308 vs 301 Redirect: Which Is Best, How to Implement & Best Practices

Broken links, new domains, website merging, and similar scenarios are sure ways to lose website traffic to your competitors. 

Until you implement redirects.

Redirects work like traffic signals for your website that divert traffic from an old dysfunctional URL to another. They guide search engines and visitors to an active destination to make sure that your guests don’t encounter a dead end on your website, like a 404 error page.

Amongst different types of redirects, 301 and 308 serve as permanent HTTP status codes with nearly similar functions. At this point, it’s important to understand which redirect can benefit you the most for a better website ranking.

In this article, we will dive deep into what redirects are, compare 308 vs 301, help you choose the right one for your website,  and teach you how to implement them with best practices.

What are Redirects?

Before we discuss what redirects are, it's important to have clear basics on HTTP status codes. This will help us understand better what 301 redirects are.

When you enter a website using your browser's URL, your browser sends a request to the website's server, asking for the information. The server, in turn, sends you a status code, which contains the relevant information for your browser. Note that it’s not only your browser (client) that benefits; the search engine also finds the status code very important as it utilizes this information to update its index for ranking purposes.

So when the website returns the information:

• The browser knows whether the page is active or has an issue.
• Based on this, the search engine further decides to crawl, index, or remove this URL.

The HTTP status code sent by the website can be one of the following:

• Informational responses (1xx) – The server is processing the request.
• Successful responses (2xx) – This indicates that the request has been received successfully.
• Redirection responses (3xx) – The webpage has moved elsewhere, and the browser or search engine updates the URL with the target URL.
• Client error responses (4xx) - Page not found. Eg:- Error 404
• Server error responses (5xx) – The server couldn't complete the request due to server-side problems.

As you can see, a redirect status code comes under the 3xx category. When a server sends a 3xx HTTP code status, it indicates that the URL has moved, and the browser needs to direct its request toward the new location by updating the URL.

Redirect codes are of the following types: 301, 302, 303, 307, and 308. 

Here, 301 and 308 are permanent redirects as compared to 302 and 307. 

302 and 307 are temporary redirects, which are valid in scenarios where the website URL is temporarily invalid or unavailable. Consider a URL on your page dedicated to winter trekking. But what if someone visits this page in the summer? You may want to redirect it to some other page for a temporary period until winter’s back.

What is a 301 redirect?

A 301 HTTP status code indicates that the entered URL has permanently moved to a new location and that the traffic should be directed toward the new URL.

This means that the search engine and browser should automatically update their records to access the new URL in the future instead of returning to the old URL that stands invalid.

We will understand this through an example. Let's say your website has multiple pages, all with the same content. From the SEO perspective, this is duplication and will spoil your ranking, negatively impacting your authority. 

In this scenario, I will use 301 to direct the crawler and clients to the target URL from all these pages. This will save you from data duplication and leave you with one page with the latest data that Google will index positively.

The benefit of performing a 301 redirect is that it not only redirects the traffic but also transfers the authority to the new page (or equity link), saving the website from traffic loss and SEO performance.

Pro Tip: As per Google's John Muller, it's best to keep 301 redirects active for at least 1 year. 

Keeping it active for 1 year is sufficient to ensure that the engine and browser have updated all their cache with the new link. This won't affect your traffic.

Below are a few scenarios for using 301 redirects:

• Changing URL: If your page is moving to some other part of the site for reasons like better organization or readability purposes, consider using 301
• Fixing Error 404: In case of page deletion or unavailability, use 301 to direct visitors to the homepage or other relevant pages. Don’t guide your visitors to a dead end.
• New Domain: If you just purchased a new domain,301 will help you switch from the old domain to a new one.
• Merging Websites: 301 is of great help when merging two websites into one.

Now, let's understand the other permanent HTTPS code, i.e., 308 status code, and compare it with 301.

What is a 308 redirect?

Like 301, HTTP code 308 indicates that the resource from the old URL has been permanently moved to the new URL. This means all future requests must be directed towards the new URL.

Now, you must wonder if it's the same as 301 and where the difference is.

308 was introduced in 2015 under the HTTP1.1 initiative to meet the requirements that other codes failed to meet.

308 stands out from others as it doesn't allow the HTTP to change its request from POST to GET.

In case you heard the two terminologies the first time, these are the most common methods used by HTTP. Consider it as HTTP's communication mode with other servers for exchanging information. Let’s elaborate on this.

When you enter a URL on your browser, HTTP uses the GET method to request the website information. The website's server, in return, gives the website data which your browser displays on your screen.

In scenarios like signing in to your email account, your browser submits the data to the server using the POST method. It sends the encrypted data to the server, which is further processed.

With 308 redirects, the request method GET and POST remains preserved throughout. Say that after submitting a form data or email credentials, you landed on a URL that has been redirected to another; 308 will ensure that the data passes as it is.

In such a scenario, had you used 301, the HTTP method had to change to GET, and you would have lost the data.

Now, let's compare 301 vs 308 with finer details.

Which one is better out of 308 vs 301 redirect?

301 and 308 redirects guide your clients to the new URL instead of crashing them to a dysfunctional page. These redirects will tell the browser that they must visit a new link.

Though they perform the same task, knowing the difference will help you choose the right one:

• HTTP Specifications: 301 is an implementation of HTTP/1.0 specification, an implementation that is widely adopted by all browsers. On the other hand, 308 was introduced as a part of HTTP/1.1 specification under RFC 7238 to address the limitations of 301. 308 status code is not as popular as 301.

• Browser behavior: 308 is sophisticated, and old browsers won't fail to meet the requirement of keeping the body intact. Using 308 redirects will be valid when you are confident that your clients use modern browsers. Otherwise, you risk losing visitors to your website. If you're uncertain about your clients' browsers, it's better to use 301 to play safe.

• POST vs GET request: Clarifying the GET and POST scenarios while choosing an appropriate redirect is important. Using 301 will lead to data loss where the client has served data to be processed because 301 can't keep the HTTP request method intact.

Use-cases:

• 301 status code is used in cases such as
  • Redirecting outdated URLs to new pages.
  • Handling domain name changes.
  • Merging or restructuring website content.
    
• 308 status code is used in the following cases:
  • Migrating entire websites from HTTP to HTTPS while preserving request methods.
  • Redirecting form submissions without altering POST data.

308 vs 301: Which redirect is better for SEO?

You might be left concerned about which HTTP status code is better between 301 and 308. And whether using one benefits over the other from the SEO viewpoint.

Credits: Semrush

If you follow John Muller's response to this, the conclusion is as follows:

• Google treats both redirects as the same without favoring one.
• Using 308 proves safer when you are unsure about the technicalities of POST and GET methods for your site. At least you won't lose any customer data if your URL depends on it.
• However, if you are sure that your URL won't require any data, then 301 will be the best choice because it eliminates browser incompatibility issues.

Now, if you are wondering whether 301 or 308 contribute to SEO factors, let’s answer that. While the exact answer is vague, it is believed by experts that it doesn't directly contribute to SEO rankings.

But it indirectly impacts because it transfers the link juice from the old URL to the new one.

Pro Tip: Always use Site Audits to assess the broken pages on your website, how your directs are working, and whether a login page benefits from a 308 redirect.

How to Set a Permanent 308 Redirect

We have read extensively about what redirects are, their types, and the difference between 301 and 308 permanent redirects. But how to implement them for your website? It's time for some practical action!

1. .htaccess file

The most common method to perform a DIY 308 redirect is by accessing your website's .htaccess file.

Where to find that? You must use an FTP client to access your website's root folder. Or, if you are using your website's control panel, you need to look for a website file manager.

Once you are here, look for a public_html folder. You'll find the .htaccess file here.

You need to edit this file with the following command:

Redirect 308 /old-url.html http://www.yourwebsite.com/new-url.html

Depending on whether it's a directory or domain redirect, the command will change accordingly.

Make sure it is saved in your website's root folder.

2. Using plugins

If you use WordPress or Wix platforms, implementing website redirects becomes easier. This is because of the prebuilt plugins which allow you to set a 308 permanent redirect.

You can activate the Redirection plugin for WordPress, which allows you to add redirect options under the Tools option.

Best Practices for Using Redirects

Redirects need to be implemented properly, and the following practices will help you as they are also beneficial to search engines for indexing purposes:

1. Minimize Redirect Chains

• Always redirect to the destination URL without including any other URLs in the route. For example:
  • Page A → Page B → Page C (redirect chain).
• If Page C is your redirect destination, you must do this instead: Page A → Page C.

2. Monitor and Audit Redirects

• Before you plan to redirect, getting an estimate of your website's broken links or unnecessary chains is important. Use tools like Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, or Ahrefs for this.
• It's important to regularly audit your redirects to stay relevant and functional at all times.

3. Validate after Implementation

• Tools like httpstatus.io can help you ensure the redirects work as expected.
• After applying redirects, it's important to confirm that search engines have indexed the correct destination URLs.

4. Prioritize Speed and Efficiency

• Redirects can add latency to page load times. It's best to keep them minimal to preserve website performance.
• Choose server-side redirects (e.g., via .htaccess or NGINX) over client-side methods like JavaScript for faster implementation.

5. Preserve Link Equity

• Always choose permanent redirects like 301 and 308 for long-term URL changes. This transfers the SEO authority well.

7. Educate Your Team

• Educate your developers, marketers, and SEO team so that they understand the importance of choosing the right redirect type and its impact on the website.

Manage Your Redirects

Many scenarios, such as domain changes or bad links, disable visitors from accessing your URLs. In such cases, you must use permanent redirects to train your browsers and search engines about the new URL. However, there are two types of redirects, and choosing the right one can be confusing. 301 vs 308 is a widespread debate over the web, and this article mentions which one will benefit you the most regarding proper redirects.

At ViralChilly, we plan the best strategies to earn you growing website traffic. This includes redirect factors such as choosing 301 or 308 status codes so that you don't have to worry about gaining traffic.