Expression® Web Design
Redirecting a URL
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
At times, there is a need to redirect users to a new URL. There are many ways to do this, the better way is doing it via the server or server side language to produce a 301 (permanent redirect) response (more about these later).After the examples, I have included a link to a text file or zipped text file - depending on the browser, you might need to use the zipped (compressed) link and unzip the file after download. Also keep in mind that a few of the examples have been split into two lines to ensure the code is seen. When in doubt, refer to the examples.
ASP, .NET, PHP Permanent Redirect
If your web page is saved with a .asp, .net, or .php extension, you can rely on some server side code to redirect the user to the new web page.ASP 301 Redirect
For an ASP page, use this code:<%@ Language=VBScript %> <% Response.Status="301 Moved Permanently" Response.AddHeader "Location", "http://www.loudexpressions.com/sitemap.asp" %>
Replace the location (http://www.loudexpressions.com/sitemap.asp) with the name of the new web page.
Text file / Zipped file
.NET 301 Redirect
If your web page is being processed in ASP.NET, you can use this code:<script runat="server">
private void Page_Load(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
Response.Status = "301 Moved Permanently";
Response.AddHeader("Location",
"http://www.loudexpressions.com/sitemap.asp");
}
</script>
Replace the location (http://www.loudexpressions.com/sitemap.asp) with the name of the new web page.
Text file / Zipped file
PHP 301 Redirect
If the web page has a .php extension (or another extension that is being processed as php, like .phtml or .phtm - you will need to contact your hosting provider if you have questions), you can use:<? Header( "HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently" ); Header( "Location: http://www.loudexpressions. Com/sitemap.asp" ); ?>
Replace the location (http://www.loudexpressions.com/sitemap.asp) with the name of the new web page.
Text file / Zipped File
Other Server Side Permanent Redirect
There are some other server side languages like ColdFusion (.cfm), JavaServer Pages (.jsp), using .htaccess, or IIS. You can also download the examples above in a zipped file (and this also includes CFM / JSP and the example below).Another Redirect Option
However, if you have just relied on simple HTML for your website, or have no access to any of the server side options, you might consider using a JavaScript and a meta tag to redirect the users to the new page:<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!-- Hide script from non-JS supported Browsers
function redirect(){
window.location.replace ("http://www.loudexpressions.com/
sitemap.asp");
}
setTimeout("redirect()",5000);
// end hiding
</script>
<meta http-equiv="Refresh" content="5; url=
http://www.loudexpressions.com/sitemap.asp">
<meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv=
"Content-Type">
<title>No Title</title>
</head>
<body>
You are being redirected to the new web page:
<a href="http://www.loudexpressions.com/sitemap.asp">
http://www.loudexpressions.com/sitemap.asp</a>
</body>
</html>
Replace the location (http://www.loudexpressions.com/sitemap.asp) with the name of the new web page in both places.
Text file / Zipped File
The JavaScript / Meta Refresh tag should be used only as your last option to ensure your search engine rankings are not affected.
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