additional domain (like in the case of the .net or the .org version of your domain name), you have to set it up as an add-on domain with your web host. If the additional domain was not registered with your web host, you will first have to go to your domain registrar and change the DNS (domain name servers) to the DNS of your web host.

You can also use 301 redirection for common misspelled versions of your domain name, or for other good domain names that you dont want your competitors to get.