Is website URL redirection good or bad for SEO?

Have you ever clicked on a link and landed on a different page than the one
you expected? That's called URL redirection or URL forwarding. A technique
that allows webmasters to redirect users and search engines from one URL
to another.
For example, if you type www.example.com in your browser, you may be 
redirected to https://example.com, which is the same website but with a 
different URL.

Why is it used?
There are many reasons why webmasters use URL redirection, such as:
- Changing domains or URLs: If you want to change your domain name or
URL structure, you can use URL redirection to avoid losing your existing 
traffic, ranking and links.
- Privacy protection: If you want to hide your real URL or domain name 
from your users or competitors, you can use URL redirection to mask it with 
a different one.
- Phishing attacks: If you want to trick your users into visiting a malicious 
website or downloading a harmful file, you can use URL redirection to 
disguise it with a legitimate-looking one.
- URL shortening: If you want to make your URL shorter and easier to 
remember share or type, you can use URL redirection to create a shorter 
version of it.
How does URL redirection affect SEO?
URL redirection can have positive or negative impacts on SEO, depending on 
how it is done and for what purpose.
Benefits of URL redirection for SEO
URL redirection can help improve your SEO if done properly and strategically.
Some of the benefits of URL redirection for SEO are:
- Preserving link equity and authority: When you change your domain or
 URL, you can use URL redirection to transfer the link equity and authority 
from the old URL to the new one and maintain your ranking and visibility in 
the search results.
- Improving user experience and reducing bounce rate: If your users 
encounter broken links, outdated content or irrelevant pages on your 
website, you can use URL redirection to ensure that they always land on the 
most relevant and updated page on your website and improve their 
satisfaction and engagement.
- Consolidating duplicate content and avoiding keyword 
cannibalizations: If you have multiple pages with similar or identical content
on your website, you can use canonical tags or redirects to tell the search 
engines which page is the original or preferred one and avoid keyword 
cannibalizations.
Drawbacks of URL redirection for SEO
URL redirection can also harm your SEO if done incorrectly or excessively. 
Some of the drawbacks of URL redirection for SEO are:
- Losing traffic, ranking or indexing: If you use URL redirection 
incorrectly or excessively, you may lose some of your traffic, ranking or 
indexing in the search results.
- Making mistakes and pitfalls: URL redirection can be tricky and 
complex to implement correctly. There are many factors to consider, such as
the type of redirect, the HTTP status code, the destination URL, the site 
structure, etc. If you make mistakes or overlook some details, you may end 
up hurting your SEO instead of helping it.
How to do URL redirection right for SEO
To avoid the drawbacks and enjoy the benefits of URL redirection for SEO, 
you need to follow some best practices and use some tools to help you. 
Some of the best practices and tools for URL redirection are:
- Use permanent redirects over temporary ones: Permanent redirects 
(such as 301) tell the search engines that the old URL has been permanently 
moved to the new one and pass the link equity and authority to it. 
Temporary redirects (such as 302 or 307) tell the search engines that the old
URL is still valid and may be used again in the future and do not pass the link
equity and authority to the new one.
- Avoid unnecessary redirects: Redirects add an extra step in the loading 
process of your website, which can affect your site speed and user 
experience. Therefore, you should only use redirects when they are 
necessary and beneficial for your SEO.
- Test and monitor your redirects: Before implementing any redirects on 
your website, you should test them to make sure they work as intended and 
do not cause any errors or issues. You should also monitor your redirects 
regularly to ensure they are still valid and effective.
If you need more help or advice on URL redirection and SEO, you can contact
us: Innovative Digital Marketing. We are a professional and experienced SEO
company in Delhi. A premier SEO agency in Delhi, that gives you the 
best SEO services in Delhi. We can help you create and implement a 
successful URL redirection strategy that will boost your SEO performance 
and achieve your business goals.