What does a 301 redirect mean?

A 301 redirect is a way to permanently redirect one URL to another. It tells both browsers and search engine bots that the requested URL has been permanently moved to a new location. When a user or search engine crawler tries to access the original URL, the server sends a response with the HTTP status code 301 Moved Permanently along with the new URL to which the request should be redirected.

This is commonly used in website maintenance or when redesigning a website, ensuring that users and search engines are directed to the correct page even if the URL structure has changed. It's also used for SEO purposes because search engines transfer the ranking power of the original URL to the new one, helping to preserve search engine rankings for the content.