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  4. Updating inbound links vs. 301 redirecting the page they link to

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Updating inbound links vs. 301 redirecting the page they link to

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  • Liggins
    Liggins Subscriber last edited by Jun 12, 2014, 5:20 PM

    Hi everyone,

    I'm preparing myself for a website redesign and finding conflicting information about inbound links and 301 redirects.

    If I have a URL (we'll say website.com/website) that is linked to by outside sources, should I get those outside sources to update their links when I change the URL to website.com/webpage? Or is it just as effective from a link juice perspective to simply 301 redirect the old page to the new page? Are there any other implications to this choice that I may want to consider?

    Thanks!

    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
    • AlanMosley
      AlanMosley @irvingw last edited by Jun 13, 2014, 11:18 AM Jun 13, 2014, 11:18 AM

      I agree, never redirect when you can fix the link.

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • Liggins
        Liggins Subscriber last edited by Jun 13, 2014, 10:08 AM Jun 13, 2014, 10:08 AM

        Thanks Richard and Irving!

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • irvingw
          irvingw last edited by Jun 12, 2014, 11:40 PM Jun 12, 2014, 11:40 PM

          The general consensus of my SEO peers is that approximate 15% of link juice is lost in the redirect and I second what Richard has recommended.

          AlanMosley 1 Reply Last reply Jun 13, 2014, 11:18 AM Reply Quote 1
          • TheeDigital
            TheeDigital last edited by Jun 12, 2014, 5:39 PM Jun 12, 2014, 5:39 PM

            Quick fix = do the redirects.

            Best practice = do the redirects and try to get the inbound links changed as well.

            It is best if you can get the links changed, but always be sure to do redirects as well as there may be other links that you are not aware of.

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
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