One of the most frustrating things a user can encounter on the Internet is the “404 Page Not Found” error. It can pop up when a site is under construction, still in development, or found in search engine results for pages that have been moved. When the link lands on an error page that says nothing about where to look next, it creates a level of frustration for the website’s visitors.

Here are a few good reasons to create proper redirects:

Search Engines

When switching domains, web servers, or just moving content to a different part of a website, it will take some time for Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines to re-index the changed site.  Since the re-indexing could take a few weeks for search engines to find the new pages, redirects allow users to find the pages they need in the interim.  Search results on keywords, which bring up the old links, should redirect the visitors to the new location with the same or similar type of web content.

Additionally, search engines place weight on how many external websites have linked to a page.  It becomes highly relevant to store this value.  By creating proper redirects, you can store most of the value these links gave to your old website.

If the website is switching servers, it is a good idea to have a redirect from the old server to the new one.  The domain names that took someone weeks to think of are not what computers see when they fetch a website from a server.  The name is only what the web browser returns in the address field on top of the browser for a human to recognize.  A computer can see that the information is not in the same location based off of the Internet Protocol or IP address (ex. 101.11.110.1).  Therefore, a redirect should be set up for the IP address from the old server to the new one so computers can easily determine the new location of the website.

Frequent Visitors

Generally, frequent visitors know the architecture of your site without realizing it.  They have a mental sitemap and know what type of information they should see when clicking on certain links.  In addition, the visitors may have created bookmarks, posted a link on a social media site, or referenced the website in some other way.  To keep the site promoting visitor traffic, users need consistent access to the pages, even if they are moved. Establishing redirects allow frequent visitors to continue to find their favorite pages without disrupting their visit.

Pages Referenced by Other Sites

For sites reputable enough to be referenced by other sites, accurate links must stay intact for those references to remain relevant. Moving content without having sufficient redirects can diminish trust in the site and may cause other site publishers to look elsewhere for their references. The visitors, who are referred through other websites, may no longer be able to access the content they are looking for. Redirects ensure the references are relevant after the content has been moved to a new location.

Essentially, redirects keep people coming back to your site.  Making sure the content is available, even if it is moved, ensures your site visitors can always find what they need.  Adding this step to your website development process establishes trust in your website and prevents visitors from seeing the dreaded “404 Page Not Found” error.