What is a 301 redirect?

A 301 redirect is a permanent instruction that a page has moved, sent by the server before the page loads:

• Permanent, not temporary - a 302 says the move is temporary and is treated differently.
• It passes ranking signals - which is why moving a page without one loses the value it had built.
• It is how you consolidate - old URLs, alternate domains and http to https all resolve to one address.

Redirect to the closest equivalent page. Sending everything to the homepage wastes the signal and annoys the visitor.