301 Redirect?

[kumar29]

The smoothest way to redirect your visitors is to use an .htaccess redirect. This has no delay since before a page is served to the browser the server checks first for an .htaccess file... if it sees this the old page never loads, instead visitors are sent directly to the new page.

[emilio]

You should use 301 redirection in following scenario:

• As default – this is the preferred method.
• Pages that are being permanently moved or replaced with another page.
• Domains that are permanently moved to another domain.
• 404 pages and expired content.

Yes, these are in my opinion also reasons to take advantage of the permanent redirect, with a small amendament: for athe home page!
And will apply 301 for:
http://www.seomastering.com/index.php
http://seomastering.com/index.php
http://seomastering.com
TO:  http://www.seomastering.com - one homepage, stronger!

[carldweb]

Use 301 Redirection only when you have to change your one path permanently to another.
Some times we have to do redirection for 404 not errors.
but try to avoid redirection as much cases you can.
Because it takes much time in redirection (Depends on server), causes slow site speed.

[stonewood]

301 is permanent redirection of your website. If you want your site to be accessed from new domain then 301 redirection can be implemented. Add 301 redirection code in your old so that all the traffic from there onwards will straightforward move to new domain.

[ManiQuadraIncorp]

A 301, or completely moved, is a redirect that provides and distributes in an absolute way. You should use a 301 to signify to the spiders that your content has moved completely – as in forever.

[jayanta1]

In the simplest of "technical definitions", a 301 redirect is a permanent redirect from one URL to the other. 301 redirect is the most efficient and Search Engine Friendly method for webpage redirection. It's not that hard to implement and it should preserve your search engine rankings for that particular page.

[Roy Milson]

If you redirect a page to another page for permanently you need to use 301 Redirect.

When you open a URL for your website, it shows with or without "www," like this:

* http://www.seomastering.com
* http://seomastering.com

You can use 301 redirect  to with non www (http://seomastering.com) to www (http://www.seomastering.com).

[expmrb]

301 redirects are not suitable for a site in the following cases:

When there's a need for a temporary redirect, as 301 redirects are permanent and can be cached by browsers and search engines. In such cases, a 302 or 307 redirect would be more suitable. As a webmaster, you gotta know when to use the right redirect, or you'll end up with a mess on your hands.

When the original URL is still active and you want to test a new URL without affecting the original one. In this case, you might wanna use a canonical URL or a 302 redirect to avoid duplicate content issues. Don't be a rookie, know your redirects.

When you're dealing with a large number of redirects and need to manage them efficiently. In such cases, using a redirect map or a rewrite rule might be more practical. Don't get stuck in redirect hell, use the right tools for the job.

When you're trying to redirect a URL with a query string or a fragment identifier. In this case, you might need to use a more advanced redirect technique, such as a rewrite rule or a proxy redirect. Don't get caught with your redirects down, use the right technique for the job.