Redirect to another page in PHP (2025)

Introduction

Performing a redirect in PHP is straightforward, but mastering redirects involves understanding HTTP status codes, avoiding common pitfalls, and keeping SEO considerations in mind.

Quick PHP redirect example (TL;DR)

Here’s the essential PHP redirect code snippet:

// Start output buffering to avoid "headers already sent" errors.
ob_start();

header('Location: https://example.com', true, 301); // Permanent redirect.

exit;

Let’s break down what’s happening here:

Output buffering (ob_start()): Ensures nothing is sent to the browser prematurely, preventing the infamous PHP “headers already sent” error.
header() function: Tells browsers to redirect to the specified URL.
HTTP status code (301): Indicates this redirect is permanent, beneficial for SEO.
exit: Stops further PHP execution immediately after redirection.

HTTP headers explained

When you redirect with PHP, the server sends an HTTP response similar to this:

HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://example.com
Content-Type: text/html

The important elements:

Status code (301): Informs browsers and search engines this URL has moved permanently.
Location header: Indicates the new URL destination.

Avoid echoing text before sending headers. If you accidentally output whitespace or content before calling header(), PHP throws the “headers already sent” error. Output buffering (ob_start()) is a reliable safeguard against this.

Absolute vs. relative URLs

Always use absolute URLs (https://example.com/page) in PHP redirects. Relative URLs (/page) typically work but can fail with certain proxies or older browsers, causing unpredictable results.

Choosing the correct HTTP status code

PHP defaults to a 302 Found redirect if you don’t specify a status code explicitly:

header('Location: https://example.com'); // defaults to 302

For better SEO, explicitly choose the correct status code:

301 Moved Permanently: Permanent move, ideal for SEO. Aggressively cached by browsers and search engines.
302 Found: Temporary redirect, rarely cached.
303 See Other: Redirect after form submission (PRG pattern).
307 Temporary Redirect: Temporary, preserves original HTTP method (GET/POST).
308 Permanent Redirect: Permanent, preserves HTTP method.

Example:

// Temporary redirect, preserves POST method.
header('Location: https://example.com/temp-page', true, 307);

exit;

SEO considerations: redirect chains and caching

Googlebot follows a maximum of 10 redirect hops. Long chains negatively affect SEO and performance. Consolidate redirect chains to fewer steps.

Also, permanent redirects (301 and 308) are aggressively cached by browsers and CDNs. If you anticipate future changes or conduct A/B tests, prefer temporary codes like 302 or 307.

Every redirect adds latency, potentially harming your site’s Core Web Vitals, which remain essential to Google’s ranking signals in 2025. Optimize your redirects to minimize delays.

Security tip: avoiding open redirects

Avoid redirecting to URLs directly from user input without validation, as this can lead to phishing attacks.

Secure example with a URL whitelist:

$allowed_urls = ['/dashboard', '/profile', '/home'];

$next = $_GET['next'] ?? '/home';

if (!in_array($next, $allowed_urls, true)) {
    $next = '/home';
}

header("Location: $next", true, 303);

exit;

Clearer PHP redirection with `http_response_code()`

For better readability, you can set the HTTP status code explicitly:

ob_start();

http_response_code(301);

header('Location: https://example.com');

exit;

Verifying redirects easily

To verify your redirects, use curl from the command line:

curl -I https://your-site.com/old-page

Expected output:

HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://your-site.com/new-page

Alternatively, browser developer tools clearly show redirection details.

With these practices, your PHP redirects will be reliable, secure, SEO-friendly, and high-performing.

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Redirect to another page in PHP