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    4. Updating inbound links vs. 301 redirecting the page they link to

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    Updating inbound links vs. 301 redirecting the page they link to

    Technical SEO
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    • Liggins
      Liggins Subscriber last edited by

      Hi everyone,

      I'm preparing myself for a website redesign and finding conflicting information about inbound links and 301 redirects.

      If I have a URL (we'll say website.com/website) that is linked to by outside sources, should I get those outside sources to update their links when I change the URL to website.com/webpage? Or is it just as effective from a link juice perspective to simply 301 redirect the old page to the new page? Are there any other implications to this choice that I may want to consider?

      Thanks!

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • AlanMosley
        AlanMosley @irvingw last edited by

        I agree, never redirect when you can fix the link.

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • Liggins
          Liggins Subscriber last edited by

          Thanks Richard and Irving!

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • irvingw
            irvingw last edited by

            The general consensus of my SEO peers is that approximate 15% of link juice is lost in the redirect and I second what Richard has recommended.

            AlanMosley 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • TheeDigital
              TheeDigital last edited by

              Quick fix = do the redirects.

              Best practice = do the redirects and try to get the inbound links changed as well.

              It is best if you can get the links changed, but always be sure to do redirects as well as there may be other links that you are not aware of.

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
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