The most efficient way to implement a webpage replacement without affecting your search engine optimization is with a 301 redirect. A 301 redirection basically tells the search engine, “Hey, this web page has permanently changed.” The search engines get the message that you want them to index the new page and disregard the one currently indexed. If you need to change file names or move pages around, 301 redirects will always be your safest solution – especially where SEO is concerned.

A 301 approach will help you to prevent the disruption of any important existing search engine rankings for the particular page. It’ll allow you to keep all the link juice the page may have acquired and prevent any duplicate content issues that could arise if both versions are indexed. Creating a 301 redirect also makes for a better user experience as it is better for the viewer to be redirected than to see a blaring 404 Page Not Found across their screen.

How a 301 redirect is executed depends on your server and the type of redirection you’re trying to accomplish, as there are different strategies for implementing the change for an entire website or just a page. To find out how to 301 redirect successfully, read our previous posts for a more in-depth explanation. Please visit our 301 Redirects for Apache Servers – Linux 301 Redirect Advice post or our 301 Redirect for Windows Server post, depending on your website server.