You changed your URLs and lost your search traffic — meet the 301
After moving a domain or changing your URL structure, search traffic and rankings vanish because the old URLs no longer point to the new ones. Here's the difference between 301 (permanent) and 302 (temporary) and how to pass old link equity to the new addresses.
The problem: traffic fell off a cliff after the relaunch
You redesigned your site, changed the domain, or reworked your URL structure. The new site looks great, but a few days later your traffic has plunged. Searching for a page that used to rank, you click it and get "Page not found (404)."
The problem isn't the new site — it's the old URLs. The search index, links other sites point at you, bookmarks — all still point to old addresses that no longer exist, so they're dead ends. Connect the old URLs to the new ones and most of it recovers.
301 vs 302 — this number decides your equity
Sending one address to another is called a redirect. To a search engine, "moved permanently" and "temporarily sent elsewhere" mean completely different things, and the status code is what tells them apart.
A 301 (Moved Permanently) says "this address has permanently changed." Search engines pass the trust (link equity) the old URL built up to the new one and update the index. A 302 (Found, temporary) says "keep the original, just detour briefly," so equity is not passed and the old URL stays indexed. If you moved for good, you must use 301.
| Status | Meaning | Passes equity | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| 301 | Permanent move | Yes, to the new URL | Permanent domain/URL change |
| 302 | Temporary move | No | Maintenance page, brief detour |
| 404 | Gone | N/A (link dies) | When no redirect is set |
How to connect old URLs to new ones
The key is a rule on the server that maps "every URL that used to exist" to "its corresponding new URL," 1:1. The syntax differs by web server (Nginx vs Apache), but the principle is the same: when the old path is requested, return a 301 to the new path.
A handful of URLs you can write by hand, but dozens or hundreds are error-prone. A tool that takes pairs of old and new URLs and generates the server config (Nginx location, Apache RewriteRule, etc.) is fast and accurate.
After moving, check these
Once redirects are in place, verify:
- Enter a few representative old URLs in a browser and confirm they land on the new ones
- In DevTools' Network tab, confirm the status is 301, not 302
- Make sure redirects don't chain two or three times (minimize the chain)
- Update your sitemap and resubmit it to search engines
- If you keep the old domain, 301 the entire old domain to the new one
Frequently asked questions
Does a 301 preserve my rankings?
Most equity transfers to the new URL, but rankings may wobble briefly right after the move while search engines recrawl and reindex. Map 1:1 accurately and resubmit your sitemap, and it usually recovers within a few weeks.
How long should I keep the old domain?
Keep it with 301s in place for at least a year if you can. It takes time for other sites' links and the search index to fully move over. Drop the domain and any remaining link equity goes with it.
Users still reach the new page with a 302, so why is it a problem?
Users see no difference, but search engines treat a 302 as temporary — they keep the old URL indexed and don't pass equity. Use a 302 for a permanent move and your asset stays tied to the old URL while the new one struggles to rank.