Removing A Redirect: When You Should Do It & How To Do It

Removing redirects and reversing redirects are (somewhat tricky) SEO tactics you can use if you want to re-purpose a redirected URL or when you realize that a site-wide URL change was not worth it after all.

From a technical point of view, it’s fairly easy to remove a redirect. But you must do it cautiously and methodically to safeguard your indexing and website rankings.

Especially when dealing with mass reverse redirects, remember to always keep detailed records of what was (re)done and undone.

That said, let’s look closer at different scenarios and best practices for removing redirects and reversing redirects.

When Should You Remove A Redirect?

Some SEO experts say that 301 redirects (i.e., permanent redirects) should remain in place indefinitely. But everyone agrees you should keep 301 redirects for at least 12 months.

The reason is that after about 1 year, search engines treat such redirect signals as permanent.

So, many SEOs suggest that after a few years, if some old URLs are no longer accessed, you may as well drop them to facilitate long-term maintenance.

When Not To Remove A Redirect

Avoid removing a redirect when:

1. Your source URL still gives a 404.
2. Your redirect was done less than a year (or two) ago.

When Should You Reverse A Redirect?

As a rule of thumb, you shouldn’t reverse a redirect - unless it’s vital for the well-being of your website, your content, or your SEO strategy.

There are, though, some valid reasons why you’d need to reverse a 301 redirect:

• You want to get rid of the target page and bring traffic back to the source URL.
• You want to have both URLs active, after all. Maybe a prominent referral still mentions your original URL, or the latter is the perfect match for some new content you want to publish.
• You made a site-wide or domain-level URL change, but finally, you see it is more beneficial to undo it.

No matter the reason, you should ensure that reversing a URL is worth the trouble and possible SEO score drop.

Remember: After search bots have interpreted and indexed your 301 redirects, reversing those redirects will force them to re-interpret and rebuild those redirection signals from scratch.

When Not To Reverse A 301 Redirect

When you feel the urge to reverse a 301 redirect, keep calm and evaluate the pros and cons with your team. Here are 2 (not-so-valid) reasons why website owners choose to reverse redirects.

1. 301 redirects take longer than expected to work properly (more than a few days, that is). Give them some time. Reversing them hastingly can cause even greater delays and (short term) drops in rankings or traffic.
2. You have done massive redirects due to changes in your site folder structure or domain name and wish to reverse it. Well, you should really avoid this option unless it is somehow critical to your brand’s existence.

Plus, remember: Do not create new URLs and redirects lightheartedly. Always plan your website architecture, map out your URL strategy, and keep records of redirects (and the reasons behind them).

How To Get Rid Of Redirects?

There are many ways to remove a redirect - depending on your platform and site’s built.

For instance, simple 301 page redirects can be done via your CMS (e.g., in Webflow or Shopify), via a plugin (e.g., Yoast WordPress plugin), or via your CPanel or .htaccess file.

The latter is the preferred solution for mass redirects, e.g., domain name changes or http to https.

How To Reverse A 301 Redirect?

There are 4 different options when reversing a 301 redirect. Each serves a different need.

1. Reverse a single page redirect and remove the second page.
2. Perform a single page reverse and keep both pages.
3. Reverse a site-wide redirect.
4. Reverse a domain change redirect.

The easiest are single page redirects. There are 2 scenarios:

Reverse A Single Page Redirect, Remove The Second Page

Page I is redirecting to Page II. You want to undo this 301 redirect and remove Page II.

This is how to do it:

1. Remove the unwanted 301 redirect rule, from Page I to Page II.
2. Set up the new 301 redirect, from Page II to Page I.
3. Update internal links to point back to Page I, the new target URL.
4. Resubmit both pages to Google Search Console so that you signal the change and help bots recognize it faster.
5. Allow Google time to re-cache Page I.

Do A Single Page Reverse, Keep Both Pages

Here, you want to cease the Page I to Page II redirect, but need to keep Page II - either indexed or ‘hidden’ from search engines.

Option 1: Single Page, Keep & Index Both

If you want to keep your source and target pages and have them both indexed (and ranking), here’s what you need to do:

1. Remove the 301 redirect from Page I to Page II.
2. Add self-referencing canonical tags to both pages. This gives an extra signal to Google that, from now on, these 2 pages are independent entities.
3. Submit both pages to Google Search Console.
4. Add internal and external links to both pages. This SEO tactic gives a kick-start to your new URL approach.

But remember: if both pages deal with the same topic, you risk splitting your page authority in two.

Option 2: Single Page, Keep Both, Index One

You need to remove a redirect, keep both source and target pages, but hide Page II from search results and bots.

Typical website pages that stay ‘hidden’ from search engines include special offer pages, mirror pages, or thank you pages. They must both be online and visible to users but not crawlers.

So, here’s how to do this:

1. Remove the 301 redirect from Page I to Page II.
2. Add a rel-canonical tag from Page II to Page I. This helps Google realize that URL II is now equal to URL I, and does not affect your ranking or page authority as much. Add a noindex tag to Page II as well.
3. Submit both pages to Google Search Console. This helps bots quickly realize what’s going on with your redirect change.
4. Update internal links to point back to Page I and have any backlinks updated as well.

These are quite simple reverse redirects. (Still, they might affect your rankings.)

But what if you need to do a site-wide or domain change URL reverse? Then, things are more complicated and risky.

Such large-scale redirect reverts are not recommended. They can have serious implications on your indexability and searchability.

So, if you decide to change your site structure or nestle your entire website under a new domain name, you should first plan and strategize all your redirects with extra care.

In the rare case that you realize you have made a mistake afterward, here’s how to go about it.

Reverse A Site-Wide Redirect

Site-wide redirects can occur when, for instance, you decide to change your file structure to improve your site architecture.

If, after implementation, you decide to move back to your original arrangement and reverse your redirects, here’s what you need to do.

1. Remove all 301 redirects from I to II.
2. Add site-wide 301 redirects from II to I.
3. Add self-referencing canonical tags to all pages.
4. Re-point internal links to ‘Type I’ URLs. Plus, try to ask for relevant backlink changes where possible, especially to your most authoritative referrals.
5. Re-build your XML sitemap(s) for ‘Type I’ URLs.
6. Submit your most critical pages to Google Search Console. GSC allows you to submit a limited number of pages, so choose your most authoritative pages or those that are pivotal for your internal linking structure, as they will most probably incite crawling on some lower-level pages.

And remember: Always keep detailed notes of your redirects and reverse redirects history.

Reverse A Domain Change Redirect

This is quite a rare scenario because -in case you decide to hook your website under a new domain name- you must plan it in every detail.

In the rare case that you change your domain name and then decide that you want to reverse everything, there are concrete steps you must follow.

Keep in mind: To reverse a domain name change redirect, you must still own your initial domain name.

So, just to be on the safe side, always keep your old domain name for at least 2 years after switching to your new one.

Along with it, retain your old domain name’s profiles and data in SEO tools like analytics or Google Search Console.

That noted, here are the steps to reverse a domain change redirect:

1. Remove all 301 redirects from I to II.
2. Add site-wide 301 redirects from II to I.
3. Add self-referencing canonical tags to all pages.
4. Re-point internal and inbound links to ‘Type I’ URLs.
5. Re-add your old domain name to GSC (if you have removed it).
6. Re-build your XML sitemap(s) for your old domain name.
7. Submit your most vital pages to GSC.

Note that if you are using Bing or other webmaster tools, you’ll need to make all necessary changes there as well.

So, this is what you need to know if you wish to undo your 301 redirects.

But what if you suddenly see that your website redirects to another website?

My Website Is Redirecting To Another Website. How Can I Fix It?

A website could be redirected to another website for various reasons:

Browser Cache Conflict: Clear Your Cache

Browsers store temporary files and data that may create conflicts and result in automatic redirection.

Expired Domain Name: Renew

Did you forget to renew your domain name? Well, someone else may have purchased it and configured redirects; or, your website is redirected to your hosting provider’s parking page.

Incorrect DNS Settings: Verify

DNS changes or incorrect settings can cause unexpected redirects. Check with your registrar or hosting provider to verify your settings are all up to date.

Malicious Redirects: Remove & Secure

In this case, malware redirecting code is inserted into a website’s core files in order to redirect visitors to spammy or scammy websites. Fixing this issue can be tricky.

Here’s a quick overview.

Removing Malicious Redirects From Your Site

Though a malicious redirect code can be injected into any website, WordPress sites are particularly susceptible to malicious redirects due to their popularity and vast amount of plugins on offer.

Plugin vulnerabilities, or security update negligence, are the main reasons behind malicious redirects. Security ‘holes’ in custom CMSs are also prone to malicious redirects.

To fix this, start by scanning your site with a malware-scanning tool. It will provide you with a detailed report that mentions which files are infected and how.

Depending on the issue, your developer can advise you what’s the best solution.

Typical steps in removing malicious redirects include:

1. Run a malware scan on your website.
2. Remove the malicious file or code.
3. Perform a backup restore. Choose your last known non-infected backup.
4. You might also need to do a database cleanup and fix infected tables.

Preventing Malicious Redirects

To protect your website from malware redirects (on any platform,) you need to keep up with your site’s security and install all updates promptly.

If you have a WordPress website, make sure you:

1. Keep your WordPress, themes, and plugins updated to the latest version.
2. Change your WordPress and FTP log-in passwords often. After a malicious attack, change all your credentials (username/password).
3. Choose a reliable hosting provider with adequate support and strong security protocols.

How To Avoid Reversing Redirects In The First Place

When you reverse redirects, chances are you’ll hurt your SEO. Remember that redirects are actually meant to help your search engine optimization strategy. Not the other way around.

Here, at Atropos Digital, we plan all our clients’ SEO strategies to avoid unnecessary remakes and reverses.

We follow the best SEO practices to maximize your indexing potential and grow your ratings solidly and steadily. Are you ready to scale? Book a strategy call.