{"id":11161,"date":"2025-04-07T07:46:27","date_gmt":"2025-04-07T07:46:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/?p=11161"},"modified":"2025-07-03T08:55:17","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T08:55:17","slug":"301-redirect-not-working","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/301-redirect-not-working\/","title":{"rendered":"301 Redirect Not Working? Here\u2019s How to Fix It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Few things are more frustrating than setting up a&nbsp;<strong>301 redirect<\/strong>\u2014only to find it&nbsp;<strong>doesn\u2019t work<\/strong>. Whether you\u2019re migrating a site, restructuring URLs, or fixing broken links, a failed redirect can&nbsp;<strong>hurt SEO, break user experience, and waste traffic<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this guide, you\u2019ll learn:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2705&nbsp;<strong>Why 301 redirects fail (and how to fix them)<\/strong><br>\u2705&nbsp;<strong>Common mistakes in .htaccess, <a href=\"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/what-are-the-benefits-of-wordpress-hosting\/\">WordPress<\/a>, and server configs<\/strong><br>\u2705&nbsp;<strong>How to test redirects properly<\/strong><br>\u2705&nbsp;<strong>Best practices to avoid future issues<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/301-redirect-not-working\/#What_Is_a_301_Redirect_Why_Does_It_Matter\" >What Is a 301 Redirect &amp; Why Does It Matter?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/301-redirect-not-working\/#Why_Its_Critical_for_SEO_UX\" >Why It\u2019s Critical for SEO &amp; UX<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/301-redirect-not-working\/#7_Reasons_Why_301_Redirects_Fail_And_How_to_Fix_Them\" >7 Reasons Why 301 Redirects Fail (And How to Fix Them)<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/301-redirect-not-working\/#1%EF%B8%8F%E2%83%A3_Incorrect_Syntax_in_htaccess_or_Server_Config\" >1\ufe0f\u20e3 Incorrect Syntax in .htaccess or Server Config<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/301-redirect-not-working\/#2%EF%B8%8F%E2%83%A3_Browser_or_CDN_Caching_Issues\" >2\ufe0f\u20e3 Browser or CDN Caching Issues<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/301-redirect-not-working\/#3%EF%B8%8F%E2%83%A3_Redirect_Loops_A_%E2%86%92_B_%E2%86%92_A\" >3\ufe0f\u20e3 Redirect Loops (A \u2192 B \u2192 A)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/301-redirect-not-working\/#4%EF%B8%8F%E2%83%A3_Conflicting_Rules_in_htaccess\" >4\ufe0f\u20e3 Conflicting Rules in .htaccess<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/301-redirect-not-working\/#5%EF%B8%8F%E2%83%A3_WordPress_or_Plugin_Conflicts\" >5\ufe0f\u20e3 WordPress or Plugin Conflicts<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/301-redirect-not-working\/#6%EF%B8%8F%E2%83%A3_HTTPHTTPS_or_WWWNon-WWW_Conflicts\" >6\ufe0f\u20e3 HTTP\/HTTPS or WWW\/Non-WWW Conflicts<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/301-redirect-not-working\/#7%EF%B8%8F%E2%83%A3_File_Permissions_or_Server_Misconfig\" >7\ufe0f\u20e3 File Permissions or Server Misconfig<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/301-redirect-not-working\/#Best_Practices_for_Bulletproof_Redirects\" >Best Practices for Bulletproof Redirects<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/301-redirect-not-working\/#FAQs_Troubleshooting_301_Redirects\" >FAQs: Troubleshooting 301 Redirects<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/301-redirect-not-working\/#1_Why_isnt_my_301_redirect_working_at_all\" >1. Why isn\u2019t my 301 redirect working at all?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/301-redirect-not-working\/#2_How_do_I_test_a_301_redirect\" >2. How do I test a 301 redirect?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/301-redirect-not-working\/#3_Will_301_redirects_hurt_SEO\" >3. Will 301 redirects hurt SEO?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/301-redirect-not-working\/#4_Should_I_use_301_or_302_redirects\" >4. Should I use 301 or 302 redirects?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/301-redirect-not-working\/#Final_Thoughts\" >Final Thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_a_301_Redirect_Why_Does_It_Matter\"><\/span><strong>What Is a 301 Redirect &amp; Why Does It Matter?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A&nbsp;<strong>301 redirect<\/strong>&nbsp;is a&nbsp;<strong>permanent<\/strong>&nbsp;URL redirect that tells search engines and browsers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udd39&nbsp;<em>\u201cThis page has moved permanently\u2014send traffic to the new location.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Its_Critical_for_SEO_UX\"><\/span><strong>Why It\u2019s Critical for SEO &amp; UX<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2714\u00a0<strong>Preserves <a href=\"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/seo-web-hosting\/\">SEO <\/a>rankings<\/strong>\u00a0(passes ~90% of link equity)<br>\u2714\u00a0<strong>Prevents <a href=\"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/404\">404<\/a> errors<\/strong>\u00a0(users land on the right page)<br>\u2714\u00a0<strong>Maintains backlink value<\/strong>\u00a0(avoids broken links)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But when&nbsp;<strong>301 redirects fail<\/strong>, you risk:<br>\u274c&nbsp;<strong>Lost rankings<\/strong>&nbsp;(Google drops the old URL)<br>\u274c&nbsp;<strong>Broken user journeys<\/strong>&nbsp;(visitors hit dead ends)<br>\u274c&nbsp;<strong>Wasted crawl budget<\/strong>&nbsp;(search engines waste time on dead pages)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7_Reasons_Why_301_Redirects_Fail_And_How_to_Fix_Them\"><\/span><strong>7 Reasons Why 301 Redirects Fail (And How to Fix Them)<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1%EF%B8%8F%E2%83%A3_Incorrect_Syntax_in_htaccess_or_Server_Config\"><\/span><strong>1\ufe0f\u20e3 Incorrect Syntax in .htaccess or Server Config<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Problem:<\/strong>&nbsp;A tiny typo can break everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Common mistakes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Missing&nbsp;<code>http:\/\/<\/code>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<code>https:\/\/<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wrong path (<code>\/old-page<\/code>&nbsp;vs.&nbsp;<code>\/old-page\/<\/code>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Using&nbsp;<code>Redirect<\/code>&nbsp;instead of&nbsp;<code>RedirectMatch<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2705&nbsp;<strong>Fix:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>apache<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\" style=\"font-size:18px\"># Correct .htaccess syntax (Apache)  \nRedirect 301 \/old-page https:\/\/example.com\/new-page  \n\n# For regex matching:  \nRedirectMatch 301 ^\/old-path\/(.*)$ https:\/\/example.com\/new-path\/$1  <\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Check:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Test in&nbsp;<strong>incognito mode<\/strong>&nbsp;(bypasses cache)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use&nbsp;<code>curl -I http:\/\/example.com\/old-page<\/code>&nbsp;to verify HTTP status<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2%EF%B8%8F%E2%83%A3_Browser_or_CDN_Caching_Issues\"><\/span><strong>2\ufe0f\u20e3 Browser or CDN Caching Issues<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Problem:<\/strong>&nbsp;Your redirect works\u2014but you can\u2019t see it because of caching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2705\u00a0<strong>Fix:<\/strong><br>\u2714\u00a0<strong>Clear browser cache<\/strong>\u00a0(or use incognito)<br>\u2714\u00a0<strong>Purge CDN cache<\/strong>\u00a0(<a href=\"https:\/\/developers.cloudflare.com\/cache\/how-to\/purge-cache\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cloudflare<\/a>, Varnish, etc.)<br>\u2714\u00a0<strong>Restart web server<\/strong>\u00a0(if using Nginx\/Apache)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pro Tip:<\/strong><br>Use&nbsp;<strong><code>curl<\/code><\/strong>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<strong>Redirect Checker tools<\/strong>&nbsp;to bypass local caching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3%EF%B8%8F%E2%83%A3_Redirect_Loops_A_%E2%86%92_B_%E2%86%92_A\"><\/span><strong>3\ufe0f\u20e3 Redirect Loops (A \u2192 B \u2192 A)<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Problem:<\/strong>&nbsp;Infinite loops trigger&nbsp;<strong>\u201cToo Many Redirects\u201d<\/strong>&nbsp;errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2705&nbsp;<strong>Fix:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Audit all redirects<\/strong>&nbsp;(Screaming Frog, Sitebulb)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Remove intermediate hops<\/strong>&nbsp;(point directly to final URL)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Check WordPress settings<\/strong>&nbsp;(Site Address vs. WordPress Address)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong><br>\u274c&nbsp;<strong>Bad:<\/strong>&nbsp;<code>\/old \u2192 \/temp \u2192 \/new<\/code><br>\u2705&nbsp;<strong>Good:<\/strong>&nbsp;<code>\/old \u2192 \/new<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4%EF%B8%8F%E2%83%A3_Conflicting_Rules_in_htaccess\"><\/span><strong>4\ufe0f\u20e3 Conflicting Rules in .htaccess<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Problem:<\/strong>&nbsp;Multiple rules override each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2705&nbsp;<strong>Fix:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Order matters!<\/strong>&nbsp;Specific rules&nbsp;<strong>before<\/strong>&nbsp;general ones.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Comment out old rules<\/strong>&nbsp;with&nbsp;<code>#<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Test one rule at a time<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>apache<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\" style=\"font-size:18px\"># Specific rule first  \nRedirect 301 \/products\/old-product https:\/\/example.com\/new-product  \n\n# General rule last  \nRedirectMatch 301 ^\/blog\/(.*)$ https:\/\/example.com\/news\/$1  <\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5%EF%B8%8F%E2%83%A3_WordPress_or_Plugin_Conflicts\"><\/span><strong>5\ufe0f\u20e3 WordPress or Plugin Conflicts<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Problem:<\/strong>&nbsp;Plugins (Yoast, Redirection) override server rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2705&nbsp;<strong>Fix:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Disable all redirect plugins<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Check&nbsp;<code>wp-config.php<\/code><\/strong>&nbsp;for hardcoded redirects<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Use server-level redirects<\/strong>&nbsp;if plugins conflict<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pro Tip:<\/strong><br>Avoid mixing&nbsp;<strong>plugin-based<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>.htaccess redirects<\/strong>\u2014pick one method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6%EF%B8%8F%E2%83%A3_HTTPHTTPS_or_WWWNon-WWW_Conflicts\"><\/span><strong>6\ufe0f\u20e3 HTTP\/HTTPS or WWW\/Non-WWW Conflicts<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Problem:<\/strong>&nbsp;Redirect works on&nbsp;<code>http:\/\/<\/code>&nbsp;but not&nbsp;<code>https:\/\/<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2705&nbsp;<strong>Fix:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Standardize your domain<\/strong>&nbsp;(pick&nbsp;<code>https:\/\/www<\/code>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<code>https:\/\/non-www<\/code>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Add canonical redirects:<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>apache<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\" style=\"font-size:18px\"># Force HTTPS + WWW  \nRewriteEngine On  \nRewriteCond %{HTTPS} off [OR]  \nRewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www\\. [NC]  \nRewriteRule ^(.*)$ https:\/\/www.example.com\/$1 [L,R=301]  <\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7%EF%B8%8F%E2%83%A3_File_Permissions_or_Server_Misconfig\"><\/span><strong>7\ufe0f\u20e3 File Permissions or Server Misconfig<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Problem:<\/strong>&nbsp;<code>.htaccess<\/code>&nbsp;is ignored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2705&nbsp;<strong>Fix:<\/strong><br>\u2714&nbsp;<strong>Check permissions<\/strong>&nbsp;(<code>chmod 644 .htaccess<\/code>)<br>\u2714&nbsp;<strong>Enable&nbsp;<code>mod_rewrite<\/code><\/strong>&nbsp;(Apache)<br>\u2714&nbsp;<strong>Verify&nbsp;<code>AllowOverride All<\/code><\/strong>&nbsp;in Apache config<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>For Nginx:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>nginx<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\" style=\"font-size:18px\">server {  \n    listen 80;  \n    server_name example.com;  \n    return 301 https:\/\/example.com$request_uri;  \n}  <\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Best_Practices_for_Bulletproof_Redirects\"><\/span><strong>Best Practices for Bulletproof Redirects<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udd39&nbsp;<strong>Test before deploying<\/strong>&nbsp;(use&nbsp;<strong>curl, Screaming Frog<\/strong>)<br>\ud83d\udd39&nbsp;<strong>Avoid long chains<\/strong>&nbsp;(A \u2192 B \u2192 C \u2192 D \u2192 Final)<br>\ud83d\udd39&nbsp;<strong>Update internal links<\/strong>&nbsp;(don\u2019t rely on redirects forever)<br>\ud83d\udd39&nbsp;<strong>Document changes<\/strong>&nbsp;(keep a redirect log)<br>\ud83d\udd39&nbsp;<strong>Monitor 404s<\/strong>&nbsp;(Google Search Console)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQs_Troubleshooting_301_Redirects\"><\/span><strong>FAQs: Troubleshooting 301 Redirects<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Why_isnt_my_301_redirect_working_at_all\"><\/span><strong>1. Why isn\u2019t my 301 redirect working at all?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Check&nbsp;<strong>syntax errors<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Disable&nbsp;<strong>caching<\/strong>&nbsp;(browser, CDN, server)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Verify&nbsp;<strong>server supports .htaccess<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_How_do_I_test_a_301_redirect\"><\/span><strong>2. How do I test a 301 redirect?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>bash<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\" style=\"font-size:18px\">curl -I http:\/\/example.com\/old-url<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>Look for&nbsp;<code>HTTP\/1.1 301 Moved Permanently<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Will_301_redirects_hurt_SEO\"><\/span><strong>3. Will 301 redirects hurt SEO?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>No\u2014if done&nbsp;<strong>correctly<\/strong>, they&nbsp;<strong>preserve rankings<\/strong>. Avoid chains &amp; loops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Should_I_use_301_or_302_redirects\"><\/span><strong>4. Should I use 301 or 302 redirects?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>301 = Permanent<\/strong>&nbsp;(SEO-safe)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>302 = Temporary<\/strong>&nbsp;(no SEO value)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Final_Thoughts\"><\/span><strong>Final Thoughts<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Most&nbsp;<strong>301 redirect failures<\/strong>&nbsp;come down to:<br>\ud83d\udd38&nbsp;<strong>Typos in .htaccess<\/strong><br>\ud83d\udd38&nbsp;<strong>Caching issues<\/strong><br>\ud83d\udd38&nbsp;<strong>Conflicting rules<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By&nbsp;<strong>testing thoroughly<\/strong>&nbsp;and following best practices, you\u2019ll ensure smooth, SEO-friendly redirects every time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Few things are more frustrating than setting up a&nbsp;301 redirect\u2014only to find it&nbsp;doesn\u2019t work. Whether you\u2019re migrating a site, restructuring URLs, or fixing broken links, a <a class=\"read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/301-redirect-not-working\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11531,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[200],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-website-management"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11161"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11161\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11770,"href":"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11161\/revisions\/11770"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mainvps.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}