Issue 220

This issue checks whether pages that have been moved to a new URL or deleted return proper 301 redirects (for moved pages) or appropriate error pages (for deleted pages), rather than abrupt 404 errors. A 301 redirect passes link equity to the new URL, while abrupt 404s on moved pages lose accumulated PageRank.

A passing implementation means:

• Pages that have moved to a new URL return a 301 (permanent) redirect to the new location
• The redirect chain is short (ideally direct, not multiple hops)
• Deleted pages that don't have a relevant replacement return 404 or 410 (Gone) status
• No moved pages return 404 abruptly without a redirect

Example:

• Old URL: https://example.com/old-page
• New URL: https://example.com/new-page
• ✅ Old URL returns 301 → https://example.com/new-page
• ❌ Old URL returns 404 Not Found (link equity lost!)

Link Equity Preservation: 301 redirects pass the vast majority of link equity (PageRank) from the old URL to the new URL. Abrupt 404s lose this valuable ranking power.

User Experience: Users who bookmark or find old URLs in search results should be automatically taken to the new location, not encounter a 404 error.

Crawl Efficiency: Search engines will continue crawling old URLs that return 404, wasting crawl budget. 301 redirects tell them to update their index to the new URL.

SEO Rankings: Pages that have moved but don't redirect may lose their rankings because search engines see the content as "gone" rather than "moved."

Historical Value: Old URLs may have accumulated backlinks over time. 301 redirects ensure those links continue to benefit your site.

SEO Health Score: Proper redirect management is a fundamental technical SEO practice that significantly improves the site's health score.

1. Identify moved pages - Review your site for pages that have been:

   • Moved to a new URL structure
   • Merged into other pages
   • Replaced with updated versions

2. Implement 301 redirects - Set up server-side 301 redirects from old URLs to new URLs:

   • Apache: Redirect 301 /old-page https://example.com/new-page
   • Nginx: rewrite ^/old-page/?$ https://example.com/new-page permanent;
   • CMS: Use redirect plugins/modules

3. Avoid redirect chains - Don't chain multiple redirects (A → B → C). Redirect directly to the final destination.

4. Handle deleted pages - For pages that are deleted without a replacement:

   • Return 404 (Not Found) or 410 (Gone)
   • Consider a custom 404 page with helpful navigation
   • Don't redirect to the homepage (this confuses search engines)

5. Update internal links - Change internal links to point directly to the new URLs instead of relying on redirects.

6. Monitor with tools - Use Google Search Console to identify 404 errors and set up proper redirects.

Example 1: Proper 301 Redirect

Problematic State (Fails): Old page returns 404:

• https://example.com/old-services returns 404 Not Found
• Page has valuable backlinks that are now wasted

Corrected State (Passes): Implement 301 redirect:

• https://example.com/old-services → 301 → https://example.com/services

Example 2: Redirect Chain

Problematic State (Fails): Multiple redirects in chain:

/old-page → /intermediate-page → /new-page

Corrected State (Passes): Redirect directly to final destination:

/old-page → /new-page

Example 3: Deleted Page Without Replacement

Problematic State (Fails): Page deleted but redirects to homepage (confusing for search engines):

• https://example.com/discontinued-product → 301 → https://example.com/

Corrected State (Passes): Return 404 or 410:

• https://example.com/discontinued-product returns 404 Not Found
• Consider a custom 404 page with links to similar products

PixyScan performs the following checks:

1. Crawls the website - The crawler follows links throughout the site, discovering URLs.

2. Identifies potential moved pages - PixyScan looks for patterns that suggest a page may have moved:

   • URL structure changes
   • Pages that return 404 but have similar content elsewhere
   • Historical data from previous crawls (if available)

3. Checks HTTP status codes - For each URL, PixyScan records the HTTP status code:

   • 200: OK (page exists)
   • 301/302: Redirect (follows to destination)
   • 404: Not Found
   • 410: Gone

4. Validates redirect type - If a redirect is found, PixyScan checks if it's a 301 (permanent) vs 302 (temporary). For moved pages, 301 is preferred.

5. Reports issues - The issue is flagged if:

   • A page appears to have moved but returns 404 instead of 301
   • Redirect chains are too long (3+ hops)
   • 302 redirects are used for permanently moved content