Different Types of Redirects in SEO

Different Types of Redirects in SEO

Redirects are very important in the business of SEO. With changing times, site owners more often than not, are faced with the option of generating a new site, changing the link address or even deleting content. This is usually done for a major change or simplicity or you might not need a page anymore. Here is where Redirects come into play. When you change your URL for any of the reasons, it is important to let the search engine robots know that the contents of the page or the page itself is available somewhere else, temporary or even permanently unavailable. Here we have a list of redirects that can be helpful based on your needs.

Reasons for using Redirects

While regularly maintaining your site, you will often come across tasks that will require redirects. Some of the reasons that will come up more often are:

  • When you want to delete a site or a post
  • When you want to change your domain
  • When you no longer wish to use www in your link address
  • When you merge certain websites
  • When your CMS is changed
  • When you change your URL structure or
  • When you have to enable Permalinks in WordPress

HTTP Redirect Codes

Every redirect has a specific code. This is a 3 number code which specifies the nature and purpose of redirect. S for example if you see a 404 error, it means the page has not been found. The 503 redirect means the site is under maintenance. These codes are present in 5 different ranges.

  • 1xx – Informal
  • 2xx – Success
  • 3xx – Redirection
  • 4xx – Client Error
  • 5xx – Server Error

Commonly used HTTP redirects

Although due to the range of HTTP codes, the list of redirects can be endless, given below are the most commonly used redirects and their main purposes.

 

  • 301: Permanently Moved
    This happens a lot as the URL address of our pages change from time to time. It is important to set this redirect which automatically transfers the Old URL to the new one. In case this is not done, the server will show a 404 Error Page not Found which is something we don’t want our site users to see.
  • 302: Page Found
    This redirect is used when you have temporarily shifted the page to some other URL. It means the destination of the page requested has been found however the location is unclear. This redirect is vague as it doesn’t mention if the situation is temporary or not. One should only use this redirect when they want the URL transferred to a new one temporarily. This means the search engines will not change the old link address t the new one and the old URL can be used again.
  • 307: Temporary Redirect
    This is more like 302 as it mentions that the page has been moved however it is more specific and the nature of redirect is temporary. You can use this when you want to direct the user to a new link while still keeping the old request method functioning. The request may change over time so it is essential for a client to keep using the old URL.
  • 403: Forbidden
    This redirect is for sensitive information provided on a web page which is not accessible for certain users. If the credentials are not approved by the site requirements, this error appears and the page remains forbidden for the user.
  • 404: Page not Found
    This error specifies that the content has been deleted and the page cannot be found. As this puts a dent in the user experience, it is better to redirect the page to a new URL so that you don’t miss out on the site users. It is important to monitor these pages and keep them at a low number as much as possible. A number of such pages is seen as a bad sign by the Google console. This might affect your rankings very badly.
  • 410: Gone
    This redirect gives a straight answer to a users query. This means the page has been permanently deleted and cannot be found. This is also a way of telling search engines that the URL should be deleted from the index so that users do not click on it. However, if the information has been shifted elsewhere, a permanent redirect would be a better option. Even if not, try to improve the contents of the page and keep it.
  • 451: Unavailable due to legal reasons
    There are instances where judges request particular page r content to be taken down from the internet. If your page is one of them, use this redirect to specifically let the search engines know that it is down due to legal reasons.
  • 500: Internal Server Error
    This redirect means that something went wrong while the request was being processed and the request could not be fulfilled due to the same. This redirect does not specify the reason so it could be many reasons. The server is acting funny or there is a problem with the script. Servers must be checked for the problem and resolved as soon as possible.
  • 503: Service Unavailable
    This redirect straightaway means that the site cannot serve you for the time being due to overload or outage. The best use of this is when your site is under maintenance. This also means that the search engines can come later and that the site will be in service again after the maintenance is done.

About the author:

Win Infosoft is a Digital Marketing agency with years of experience in providing the best possible services in PPC, SEO, SMM, Website and App developments. If you are looking for someone to convert your website into HTTPS, contact us today for a smooth transition.

Convert your website from HTTP to HTTPS in quick easy steps

Convert Your Website From HTTP to HTTPS in Quick Easy Steps

In the latest development from Google, the tech giant recently announced that it will give a ranking boost to websites with HTTPS extensions over the ones with HTTP. For developers all over it is a good news as every one of them knows for sure HTTPS is better than HTTP. Before Google sets in motion it’s announcement, every website must convert itself to HTTPS. We have compiled a list of quick and easy steps you can use to convert your website.

 

  1. Keep yourself ready

This involves covering and considering various aspects of your current website before jumping into the conversion

  • Check if the Sales team is ready. If your site is seasonal, it would make sense to not make the switch at peak times. You must expect downtime and make a decision on the timing of switch.
  • Check if your host is ready. Many hosts might need some extra configurations before going to HTTPS. Make sure they can deliver a HTTPS website.
  • Get your team ready. Communicate to your team that they should expect a downtime as the website will be under maintenance. This means the developer team you need help from for the switch, the Sales team and even your customers.
  • Make sure you are ready. This task is long and requires continuous efforts. Once you start on the path of conversion of website going back may not be an option. Remain available for problems that may come up and do not schedule this for the last moment.

 

  1. Get yourself an SSL certificate

This is one of the quickest steps and most of the times the hosts sell it with extra service of configurations. The rate of the certificate depends on what you want. A standard SSL certificate will not cover www.abc.com and abc.com for you. However an expensive Wild Card certificate might do the job, but this isn’t necessary for many setups. If you feel you may need a special kind of SSL certificate then hire a professional company to do the job that you trust. This is very rare though. One last thing about pricier SSL certificates especially the ‘Extended’ types is that they show a green lock at your address bar. Whether it boosts the Sales or not is impossible to say but you know now why it’s that way.

 

  1. Configure hosting with SSL certificate

In case the website host does not configure the SSL certificate, it is only about pass keys you can get from the seller. However, be mindful of the spaces you fill and ask for help wherever needed. Part of the money you pay the the website host is for their help in configuring your site with an SSL certificate. Once this is done, you won’t see the invalid certificate message on the HTTPS websites. For this change, clear your cache and not just that of private browsing. You can also ask someone with the HTTPS link to try it out. However this will direct them to your HTTP website as the switch isn’t complete. Website hosts work very differently so you must keep and open mind.

 

  1. Change your links to HTTPS

Now you will know why people say “do not hard code your links” or “use relative links”. Here is how the Content Management System will help save some time for you (CMS). Considering the SSL certificate for your website is all setup,

 

5. Fix all the non CMS pages to how they should be

  • Find the links that are not generated by CMS, pages like CDN, photos or even JavaScript, basically anything your website will use.
  • Change the link paths to relative. If your site link is “www.abc.com/link” change it to “/link”. This way, the link will work on both HTTPS and HTTP if the switch is not completed or stopped in between. Make sure the links start with that first “/”.
  • Test it by clearing your cache and clicking on the link. Test to make sure where does it work, on HTTP or HTTPS. Either way it’s only a test.

 

6. Fix all CMS generated links

Changing the links vary from platform to platform. Given below are the changes made through Magneto and WordPress on regular installations. In case you have some different CMS, you may have to refer to the documentation or take help.

  • Take a look at all your CMS generated links, posts, images, template files etc for improper links. Many times the CMS auto generates the URL for the page which can be a wrong link. Example, a URL in Magneto can be {{unsercure_base_url}}abc.html. This should be changes to a relative link “/abc.html”
  • For Magneto users, follow the below instructions and login to the to back end system through System > Configuration > Web > Secure to verify if the setting are okay.
  • Base URL ends in slash. So for your HTTPS website it’ll be https://abc.com/. Use Secure URLs in front end : Yes. Use Secure URLs in Admin : Yes
  • For WordPress users, you’ll have to change the URL and add some code to force HTTPS in Admin and go on to install plugin. The plugins vary very much in WordPress so you might have to go have a look at the documentation for that.

 

7.  Look for potential errors

You’ll be lucky if all your site links work with HTTPS on the first try. You’ll have to open a browser Chrome or Firefox or Safari, go to your website links and Inspect element. In case there are any errors in the HTTPS conversions the errors in linking will be highlighted. Another way to do the checking would be to individually check the source code of each page for HTTP extension. You should be able to correct the errors easily.

8. Setup redirects or use HSTS

The next step would be to setup Redirect 301 for all the HTTP links so that they lead to your HTTPS links. In Apache based websites, this redirection of incoming traffic is fairly easy. All you have to do is to add a code on top of your .htaccess file to your root folder.

RewriteEngine On

RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off

RewriteRule (.*) https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]

Once this is done, test all the sites if they are going to HTTPS URLs or not.

 

If you aren’t worried about a handful of users being affected and want to use the latest technology, HSTS (HTTPS Strict Transport Security) is for you. It basically works like the Redirect mentioned above but does so in a standardized way. Internet explorer is yet to be accustomed to this however other browsers are up to speed with HSTS and it can be a possible standard for websites in future.

 

Migration of your site to HTTPS can be a herculean task but thankfully there are many out there to provide help. Google for example provides special documents for the conversion especially for HTTP sites. With an experienced conversion host and minimal cost per year, you can stay on top of your game by maintaining the outreach your business requires.

 

About the author:

Win Infosoft is a Digital Marketing agency with years of experience in providing the best possible services in PPC, SEO, SMM, Website and App developments. If you are looking for someone to convert your website into HTTPS, contact us today for a smooth transition.

A Comprehensive Guide to Introducing Chatbots to Your Company

A Comprehensive Guide to Introducing Chatbots to Your Company

The evolution of artificial intelligence is now at its peak, and people are expecting new changes every day. One of the boons of artificial intelligence is the presence of chatbots that make customer management easy and painless if you have the right tools. Chatbots are giving fierce competition to human customer service executives by becoming smarter and more widely used than ever before.

According to Garter, by 2020, about 85 percent of customer interactions would be done without the need for humans. If you are also fascinated by this innovation and want to make it work for your company, then read this comprehensive guide to introducing chatbots to your company that tells you what a chatbot is, what it can do for you and who can provide you with one.

Meaning

According to Oxford dictionaries, “Chatbot is a computer program designed to simulate conversations with human users especially over the internet”. It can also be considered an assistant that communicates with humans via text messages and can integrate with websites, applications or instant messages to help businesses get closer to the customers.

Origins

No, we are not going to bore you here. We just want you to know that the first conversational bot was written in 1966 in the US. It was implemented by a computer scientist of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Joseph Weizenbaum. This bot was named Eliza, but it didn’t prove to be an instant hit because it was too authentic with communication and misled the customers.

Why a Business Needs It?

A business needs chatbots due to these reasons.

High Productivity

Chatbots are more productive and efficient than humans.

Entertainment

They can even entertain people when they are getting bored as the conversations are often amusing.

Non-Judgmental

Customers who don’t want to be judged by other humans for picking a product prefer to seek the help of chatbots.

Curiosity

People are always curious about new technologies and prefer companies that offer a chatbot experience.

Personalized Communication

Chatbots resolve specific queries of customers and helps them feel special which boosts brand loyalty.

Enhanced Response Rate

They are more responsive than humans as they can be functional 24 by 7 rather than just 8 hours put in by human employees.

Make Repetitions Easy

As most customers have some basic FAQs like when the business will open, when a particular product will be launched or whether X product is available, Chatbots takes care of the task of offering the same information again and again without feeling frustrated (which a human employee might).

How Can a Chatbot Help Customers?

Pre-Purchase Query Resolution

Chatbots can help the customers find answers to some basic questions like business hours, product availability, discount details, etc.

Shopping Assistant Bots

As the name suggests these bots help customers to make a purchase decision quickly by asking simple questions like type, color, size or design of the product they would like to buy along with the budget range or delivery address details.

Explainer Bots

When you buy a new product that you have never used before like new accounting software, and you need help in deciphering it, these types of bots would serve as trainers for you and your customers/ employees by answering queries by using media like videos, images or links.

After Sales Bots

These bots do post-purchase tasks like collecting feedback, resolving return issues, registering complaints, and doing everything possible to keep the customer happy.

How Can Chatbots Help Businesses?

Apart from customer management, companies are also using bots to collect customer data, help organize meetings and other such tedious and time-consuming tasks.

Where to Buy a Chatbot?

Chatbots have gained popularity in every part of the world. Here is a list of a few companies by regions that provide excellent options.

USA

  • 1080bots — San Francisco, USA
  • Bdost — San Francisco, USA
  • Convos — USA
  • Headliner Labs — New York, USA
  • Zebo — Palo Alto, USA

Canada

  • BinaryFog — Toronto, Canada
  • deepPiXEL Inc. — Toronto, Canada
  • Heyday — Montreal, Canada
  • Massively — Toronto, Canada

South America

  • Alan — Montevideo, Uruguay
  • ChatClub — Brazil
  • Labs357 — Rafaela, Argentina
  • Nama— Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • Atendimento com Inteligência Artificial — Brazil

Europe

  • 01tribe — Rome, Italy
  • aidevelopers.co.uk — Manchester, UK
  • The Bot Agency — Bordeaux, France
  • The Bot Platform — London, UK
  • Xbots — Greece

Australia & Asia

  • Autus — Sydney, Australia
  • Xandra — Maroochydore, Australia
  • Botpress — Dubai, UAE
  • BotsNext— Bangalore, India
  • ChatterOn — India

Israel

  • 200 Apps — Jerusalem, Israel
  • Chat Leap — Tel Aviv, Israel
  • Spartans — Tel Aviv, Israel

Africa

  • Bots بالعربي— Cairo, Egypt
  • BotsZA — Johannesburg, South Africa

Should I Build a Chatbot?

If you have the skills or resources, you can also build a custom chatbot for your business. All you need to do is to take benefit of the great services like these:

  • howdy’s botkit
  • api.ai
  • wit.ai
  • textit.in
  • BeepBoopHQ
  • Dexter
  • Chatfuel
  • converse.ai
  • IBM’s Watson

How to Make Your Employees/Customers Comfortable with Chatbots?

To make your employees/customers comfortable with chatbots, make sure that you tell them of this change in advance and clear their doubts. You can also offer free training or create tutorial videos on how to use a chatbot.

If a customer or employee is showing resistance, you can sit him or her down and talk through the issues. Remember that chatbots will garner results only when they are widely accepted, and you as a business owner need to lead this change. Once done, this change will be worth it as it will save money and still deliver a customer with an excellent experience!

Sources

How Will Artificial Intelligence Impact Digital Marketing In 2018_

How Will Artificial Intelligence Impact Digital Marketing In 2018?

Thanks to the dynamically evolving Artificial Intelligence, its impact on digital marketing has already started showing results. This is AI that has the capability of reasoning, deciding, analyzing, executing and predicting future patterns and trends. On one end, businesses want to decrease their costs and focus on a particular focussed group instead, on the other, users want data that is relevant to them. From the list of applications that it has, the technology has already had its debut in social media with targeted audience and relevant content being sent to the users. Not to mention the number of results it has already produced in the impact section to the delight of digital marketers.

 

Today AI has entered some major arenas with Google Home, Siri from Apple, and Alexa from Amazon. The idea is to give you an all round user experience that lets you switch off the lights in other room without getting up or searching for a good place to eat without having to touch your phone. With so many user applications it is only a matter of time that AI will support digital marketing to the delight of marketers to pursue some very important data. It’s prediction and analyses for few of the things can alone help the brand grow krapa and bounds, one can only imagine the result if AI reaches its positive potential.

 

Here is how AI is all set to change the game of Digital marketing in 2018.

Enhanced user experience:

AI has helped pave way for bigger innovations in the service of the customer. The customer is the king for any business. Their comfort and accessibility comes before anything else which directly implies it’s vast importance. AI has changed the game of customer service in many ways.

 

  • Now, what if AI could take care of your Customer service on social media while you are away? Wouldn’t that be 10 times helpful? Robot chat boxes were introduced sometime back that allowed brands to send responses in case of a prompt from customers. Today AI can use the incoming data and customise the message to make it more personal for the end user.
  • Moreover, the huge piles of data and it’s analysis that AI does in seconds can be of crucial importance in building the consumer strategy for communication as well as advertising. A customer’s behaviour patterns, buying trends and preferred products and sites was the information impossible to reach. With AI, it is possible today!
  • The next up thing is Augmented reality. Buyers would now be able to touch and feel the product before jumping into any conclusion and buying it. This is to address the anomaly of delayed customer responses which will be avoided as they would now be able to make their decisions faster than before!

 

Simple decisions and easier marketing:

AI has also seen huge amounts of results in making the job easier for marketers with its important feature of providing data. Unlike SEO, AI will have a compact and concise data of what exactly a customer needs. This can be explained as follows.

  • Whenever a user searches for something over the Internet, AI records the search and stores it in files related to the user. With such function, it is able to create a pattern for the user. This means, AI can now be at a better position to predict what is the product you are most likely to purchase and then will sell it to you.
  • This information is priceless for advertisers as it helps in reducing sales cycles and focussing on a targeted group of audience that has higher chance of conversion. This is the reason why AI is taken into account while strategizing today in terms of marketing.
  • This can later on lead to make SEO and Banner ads next to obsolete as it completes all the work by itself. Also, why would someone focus of something else when AI gives you what you need all at once.

 

Image recognition:

Image recognition is further possible to give the highest possible ROI for a brand. Today it is possible to identify a person of a product through image search which was not possible even 2 years ago. Amazon’s latest, Rekognition is meant for identifying people and the emotions to make a judgement of how they’re feeling or what they’re thinking.

  • The possibilities of using such a technology are endless. The banking and finance sectors can largely benefit from this by increasing payment speeds with customer identity therefore increasing the security.
  • The applications in social media are endless too. Social media is a very big source of images. Numbers state that a tweet with visual content is retweeted 150 more times than just textual tweets. A facebook post with visual content is 2.3 times more likely to be engaged with. On an average, from the total population in the world 3.25 billion photos are shared each day!
  • The results of image search, the data itself can benefit brands in a huge way. Businesses can use these images to take note of the behavioural pattern and the factors that increase the probability of purchase of a product. Such demographics are essential in making a good business plan.

 

The gap between marketers and consumers is bridged with every search and click on social media. As more and more people join the Internet, so will the accessibility of brands to their customers. Effective, fast decision making, analyses, data collection and prediction is what makes AI an important choice. 2018 will see some impactful stories of brands that shot up with the help of AI to make the best of the information they have.

 

About the author:

Win Infosoft is a digital marketing company that provides quality services in PPC, SEO, SMM, Website development, App development and more. The brand stays on top of digital marketing news and releases to provide you with high quality services.