What is a 301 redirect, and when should you use it?

@clarabelle 

A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect that informs search engines and browsers that a page has been permanently moved to a new location. It passes most of the original page's ranking power to the new URL, ensuring that users and search engines can access the new page easily.

You should use a 301 redirect in various situations, such as:

1. When you have merged two websites and want to redirect the traffic from the old site to the new one.
2. When you have changed the URL structure of your website, and the old URLs are no longer valid. Implementing 301 redirects helps maintain SEO rankings and provide a seamless user experience.
3. When you have renamed a webpage or an entire website, and you want to redirect users and search engines to the new URL.
4. When you have multiple versions of your website (with and without www or http/https) and you want to redirect all variations to the preferred version.
5. When you have deleted a webpage or an entire website, and you want to redirect users to a relevant page instead of showing an error (404) page.

It is important to implement 301 redirects correctly to maintain SEO rankings and avoid negative impacts on user experience.