by Rob Newhouse
Analytics & Measurement Consultant
8 July 2010
As many will have heard, cool URLs don’t change, but in the course of the life-cycle of a typical website it invariably happens. And when it does, the only reasonable solution is to redirect users to the new location for content.
Best practice is to use a server-side 301 (permanent) redirect as this is the only reliable method that works for SEO – helping search engines update your URLs, but what happens if you use other methods? Does the same thing happen in all browsers?
This is particularly important for URLs that are entry points on your site, as without original referrer data, you cannot know the source of sales and conversions on your site. Anyway, on to the results.
Redirect method | Browser | Result | Impact on analytics |
Meta refresh – 0 | Firefox 3 | Blank referrer | Lost data |
IE8 | Blank referrer | Lost data | |
Opera 9 | Internal referrer | Lost data | |
Javascript:location.href | Firefox 3 | Internal referrer | Lost data |
IE8 | Blank referrer | Lost data | |
Opera 9 | Internal referrer | Lost data | |
Javascript:location.replace | Firefox 3 | Internal referrer | Lost data |
IE8 | Blank referrer | Lost data | |
Opera 9 | Internal referrer | Lost data | |
Server-side 301 | Firefox 3 | Original referrer | |
IE8 | Original referrer | ||
Opera 9 | Original referrer | ||
Server-side 302 | Firefox 3 | Original referrer | |
IE8 | Original referrer | ||
Opera 9 | Original referrer | ||
Server-side 301 – chained | Firefox 3 | Original referrer | |
IE8 | Original referrer | ||
Opera 9 | Original referrer | ||
Server-side 302 – chained | Firefox 3 | Original referrer | |
IE8 | Original referrer | ||
Opera 9 | Original referrer |
While there’s nothing too unexpected in the results, it’s clear that the only way to redirect visitors and have reliable web analytics data is to use a server-side redirect. No javascript or meta-based method works, in all cases resulting in an empty or internal referrer (which will misleadingly show up as bookmark/direct in most analytics packages). Interestingly, javascript and meta redirects can result in totally blank referrer data in some browsers.
Server-side methods worked across all major browser tested, and you can get away with chaining redirects together while still keeping the referrer data.
Get our news, insights & advice delivered to your inbox
How Sports Betting & iGaming Brands Can Stand Out from the Forest of Neon
Many sports betting brands are adopting the same Vegas-inspired look and feel. Find out how to do something different, through a long-term brand strategy.
2023’s Top Acquisition Channels for Sports Betting & iGaming Brands
Our latest research into sports bettors' habits showed that YouTube and social channels are an underused way to reach punters. Find out how to use them.
How to Battle the “Coverage Blues” in Digital PR
Having a tough time generating media coverage? Find out what our digital PR team do, to plan, run and monitor campaigns, and fight off those coverage blues.
Call us on 01525 715 520 or complete the form below, and one of the team will get back to you.