How to Set Up a 301 Redirect

Point an old URL permanently at a new one with a 301 redirect in Apache, nginx, Next.js, or Vercel, then confirm it works with curl.

A page moved, or two URLs serve the same content and one has to go. A 301 redirect sends visitors and search engines from the old address to the new one and passes the old page's ranking along. Where you add it depends on what serves the site.

Add the redirect in Apache

Apache reads redirects from a .htaccess file in the site root. Add one line per redirect:

Redirect 301 /old-page /new-page

The first path is the old URL, the second is the destination. The destination can also be a full URL such as https://yourdomain.com/new-page. Save the file; Apache applies it on the next request.

Add the redirect in nginx

nginx does not read .htaccess. Add a location block inside the server block of the site config, usually under /etc/nginx/sites-available/:

location = /old-page {
    return 301 /new-page;
}

The = matches that exact path only. Run sudo nginx -t to check the syntax, then sudo systemctl reload nginx.

Add the redirect in Next.js or Vercel

For a Next.js site, export a redirects() function from next.config.js:

module.exports = {
  async redirects() {
    return [
      { source: '/old-page', destination: '/new-page', permanent: true },
    ];
  },
};

For any site hosted on Vercel, put the same rule in vercel.json at the project root:

{
  "redirects": [
    { "source": "/old-page", "destination": "/new-page", "permanent": true }
  ]
}

permanent: true produces a 308 status, which browsers and Google treat the same way as a 301. Deploy for the change to take effect.

Test it with curl

curl -I https://yourdomain.com/old-page

The first line should read HTTP/2 301 (or 308), and a location: header should show the new URL. A 200 means the rule is not being applied. If the output shows one redirect leading to another, point the old URL directly at the final destination.

301 versus 302. A 301 is permanent and passes ranking signals to the new URL. A 302 is temporary and tells search engines to keep the old URL indexed. Use 302 only for changes you intend to reverse.

Browsers cache 301s. Once a browser has seen a 301 it stops asking the server and goes straight to the destination. If the target was wrong, fixing the rule will not fix it for people who already visited, so test with curl or a private window before announcing the new URL.

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