Search engines expect redirects to lead users to a closely related page, not a generic homepage. When a blog post is redirected to the root domain, much of the ranking value associated with that specific content may not transfer effectively. Users who expected information from the original article may also leave quickly, increasing bounce rates and sending negative engagement signals. In addition, search engines can treat irrelevant redirects as soft 404s, reducing their SEO benefit. Mapping old URLs to equivalent content helps preserve authority, rankings, and user experience.