301 Redirect Generator

Create safe, SEO-friendly redirects for your .htaccess file

Before You Begin: Critical SEO Warning

Always back up your existing .htaccess file before making changes. Incorrect redirect rules can:

Create redirect loops that make your site inaccessible
Cause Google to deindex your pages
Result in a "500 Internal Server Error"

What is a 301 Redirect?

A 301 redirect permanently redirects visitors and search engines from one URL to another. It passes approximately 90-99% of link equity (ranking power) to the redirected page, making it the gold standard for SEO when you need to:

Move from HTTP to HTTPS (secure your site)
Standardize your domain (with or without www)
Redirect old URLs to new ones after restructuring

Key Rule: Only use ONE redirect type at a time. Mixing HTTP/HTTPS rules with www rules in the wrong order can create loops.

Select Your Redirect Type

Choose only ONE option that matches your goal. The generator will create safe, conflict-free rules.

Force HTTPS (HTTP → HTTPS)

Redirect all traffic to the secure version of your site. This is the most common redirect after installing an SSL certificate.

Before: http://example.com/page
After: https://example.com/page

Force HTTP (HTTPS → HTTP)

⚠️ Not Recommended for SEO. Only use this if you're removing SSL and want all traffic on HTTP (rare scenario).

Before: https://example.com/page
After: http://example.com/page

Remove WWW (www → non-www)

Redirect visitors from www.example.com to example.com. Helps consolidate SEO signals to one canonical domain.

Before: https://www.example.com/page
After: https://example.com/page

Add WWW (non-www → www)

Redirect visitors from example.com to www.example.com. Helps standardize your domain format.

Before: https://example.com/page
After: https://www.example.com/page

Single URL Redirect (Old → New)

Redirect one specific URL to another. Perfect for moved or renamed pages.

Example: /old-page.html → /new-page

Old URL Path (relative path, starting with /) Enter the path you want to redirect FROM (e.g., /blog/old-post)

New URL Path (relative path, starting with /) Enter the path you want to redirect TO (e.g., /blog/new-post)

Tip: Use relative paths only. Don't include your domain name.

Your .htaccess Redirect Code

How to Use This Code

Backup first: Download your existing .htaccess file
Open the file: Use a text editor (not Word)
Add at the top: Paste the code at the very beginning of your .htaccess file
Test immediately: Visit your site in an incognito window to verify it works

Understanding Redirect Priority & Safety

Why Only One Type at a Time?

Critical

Mixing redirect rules (like forcing HTTPS AND removing www) in the wrong order can create redirect loops where the browser bounces between URLs infinitely. Always use ONE redirect goal per .htaccess block.

301 vs 302: What's the Difference?

SEO Impact

A 301 is permanent and tells Google "this page has moved forever, update your index." A 302 is temporary and says "this is just for now." Always use 301 for SEO unless you genuinely plan to move back.

Testing Your Redirects

Best Practice

Use your browser's incognito/private mode to test. Regular browsers cache redirects aggressively, so you might not see changes immediately. You can also use online tools like "Redirect Checker" to verify the HTTP status code is 301.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

No. Combining multiple redirect types (such as HTTP to HTTPS and removing www) requires very precise ordering. If done incorrectly, it can easily create redirect loops. For complex setups, use framework-specific redirect generators or apply one redirect rule at a time.

A redirect loop means the rule is sending the request back to itself. This often happens when manual .htaccess rules conflict with hosting panel settings like “Force HTTPS” or “Force www”. Check your hosting dashboard and remove duplicate redirects.

Search engines usually process 301 redirects within a few days to a few weeks. Ranking signals from the old URL are gradually transferred to the new one. You should keep 301 redirects active for at least 6 to 12 months to ensure proper SEO consolidation.

Always place redirect rules at the very top of your .htaccess file, before any other RewriteRule directives. This ensures redirects are executed first and avoids conflicts.

No. .htaccess rules work only on Apache servers. Nginx uses a completely different configuration format. Check with your hosting provider to confirm which server software your site is running before applying redirects.

Always handle HTTPS first, then manage www or non-www. Many hosting providers already enforce HTTPS automatically, so check your server settings before adding manual rules to avoid duplicate or conflicting redirects.

Need Framework-Specific .htaccess Files?

If you're using a framework, use our dedicated generators for complete, production-ready .htaccess files:

WordPress .htaccess Laravel .htaccess CodeIgniter .htaccess Plain PHP .htaccess Browse All Tools