What is Meta Refresh Redirect?
A Meta Refresh Redirect is a method used to instruct web browsers to automatically move to another web page after a set amount of time.
This type of redirect is implemented in the <head> section of a webpage’s HTML using a meta tag that includes both the delay time and the target URL.
When someone lands on the page, the browser processes the meta refresh tag and redirects the visitor to the specified destination URL after the defined interval.
You’ve likely seen messages such as “Redirecting in 5 seconds...” — this is a typical example of a meta refresh redirect that pauses briefly before navigating to the new page.
Google generally advises against using meta refresh redirects except in certain cases, such as when .htaccess access isn’t available or when you only need to redirect a single file from a larger directory.
To explore Meta Refresh Redirects in more depth, be sure to check out our comprehensive guide on Redirects.