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• What Is URL Forwarding?

• 301 Redirect

• 302 Redirect

• Meta Refresh

• Related Topics

What Is URL Forwarding?

URL Forwarding, also known as a ‘URL redirect’ involves directing visitors who enter a specific web address (URL) to a different destination URL. This can be useful for various purposes, such as when you want to point multiple domain names to a single website or when you've moved your website to a new domain and want to ensure that visitors are automatically redirected to the new location.

URL Forwarding is often implemented for branding consistency, easy navigation, and maintaining SEO rankings during website transitions.

There are several types of URL Forwarding, noted below:

301 Redirect

This type of redirect is used to indicate that the original URL has permanently moved to a new location. Search engines will typically update their index to reflect the new URL and transfer any search engine ranking or authority from the old URL to the new URL. If you’re not sure what type of Redirect to use, choose a 301 Redirect.

302 Redirect

This type of redirect is used to indicate that the original URL has temporarily moved to a new location. Search engines will typically keep the original URL in their index and may not transfer search engine ranking or authority to the new URL.

Meta Refresh

This type of redirect uses a meta tag to refresh the page after a certain amount of time, typically 0-5 seconds. It is not recommended for SEO purposes, as it can negatively impact search engine rankings. NameBright does not offer Meta Refresh.