How to avoid a redirect chain?
-
Hi there,
I am aware that it is not good practice to have a redirect chain but I am not really sure hoe to do it (on Apache).
I have multiple redirects in a chain because on the one hand I had to redirect because the content of the site got a new URL and because on the other hand I changed from http to https. Thus I have a chain like
http://example.com via 301 to http://the-best-example.com via 301 to https://the-best-example.com via 301 to https://greatest-example.com
Obviously I want to clean this up without loosing any link juice or visitors who had bookmarked my site. So, I could make three separate redirects:
http://example.com via 301 to https://greatest-example.com
http://the-best-example.com via 301 to https://greatest-example.com
https://the-best-example.com via 301 to https://greatest-example.comBut is there a way to combine it? Can I use an "OR" operator to link the 3 conditions to this one rule?
Any other suggestions?
Thanks a lot!!!
-
this is simple. rather that test what the domain name is, test what it is not.
use the logic,
if not my-preferred-domainname then redirect to my-preferred-domainname.
-
Hey there
I would also make sure that your sitemap and internal links are up to date so that there are no redirects happening in those places. You may also want to make sure you take the time to update listings and do a quick backlink audit to see if there are links you wish to update or possibly remove.
Hope this helps as well - good luck!
-
yeah, thanks. That helps.
-
Hi,
In a situation like this I would use something similar to:
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{REMOTE_HOST} !^.+.example.com$ [OR]
RewriteCond %{REMOTE_HOST} !^.+.the-best-example.com$
RewriteRule ^(/~.+) https://greatest-example.com/$1 [R,L](Sorry this was written off the top of my head, so give it a test before rolling it out!)
Kind Regards
Jimmy
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
My homepage redirects to itself?
Hi there - I'm not a SEO so help would be appreciated! Moz is telling me we have a redirect loop but the URLs are the same. https://www.example.com/ to https://www.example.com/ Why is my homepage creating a redirect loop to itself? We use Wordpress and I do not have any redirects listed for our homepage. Could this have something to do with switching to https in April? Thanks, Katherine
Technical SEO | | kmmartin0 -
Redirect typo domains
Hi, What's the "correct" way of redirecting typo domains? DNS A record goes to the same ip address as the correct domain name Then 301 redirects for each typo domain in the .htaccess Subdomains on typo urls still redirect to www or should they redirect to the subdomain on the correct url in case the subdomain exists?
Technical SEO | | kuchenchef0 -
301 Redirect Best Practices
Hi SEOs, Question about ranking/redirects. If I have a particular page that is already ranking for a couple KWs in top SERPs, but know there are higher volume KWs I can optimize for should I just leave it as is or change the URL key and redirect for the time being until Google re-indexes. Example:
Technical SEO | | IceIcebaby
current URL: www.example.com/action/best-movies
new URL: www.example.com/action/best-action-movies
(the current would be ranking for "best action moves" whereas the new would include the actual "best action movies" KW) Let me know if I can clarify, thank you!0 -
Redirects & 404 Errors
Hi everyone, I'm probably missing some GLARING error here, but I'm hoping you can help me! We recently built a new website on Wordpress and attempted to use a redirect plugin to take care of some old pages. The issue we are having though, is that when you click an old link you are not automatically redirected and instead are given a 404 error page. Then, when you try to view another page (by clicking a navigation item), every pages shows a 404 error. I implemented a redirect plugin, however it seems to start to work then still throws the 404 page. I believe this has something to do with the htaccess file which has the standard WP rewrite info in there... The way the old site was setup was kind of janky, so wondering if it's on that side or if I'm just going crazy. An old URL example would be http://orchards inn.com/index.php/specials and the new page is http://orchardsinn.com/special-offers. Sometimes the redirect seems to work, and others it actually throws a 404 page, then every other page in the navigation is 404'd as well. Your help is GREATLY appreciated!!
Technical SEO | | marisolmarketing0 -
60% Internal Redirects
A new client I am working with has a site with over 9,000 internal 301 redirects. These are as a result of old links not being updated and the number of internal 301 redirects far outweighs the number of 'correct' links on the site. My personal opinion is that creates the risk of crawl errors/issues and whilst a 301 redirect is correct in this case, it does not negate the need to update internal links. The problem I have is that when I explain this to the client, they reply with an Matt Cutts video from 2008 that talks about 301 redirects being correct for site migrations. Even though the video is not entirely relevant to the point, I can not get the client to move from his position. Ideally, what I am looking for help with is the following: Am I right in my position that having this many redirects is a potential issue and that internal links should be updated? Does anyone know of any articles from 'notable/reputable' sources that I can use in order to support my position? Thanks in advance for your help.
Technical SEO | | MattHopkins0 -
Which to redirect to, www or non-www?
Please help. I have a client who's site has duplicate content issues due mainly to the www/non-www problem. The MOZ page authority of both is the same, the www version has more linking root domains, and for most of the keywords the www version shows up in Google. The developer indicated the site is on the non-www. I need to do a .htacess 301 redirect to eliminate the dup content problems. Which do I redirect to? Any help is greatly appreciated, Thanks!!
Technical SEO | | SteveFaber0 -
Page authority has disappeared since redirect
As the title states, my page authority (PA) has completely disappeared for certain pages on my site.
Technical SEO | | Hughescov
I have recently had a redesign and optimised the page names, redirecting the page it has replaced.
This has been nearly 2 months now and the new pages are showing PA of 1 still.
The 301 redirects definitely work so what am I doing wrong? Thanks in advance!0 -
CNAME redirect for Press Releases
Our company is moving our press release section over to Business Wire. Business Wire will be hosting the press releases on their servers http//ourcompany.newshq.businesswire.com, but we want it to display as if these are hosted on our site www.ourcompany/press-releases/. This is where our press releases are hosted now. They are recommending using a CNAME redirect to essentially mask their URL and display ours. We don't want to lose out on the search value that our press release area has built up over time. Will the CNAME redirect cause any SEO problems?
Technical SEO | | ryanwats0