Understanding 301 Redirects in Squarespace
Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you'll be able to:
- Explain what 301 redirects are and why they matter for your website
- Set up 301 redirects correctly in Squarespace
- Identify when you need to use 301 redirects to protect your SEO
Introduction
When you change a webpage address on your Squarespace site, you need to make sure visitors and search engines can still find your content. Without proper redirects, people clicking old links will hit dead ends, and search engines will lose track of your pages.
301 redirects solve this problem by automatically sending visitors from old URLs to new ones. Think of them as forwarding addresses for your web pages. This chapter covers everything you need to know about setting them up in Squarespace.
Lessons
What Are 301 Redirects?
A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect from one URL to another. When someone visits the old URL, their browser automatically takes them to the new location.
Here's what happens behind the scenes:
- The browser requests the old page
- Your server responds with a 301 status code and the new URL
- The browser loads the new page instead
The key benefit is that 301 redirects pass on the SEO value from the old page to the new one. Search engines treat the new URL as the permanent replacement and transfer rankings, backlinks, and other SEO signals.
When You Need 301 Redirects
You'll need 301 redirects when you:
- Change a page's URL slug (the part after your domain name)
- Delete a page but want to send visitors somewhere relevant
- Move content from one page to another
- Restructure your site and pages move to new locations
- Fix broken URLs that people have bookmarked or shared
Without redirects, visitors will see 404 error pages instead of your content. Search engines will also lose track of your pages, which can hurt your rankings.
Setting Up 301 Redirects in Squarespace
Squarespace makes it straightforward to create 301 redirects through the URL Mappings feature.
Here's how to set them up:
- Log into your Squarespace account
- Go to Settings in the main menu
- Click Advanced
- Select URL Mappings
- Click the + button to add a new mapping
- Enter your old URL in the first field (without your domain name)
- Enter your new URL in the second field
- Make sure the dropdown is set to 301
- Click Save
For example, if you're redirecting from /old-about-page to /about, you'd enter:
- Old URL:
/old-about-page - New URL:
/about - Type: 301
The redirect will be active immediately after saving.
Testing Your Redirects
Always test your redirects after setting them up. Here's the quickest way:
- Open an incognito or private browser window
- Type your full old URL (including https:// and your domain)
- Press Enter
- Check that you land on the correct new page
Using an incognito window prevents cached versions from interfering with your test.
Wildcard Redirects
Squarespace supports wildcard redirects, which are useful when you need to redirect multiple similar URLs at once.
Use an asterisk (*) to match multiple URLs with the same pattern:
- From:
/blog/* - To:
/news/* - Type: 301
This redirects all URLs starting with /blog/ to the same path under /news/.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Don't create redirect chains (redirecting from A to B to C). This slows down page loading and can weaken SEO benefits. Always redirect straight to the final destination.
Avoid redirecting to irrelevant pages. If you're removing a product page, redirect to a related product or category page, not your homepage.
Check your redirects regularly. Broken redirects are worse than no redirects at all.
Practice
Set up a test redirect on your Squarespace site:
- Create a new page with a simple URL like
/test-page - Add some basic content and save it
- Change the URL slug to something different like
/new-test-page - Go to URL Mappings and create a 301 redirect from
/test-pageto/new-test-page - Test the redirect by visiting the old URL
This gives you hands-on experience with the process before you need to do it with important pages.
FAQs
What's the difference between 301 and 302 redirects?
301 redirects are permanent and pass SEO value to the new URL. 302 redirects are temporary and don't transfer SEO benefits. Always use 301 redirects unless you genuinely plan to restore the old URL.
Do redirects slow down my website?
Each redirect adds a small delay, but modern browsers handle them quickly. The impact is minimal and worth it to avoid 404 errors.
Can I redirect to external websites?
Yes, you can redirect to URLs outside your Squarespace site. Just enter the full URL including https:// in the new URL field.
How many redirects can I create?
Squarespace doesn't publish a specific limit, but you can create as many as you need. Keep them organised with clear naming conventions.
What happens if I delete a redirect?
The old URL will return to showing a 404 error page. Only remove redirects if you're certain the old URL is no longer needed.
Jargon Buster
301 Redirect: A permanent redirect that tells browsers and search engines a page has moved to a new location forever.
404 Error: The error code shown when a webpage can't be found at the requested URL.
SEO Value: The ranking power a page has built up through factors like backlinks, content quality, and user engagement.
URL Mapping: Squarespace's system for creating redirects between old and new URLs.
Wildcard Redirect: A redirect rule that applies to multiple URLs matching a specific pattern.
Wrap-up
301 redirects are essential for maintaining your website's SEO performance and user experience when you make structural changes. Squarespace's URL Mappings feature makes them easy to implement, but you need to plan them carefully and test them thoroughly.
The key is to set up redirects before you change or delete pages, not after. This prevents any period where visitors encounter broken links.
Ready to implement redirects on your Squarespace site? Start by auditing any recent changes you've made and create redirects for any URLs you've modified.