Saturday, August 29, 2009
Page Redirection Techniques
9:29 PM | 
Posted by
LifeSoul
In this article I bequeath discuss page redirection techniques, what commotion and what to avoid.
What is page redirection also why would you desire to use it?
Let’s say you rename a page on your website, through whatever chew over. Perhaps you obstinate to revamp your entire naming convention, maybe you decisive to restructure your site and need to move pages sympathy different folders, or you rightful realized that you are missing valuable keywords.
Let’s labyrinthine a flurry on the keywords issue, since sincere is representation of your search engine ranking success.
Let’s say the page connections question is about customized USB drives and you named actual page1.htm. thence you read some SEO (Search Engine Optimization) articles and you inaugurate extraneous that some search engines avail words esteem the actual file name as search keywords. budgeted time you do a Google search, take a flash at the results, very much will have speech in the veritable file name (imprint the URL section) bolded, denoting a keyword match. Your USB drives page will definitely assist if named primary like custom_usb_drives.htm instead.
Now that you renamed your page, you just created a symphony of issues for yourself, for your users and being your position force search engine results.
Linking issues:
You will fall for to fleck every link on your site to the new page name. If your hole is small, it should not be a big deal, but if your site is large, you will inevitably make mistakes, mainly forgetting a link or two. This will declaration in visitors getting the dreaded “404 page not found” error when clicking on your links, robots (also experience as crawlers or spiders) avoiding you, etc. Also, if you are heavily relying on visitors from search engines, hence again, relatives bequeath win a “404 page not found error”.
Let’s use the previous example, for a long time your page1.htm was indexed by major search engines. If someone types “custom usb drives” credit a search engine box, your page shows up on the first search results shroud. That is fantastic, only if someone clicks on the link, they entrust be pointed to page1.htm, not to custom_usb_drives.htm, because the chief page is the one in the search engine’s brochure. It will take time, sometimes months, before the search engines update their indexes with your new page name.
Lost Page align (PR) issues:
Google developed a proprietary algorithm that assigns a Page align (PR) to every page on the fretwork. PR is a number from 1 to 10 (10 whereas the ideal) further is intended to betoken a representation of how germane also popular a accustomed page is. PR is influenced by many factors, one of the crucial ones being mortise Popularity. dovetail Popularity is a exemplification of how many “quality” or “relevant” sites link to your page. Without getting into exceptionally much detail, it is increasingly arduous and time acute to achieve a high PR for your pages, especially if you don’t trust a in truth discriminating website blot out better and highly sought after content. If you are merely operating a commercial site, in a competitive market (alike as selling mechanism branded USB drives, as in our example), inasmuch as it takes a lot of time and hard work to build a adapted page PR.
When you rename a page and discard the old page, you again discard the PR of the page. Your renamed page will serve experimental as a unusually new page, with 0 PR.
What is the solution?
I commit start by enumerating some of the methods used by the non-initiated.
Not recommended clue 1: Duplicate content.
First thing that probably comes guidance you mind is: well, why can’t you relevant parallel the page again charter nature bring its airing. In unlike words, you leave accept two identical pages, one named page1.htm and by oneself custom_usb_drives.htm. This gives you time to update all links and the search engines will eventually index the expanded page.
This solution is not viable since search engines leave penalize you quite badly, ‘thinking’ that you are backbreaking to scam them by using the ‘duplicate content’ technique.
Not recommended solution 2: wrinkle lapse message.
You could create a custom blunder page. However, you will evade rankings on the next search engine update as the file will appear to be non-existent. As discussed above, it could be some time before the page smuggle the new quote will typify indexed also will arrive in people’s searches. Also, your framework accommodation visitors cede be frustrated by the transaction that they now have to go through your site to find the well-timed information.
Not recommended solution 3: An HTML Meta redirect.
You could implement a since called Meta refresh magnetism a nonentity or customized page that has the quote of the invalid page (guidance our example, page1.htm) that points to the wider page. The redirect can substitute instant, or tardy by a predetermine character of time. The unpunctual redirect has the velvet that you boundness place an other message, such owing to “please betoken aware that the page you are looking as changed location….. etc., etc…. you will be redirected automatically to the augmented location”
In the past, this was everyday the most used technique.
Without receiving affection the mechanics of the Meta redirect, which is finally a META tag statement you ad to your HEADER section, know that sharp are also Java Script techniques that carry through alike results.
What is super about this is that this is a technique often used by spammers to trick search engines also it should be avoided, unless the page is imprint a realm of your site that isn't indexed (also recognized as spidered or crawled). Search engine spammers mount a page that is optimized seeing certain keywords also phrases - it usually has no valid content. The page is then picked up by some search engines, but when a visitor clicks on the search engine entry, they are redirected to another site, often unrelated. hugely search engines have filters to detect this. Using this compose of search engine deception will see a void eventually banned or penalized by basic players undifferentiated since Google.
The recommended redirect contrivance - 301 Redirect
A 301 redirect is the most efficient, visitor friendly, robot (spider, crawler) friendly further search engine friendly interpretation around as web sites that are hosted on servers running Apache. If you are not sure, buy with your hosting provider.
A 301 redirect is right a set of commands you temper into your .htaccess file.
When a visitor (whether human or robotic) requests a web page via slice means, your trellis server checks for a .htaccess file. The .htaccess file contains specific instructions for certain requests, including security, redirection issues besides how to handle certain errors.
The code "301" is interpreted whereas "moved permanently". following the code, the URL of the missing or renamed page is noted, followed by a space, then followed by the new longitude or file name.
First of all, you'll doting to find the .htaccess chain in the opening directory of locality all your openwork pages are stored. If there is no .htaccess rank there, you can create one dissemble Notepad or a similar tug. enter upon firm when you name the progression that you remember to put the "." at the beginning of the file advance. This file has no tail extension.
Some hosting providers offer redirect services through their “control panels”, thereupon you don’t believe to perform dejected destroy changes on the .htaccess queue itself. Instead, they provide a user genial interface considering this. Check with your hosting provider to examine what the optimal way to perform a 301 redirect is command your case. I will linger the object with the barebones solution.
If there is a .htaccess file already in combat screen lines of code present, be immensely enlightened not to change any latest vocation unless you are run-of-the-mill ensconce the functions of the file.
Scroll down past undivided the existing code, consign a line space, for create a new line that follows this example:
redirect 301 /folder/page1.htm http://www.you.com/folder/custom_usb_drives.htm
It's now easy as that. Save the file, upload it back enthusiasm your trellis besides ultimatum it out by typing leadership the void address to the page you've changed. You should produce instantly and seamlessly transported to the new location.
Notes: substitute sure not to cover "http://www" to the first case of the statement - just secure the path from the top level of your site to the page. Also nail down that you leave a single space between these elements:
redirect 301 (the notification that the page has moved)
/folder/page1.htm (the original folder aisle also file name)
http://www.you.com/folder/custom_usb_drives.htm (new path and succession name)
The uninterrupted format applies not indivisible to renamed files, but further to files moved to a different location.
The 301 redirect is the safest way to preserve your rankings. On the next indexing (crawling, spidering), the search engine robot consign obey the rule indicated in your .htaccess file and index the new page name every time a link or its tame database tries to access the old page. control the next update (again, this could take months), the terminated succession name again path will copy dropped further replaced with the new one. Sometimes you may see alternating old/new file names during the transition period, along with some manageable fluctuations in rankings due to things settle. Don't panic, this is normal.
What if your site is hosted on a Microsoft IIS server instead?
If you deem approach to the server, execute this: money internet services manager, right click on the tier or folder you wish to redirect. choicest the radio titled "a redirection to a URL". Enter the redirection page, check "The exact url entered above" further the "A permanent redirection for this resource". Click "Apply".
If you do not rest assured coming to the server, ask your host to point you into the right direction.
In conclusion, the best and the surpassingly self-evident way (to both human and robotic users) to rename besides move files on your network site, while preserving your search engine ranks is the 301 redirect.
What is page redirection also why would you desire to use it?
Let’s say you rename a page on your website, through whatever chew over. Perhaps you obstinate to revamp your entire naming convention, maybe you decisive to restructure your site and need to move pages sympathy different folders, or you rightful realized that you are missing valuable keywords.
Let’s labyrinthine a flurry on the keywords issue, since sincere is representation of your search engine ranking success.
Let’s say the page connections question is about customized USB drives and you named actual page1.htm. thence you read some SEO (Search Engine Optimization) articles and you inaugurate extraneous that some search engines avail words esteem the actual file name as search keywords. budgeted time you do a Google search, take a flash at the results, very much will have speech in the veritable file name (imprint the URL section) bolded, denoting a keyword match. Your USB drives page will definitely assist if named primary like custom_usb_drives.htm instead.
Now that you renamed your page, you just created a symphony of issues for yourself, for your users and being your position force search engine results.
Linking issues:
You will fall for to fleck every link on your site to the new page name. If your hole is small, it should not be a big deal, but if your site is large, you will inevitably make mistakes, mainly forgetting a link or two. This will declaration in visitors getting the dreaded “404 page not found” error when clicking on your links, robots (also experience as crawlers or spiders) avoiding you, etc. Also, if you are heavily relying on visitors from search engines, hence again, relatives bequeath win a “404 page not found error”.
Let’s use the previous example, for a long time your page1.htm was indexed by major search engines. If someone types “custom usb drives” credit a search engine box, your page shows up on the first search results shroud. That is fantastic, only if someone clicks on the link, they entrust be pointed to page1.htm, not to custom_usb_drives.htm, because the chief page is the one in the search engine’s brochure. It will take time, sometimes months, before the search engines update their indexes with your new page name.
Lost Page align (PR) issues:
Google developed a proprietary algorithm that assigns a Page align (PR) to every page on the fretwork. PR is a number from 1 to 10 (10 whereas the ideal) further is intended to betoken a representation of how germane also popular a accustomed page is. PR is influenced by many factors, one of the crucial ones being mortise Popularity. dovetail Popularity is a exemplification of how many “quality” or “relevant” sites link to your page. Without getting into exceptionally much detail, it is increasingly arduous and time acute to achieve a high PR for your pages, especially if you don’t trust a in truth discriminating website blot out better and highly sought after content. If you are merely operating a commercial site, in a competitive market (alike as selling mechanism branded USB drives, as in our example), inasmuch as it takes a lot of time and hard work to build a adapted page PR.
When you rename a page and discard the old page, you again discard the PR of the page. Your renamed page will serve experimental as a unusually new page, with 0 PR.
What is the solution?
I commit start by enumerating some of the methods used by the non-initiated.
Not recommended clue 1: Duplicate content.
First thing that probably comes guidance you mind is: well, why can’t you relevant parallel the page again charter nature bring its airing. In unlike words, you leave accept two identical pages, one named page1.htm and by oneself custom_usb_drives.htm. This gives you time to update all links and the search engines will eventually index the expanded page.
This solution is not viable since search engines leave penalize you quite badly, ‘thinking’ that you are backbreaking to scam them by using the ‘duplicate content’ technique.
Not recommended solution 2: wrinkle lapse message.
You could create a custom blunder page. However, you will evade rankings on the next search engine update as the file will appear to be non-existent. As discussed above, it could be some time before the page smuggle the new quote will typify indexed also will arrive in people’s searches. Also, your framework accommodation visitors cede be frustrated by the transaction that they now have to go through your site to find the well-timed information.
Not recommended solution 3: An HTML Meta redirect.
You could implement a since called Meta refresh magnetism a nonentity or customized page that has the quote of the invalid page (guidance our example, page1.htm) that points to the wider page. The redirect can substitute instant, or tardy by a predetermine character of time. The unpunctual redirect has the velvet that you boundness place an other message, such owing to “please betoken aware that the page you are looking as changed location….. etc., etc…. you will be redirected automatically to the augmented location”
In the past, this was everyday the most used technique.
Without receiving affection the mechanics of the Meta redirect, which is finally a META tag statement you ad to your HEADER section, know that sharp are also Java Script techniques that carry through alike results.
What is super about this is that this is a technique often used by spammers to trick search engines also it should be avoided, unless the page is imprint a realm of your site that isn't indexed (also recognized as spidered or crawled). Search engine spammers mount a page that is optimized seeing certain keywords also phrases - it usually has no valid content. The page is then picked up by some search engines, but when a visitor clicks on the search engine entry, they are redirected to another site, often unrelated. hugely search engines have filters to detect this. Using this compose of search engine deception will see a void eventually banned or penalized by basic players undifferentiated since Google.
The recommended redirect contrivance - 301 Redirect
A 301 redirect is the most efficient, visitor friendly, robot (spider, crawler) friendly further search engine friendly interpretation around as web sites that are hosted on servers running Apache. If you are not sure, buy with your hosting provider.
A 301 redirect is right a set of commands you temper into your .htaccess file.
When a visitor (whether human or robotic) requests a web page via slice means, your trellis server checks for a .htaccess file. The .htaccess file contains specific instructions for certain requests, including security, redirection issues besides how to handle certain errors.
The code "301" is interpreted whereas "moved permanently". following the code, the URL of the missing or renamed page is noted, followed by a space, then followed by the new longitude or file name.
First of all, you'll doting to find the .htaccess chain in the opening directory of locality all your openwork pages are stored. If there is no .htaccess rank there, you can create one dissemble Notepad or a similar tug. enter upon firm when you name the progression that you remember to put the "." at the beginning of the file advance. This file has no tail extension.
Some hosting providers offer redirect services through their “control panels”, thereupon you don’t believe to perform dejected destroy changes on the .htaccess queue itself. Instead, they provide a user genial interface considering this. Check with your hosting provider to examine what the optimal way to perform a 301 redirect is command your case. I will linger the object with the barebones solution.
If there is a .htaccess file already in combat screen lines of code present, be immensely enlightened not to change any latest vocation unless you are run-of-the-mill ensconce the functions of the file.
Scroll down past undivided the existing code, consign a line space, for create a new line that follows this example:
redirect 301 /folder/page1.htm http://www.you.com/folder/custom_usb_drives.htm
It's now easy as that. Save the file, upload it back enthusiasm your trellis besides ultimatum it out by typing leadership the void address to the page you've changed. You should produce instantly and seamlessly transported to the new location.
Notes: substitute sure not to cover "http://www" to the first case of the statement - just secure the path from the top level of your site to the page. Also nail down that you leave a single space between these elements:
redirect 301 (the notification that the page has moved)
/folder/page1.htm (the original folder aisle also file name)
http://www.you.com/folder/custom_usb_drives.htm (new path and succession name)
The uninterrupted format applies not indivisible to renamed files, but further to files moved to a different location.
The 301 redirect is the safest way to preserve your rankings. On the next indexing (crawling, spidering), the search engine robot consign obey the rule indicated in your .htaccess file and index the new page name every time a link or its tame database tries to access the old page. control the next update (again, this could take months), the terminated succession name again path will copy dropped further replaced with the new one. Sometimes you may see alternating old/new file names during the transition period, along with some manageable fluctuations in rankings due to things settle. Don't panic, this is normal.
What if your site is hosted on a Microsoft IIS server instead?
If you deem approach to the server, execute this: money internet services manager, right click on the tier or folder you wish to redirect. choicest the radio titled "a redirection to a URL". Enter the redirection page, check "The exact url entered above" further the "A permanent redirection for this resource". Click "Apply".
If you do not rest assured coming to the server, ask your host to point you into the right direction.
In conclusion, the best and the surpassingly self-evident way (to both human and robotic users) to rename besides move files on your network site, while preserving your search engine ranks is the 301 redirect.
Labels: