301 redirect
A permanent server-side redirect — passes ~all link equity to the new URL and tells search engines to update their index.
In long form.
HTTP 301 (Moved Permanently) is the right redirect for any URL change you intend to keep: domain migrations, slug updates, HTTPS upgrades, www-vs-non-www canonicalization. Browsers cache 301s aggressively, which is desirable for performance but inconvenient when you change your mind. For temporary changes use 302. For deprecation with no replacement use 410 (Gone), not 404. Avoid redirect chains (A→B→C) — Google may follow only 1–2 hops, and each hop slows the user.
On site migrations we always export the full URL list from the legacy site and map every old URL to a new equivalent (or a relevant parent page). Redirects are deployed before launch and validated with a script that crawls the old sitemap.
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