How to Rename a Page With a 301 Redirect

A 301 redirect is the permanent way to send one old URL to the page that replaced it. Google treats a 301 and a 308 as a canonical signal that the new URL is the one to keep. A 302, a 303, and a 307 are temporary, and they are not that signal [1]. Renaming a single path is a small move. It still needs the permanent redirect.

Does Search Console's Change of Address tool apply?

No. Change of Address is for a domain or subdomain move. Google says it is not for http to https, a www change, a path-only change, or a hosting-only change [2]. Renaming /services/old-name to /services/new-name is a path change. You redirect that URL. You do not file a domain move.

Where should the old URL land?

On the page that answers the same request. Google's site-move guide says not to send many unrelated URLs to the homepage. That pattern is treated as a soft 404 [3]. One renamed service goes to the new service page. It does not go to the homepage because that was easier to configure.

How long do you keep it?

Generally at least a year [3]. People bookmark. Other sites link. Google recrawls on its own clock. The Change of Address tool, which you are not using for a path change, still asks for redirects of at least 180 days on a domain move [2]. A path redirect that you delete in a month strands the old link. Leave it.

What if the page was renamed twice?

Point the oldest URL at the current page in one hop if you can. Google says it can follow up to 10 hops and prefers a direct redirect, ideally three or fewer and under five [3]. A chain that still starts at the first name makes every visitor and the crawler walk the history. Update the old rule. Do not add a third.

What goes in the sitemap?

The new URL. A sitemap helps discovery and does not guarantee indexing [4]. The old URL should not stay on the list once it only redirects. Listing both asks Google to keep considering the one you are trying to retire. The sitemap is a hint toward the representative URL, not a command [5].

What if you meant the old page to disappear?

Then a 404 or 410 is the honest response, and Google treats those like other 4xx responses: the content is ignored and indexed URLs drop over time [6]. Do not return 200 with a "page not found" message. Empty or error content on a success code can be read as a soft 404 [6]. Redirect when there is a replacement. Remove when there is not.

Should the redirect be in JavaScript?

Server-side is what Google recommends. JavaScript is a last resort. A meta refresh of zero seconds is treated as permanent, and a delayed meta refresh is treated as temporary [1]. If your host can send a 301, send a 301. Do not hide the move in a script the crawler might run late.

• 301 or 308 — permanent, for a page that has a real replacement.
• Not the homepage — unless the homepage is honestly the replacement, which it usually is not.
• One hop — from the old path to the current path.
• At least a year — leave the rule in place.
• Sitemap — the new URL only.

When does this come up?

A service gets a clearer name. A blog post moves under a new folder. A redesign, which is already a reason to list every URL you intend to keep, as in the redesign signs. The build should ship the redirect with the rename, not a week later. Maintenance is the check that last year's rule is still there. The page list is what you rename against, so you are not guessing which URL was public.

What else on the site still points at the old path?

Your own menu, your own articles, and the sitemap [4]. A 301 will catch a visitor who uses the old link [1]. It should not be the only thing that knows the new name. Update the links you control so the redirect is a safety net for everyone else, not the way your homepage finds the page.

What should you test after you add the rule?

Request the old URL. You should land on the new page in one hop, with a 301 or 308 [1]. If you land on the homepage, change the target [3]. If the old URL is still in the sitemap, remove it [4]. Then click an external mention if you have one. The redirect is for those links, not only for you.