Redirect

• A redirect is an expected change of address from one page or site to another. A user might type in a Uniform Resource Locator in the browser's address bar, only to see that address switched to a different one. Redirects also occur when a user clicks on a link to a page that has been set up to forward on to a different address.
  
  

Reason

• Redirects occur for three reasons, the company's Web address has changed, the company has many Web addresses and wants to channel all traffic to one website, or the target page has moved. Commercial websites need to cover all variants of their domain. A domain is the route Web address, like "www.example-site.com." However, that company also needs to buy "www.example-site.net," "www.example-site.org," "www.example-site.co.uk," "www.example-site.co.uk," etc. In addition to this, they would be advised to cover all variations in the spelling to ensure rivals don't capitalize on users mistyping the address. Domains are cheap to buy and do not take much administration if all traffic to all the domains can be redirected to one central site.
  
  

Method

• There are many different methods to creating a redirection. One of the simplest is to instruct the Web server to substitute the new domain name for the old one. Once this redirect is set up, not only will calls to the root home page of the site be redirected, but any other page in any other directory of subsite of the site will have the domain part of their URL replaced with the new address.
  
  

HTTP Codes

• A Web administrator can get HTTP and the Web browser to do all the work of redirecting a Web page by invoking one of two status codes. HTTP has a range of status codes, which instruct the Web browser that a page cannot be delivered. It is then up to the browser to take appropriate action. The 301 code tells the browser that the requested page has been moved to a new address. The message includes the new address. The browser is expected to substitute the new address for the old one any time in the future that it is sent to the defunct address. This means that the browser has to keep a record of the redirections that were sent to it. A 302 code is a temporary redirect. The message includes the new Web address, however, the browser is only expected to use that address one time. The next time it is sent to the old address, it should go there and access it as normal. If the redirect has been lifted, the page will be available. If not, the browser will be redirected again.