The Safe, Effective way to Move your Pages

We've all been there; you want to move a page because it no longer belongs. Maybe it's better suited to be in a new directory, or maybe you'd like to change the file name to one that better suits its content. Regardless of the reason, the page needs to be moved. But how do we move it? And better yet, will this cause problems with Google and other major search engines?

Moving a page CAN cause problems when it comes to search engine rank and indexing. The first problem is obvious: If you move a page without telling Google that the former address no longer exists (we'll get into how to do this shortly), Google will think you've created an entirely new page. And worst of all, you'll get hit with a duplicate content penalty, since the new page will look identical to the old one in the eyes of Google. Sure, the search engines will eventually pick up on the fact that the old URL no longer exists, but it won't be soon enough to avoid a penalty.

In recent years, it was common to use Meta Refresh to redirect a page. Meta Refresh (often used in Doorway Pages) is a short command placed on a page that sends the user to its new location. Unfortunately, the technique quickly became an easy way for devious types to trick users into thinking they were visiting a page, and instead sending them to a completely unrelated page (often full of advertisements). It didn't take long for Google to pick up on this little trick, and soon it began to penalize sites using Meta Refresh.

But what about the people who just want to move a page for legitimate reasons? Well fear not, because here comes 301 re-direct to save the day!

A 301 re-direct is a form of server-side scripting. Most websites have a file called .htaccess that resides in the site's root directory (a root directory is the highest point in your in your website's heirarchy system). It's a simple text file that produces special commands in addition to what the actual page may have to offer. Because it's called .htaccess, it has no file extension. If you can't view your .htaccess file, or are not sure if you have one, download an FTP client and select "view hidden files" as an option. If you don't have one, it can be created easily. Just open up your favorite notepad, enter the code, and save it as a text file. After you upload it to your server, rename it to .htaccess, and you'll be on your way to server side scripting!

On to the code... If you find your .htaccess file has code your unfamiliar with, just leave it as and enter the following line(s) of code one line beneath the existing code.

Redirect 301 /blog.html http://www.pinbottle.com/index.html

(1)Redirect 301 (2)/blog.html (3)http://www.pinbottle.com/index.html

1) Just a simple title you'll use for all your 301s.
2) The url that will no longer exist. This isn't a full url, just the file name and it's path to the. The file we want to move's full url is http://www.pinbottle.com/blog.html (we just leave out the domain part).
3) This is the FULL url to the new file's new home.

NOTE: Notice the space between each element above. This space is necessary for the line of code to work:
Redirect 301_SPACE_/blog.html_SPACE_http://www.pinbottle.com/index.html

We hope this article has been of help to anyone looking to move a page the search engine friendly way.