301 redirects are part of the list of essentials in an SEO toolkit, guiding users and search bots to the right content when a page moves.
A recent Google recommendation pegged the ideal timeline for keeping 301 redirects at one year, stirring a debate on just how much time makes up for an optimal window.
Even as website owners and SEOs scratch their heads, we decided to reach out to the BoostMyDomain community of SEO experts and leaders to find out if this is a rule everyone should adhere to or if it is only a recommendation one can use according to how it works out for their site.
Buckle up for a slew of recommendations and choose the one that suits your site and SEO requirements best!
Read on!
Maintain 301 Redirects Indefinitely
From my perspective, 301 redirects should generally be maintained indefinitely unless there is a compelling reason to remove them.
While Google suggests that the primary value of a 301 redirect is transferred within a year, the redirect still serves critical functions for both users and search engines beyond that timeframe.
First, user experience is a key reason to keep 301 redirects active. Even after a year, users might access outdated links from old bookmarks, shared content, or external websites. Removing a 301 redirect too soon can lead to broken links and a frustrating experience for users, which can damage trust and brand credibility.
Second, the link equity or “SEO value” passed through a 301 redirect is not a one-and-done process. Search engines may deprecate older links over time, but the redirect ensures that any lingering traffic or link signals continue to benefit the new URL. In cases where backlinks from high-authority sites are involved, the redirect maintains that value indefinitely, preserving your SEO efforts.
Finally, the cost of maintaining a 301 redirect is minimal, especially when compared to the potential downsides of removing it. Unless you’re experiencing technical issues, such as an overloaded redirect map or an unnecessary strain on server performance, there’s little harm in leaving it in place.
However, there are exceptions. If a URL has been permanently retired and no longer serves a purpose, or if the redirected URL has also been removed, it might make sense to clean up unused redirects. Still, this should be done carefully, with an audit to ensure no valuable traffic or links are lost.
In summary, while Google may suggest removing 301 redirects after a year, I recommend keeping them active as long as they continue to provide value to users or preserve link equity. It’s a low-cost, high-reward strategy to ensure both SEO stability and a seamless user experience.
Preserve Value from Backlinks
At Metana, we’ve maintained certain 301 redirects far longer than a year because they continue driving value from backlinks gained in the past.
We earned reputable links early on—some from education blogs, others from industry analysts—and those links still direct users to old URLs. By keeping these 301 redirects intact, we preserve both the user experience and the hard-won link equity that boosts our rankings and credibility.
Rather than relying on a fixed timeline, we periodically assess referral traffic and link relevance to decide if a redirect should remain. As long as those old links still funnel the right audience to meaningful content, it’s worth maintaining the redirect and reaping the long-term benefits.
Evaluate Importance of Old URLs
In terms of the duration for 301 redirects, I think it is all about what you want them to do and how important the old URLs are to your traffic and SEO.
Google advises one year, but oftentimes you want to keep them active for two or three years, or longer if the old URLs belonged to a very high traffic/high authority site structure.
Actually, we’ve noticed that user behavior is usually late to technical advancements. Bookmarked pages, old article backlinks or outdated links from external sites, for example, can keep driving traffic to old URLs well past a year. It’s possible to unwind that flow and lose out on conversions and an unhappy user experience if you take out redirects too soon.
At the same time, I also believe that it’s really worthwhile revisiting the need for these redirects regularly to make sure they are not overburdening your servers or slowing down your website. Six-month redirect audits can provide insights into which still offer value and which need to be retired.
For instance, redirects to old or unrelated pages can be modified to redirect users to new content.
Combining long-term planning and periodic audits, you’ll get the most out of 301 redirects without incurring technical debt.
Patrick Beltran
Marketing Director, Ardoz Digital
Monitor Traffic and Backlinks
This is something I get asked a lot, especially when clients are changing domains. I recommend removing them after 12 months with precaution.
I recommend monitoring the traffic and backlinks to these old pages; it’s best if you can check the domain/URL in Google Search Console and AHREFs/SEMRush. If no traffic or backlinks are coming to the URL, go ahead and remove the redirects.
But if traffic or backlinks are coming to these pages, possibly from bookmarks saved by users, external links, or internal website links, it’s best to keep these pages.
You can always check the external links to the URL/Domain in AHREFs or SEMRush and reach out to them to get it changed to the new URL.
Internal links can also be easily checked by Screaming Frog and changed to the new URL.
301 redirects pass 100% link juice from the old URL, meaning you would see the same rankings if you had the same content/on-page elements. You can imagine in this scenario if you delete the 301, the link juice will not flow through, and you will lose years of authority and rankings.
However, there is not much you can do about the bookmarked pages. But if you are ready to take the risk that the user will search for you in Google and find you again, I would say go for it and delete the redirect.
I would caution against doing this on your own. Make sure you get an expert to look at all the above factors before you delete anything.
Puneet Singh
Sr. SEO Specialist, Mojo Dojo
Avoid Rushing to Remove Redirects
A year is a decent rule of thumb, but I wouldn’t rush to yank them out on the dot.
In my experience, it often makes sense to keep those 301 redirects around for longer-sometimes even several years-especially if the old URLs had solid backlink profiles or still popped up in people’s bookmarks.
After all, you never know who’s linking where, and pulling a redirect too soon could mean losing out on valuable referral traffic or confusing a handful of loyal users who still wander in through those old paths.
Of course, if your analytics show that nobody’s hitting that old URL anymore or if you’ve restructured your site’s architecture thoroughly, then maybe it’s safe to remove it.
The key is to weigh the cost of keeping it in place (usually pretty minimal) against the potential benefits of maintaining smooth user experiences and preserving any lingering link equity.
Don’t treat it like a ticking time bomb; think of it more as a safety net that you can gradually remove once you’re confident nobody needs it.
After all, what’s a few more months or even a year or two if it means no broken paths and no frustrated users? It’s all about trust and continuity.
Jake Maslow
Owner, Teachers Instruction
Context Determines Redirect Duration
While Google suggests removing 301 redirects after a year, I believe the optimal duration for maintaining 301 redirects depends on the context of the redirect and the goals of the website.
If the redirect is associated with a permanent URL change, such as a domain migration or a significant site restructuring, it’s best to maintain the 301 redirect indefinitely. This ensures that any lingering backlinks, user bookmarks, or outdated search engine index references continue to pass link equity and direct users to the correct destination.
However, for temporary projects or seasonal pages, evaluating traffic and backlink activity after a year can help determine whether the redirect is still necessary. If the old URL no longer holds value or is no longer referenced, removing the redirect might simplify site management without negatively affecting SEO.
Ultimately, regularly monitoring analytics and backlink profiles is crucial. The decision should align with the website’s SEO strategy and user experience priorities.
Muhammad Nurul Afsar
SEO Manager, Numinix
Maintain Redirects for Value
I recommend maintaining 301 redirects for as long as they provide value, typically well beyond a year.
301 redirects ensure users and search engines can find the right content even after structural changes, like URL updates or site migrations. Removing them too soon risks losing accumulated link equity and frustrating users who might still access old links.
In practice, I suggest keeping them indefinitely for high-traffic or well-linked pages to preserve SEO value and user experience. However, for pages with minimal traffic or no significant inbound links, monitoring analytics can guide when it’s safe to remove them.
The key is balancing technical efficiency with maintaining valuable connections to your site.
Dewi Saklina
Search Engine Optimization Specialist, Explainerd
Prioritize User Experience and SEO
While Google suggests removing 301 redirects after a year, I believe the optimal duration depends on the specific situation.
In most cases, it’s best to maintain 301 redirects indefinitely, especially for high-value pages. This ensures that users and search engines are seamlessly directed to the correct content, preserving the link equity and traffic associated with the original URL.
Redirects are particularly important for websites with frequent changes, like e-commerce or content-heavy sites, where removing a redirect too soon could lead to broken links or poor user experience.
However, regular audits are essential—keep redirects that are still relevant, but remove or update any that no longer serve a purpose to avoid unnecessary server strain.
The bottom line? Redirects should remain as long as they add value, but monitor them to maintain a clean and efficient structure.
When in doubt, prioritize user experience and SEO equity over arbitrary timelines.
Kyle Morris
CEO / Founder, LawTurbo
Balance Redirects and Server Performance
Google’s advice about removing 301 redirects after a year makes sense in theory—by then, search engines and users should have updated to the new URLs. But the reality is, the ‘right’ amount of time really depends on your site and what you’re trying to achieve.
If those old redirects aren’t getting traffic or backlinks anymore, and you’re not dealing with a crazy number of them (like, 1,000+), leaving them alone isn’t likely to hurt anything. Removing them might give you a negligible boost in server speed, which can help with Core Web Vitals and site speed, but unless you’ve got a very large number of redirects in place, the performance gains are usually pretty minor.
If you do decide to clean up old redirects, though, there are a couple of things to keep in mind:
- Check the data first. Look at your analytics and backlinks to make sure those old URLs aren’t still getting visits or passing link equity.
- Fix your internal links. Before deleting any redirects, update any internal links on your site that still point to the old URLs. Broken links aren’t a good look for users or SEO.
At the end of the day, it’s about balance.
If your server performance is solid and the redirects aren’t causing any issues, there’s no rush to remove them. But if they’re no longer serving a purpose, clearing them out after a year or two is totally reasonable—just do it thoughtfully so you don’t create new problems.
Tyler Brown
Head of SEO, Big Leap
The BoostMyDomain team thanks these experts and leaders for taking the time to share their valuable insights on 301 redirects.
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