A redirect sends someone from one web address to another. It is like a forwarding notice that tells the post office to take mail from an old address to a new home.
When a page has moved, a redirect can take visitors and search engines to its new location rather than leaving them at a broken address.
Use the right kind of redirect for the situation and point it to the most relevant page. Sending every old link to the home page can confuse visitors who expected specific information.