In a Google Webmaster Help thread talks about the different types of redirects Google likes and dislikes. I figured, since I just wrote about using redirects for affiliate links, it would make for a nice subtopic.
JohnMu, a Googler, strongly warned against using any type of meta-refresh redirect for any redirects. He said, when redirecting, it should be done on the server side level. Let me quote JohnMu from the thread:
I would strongly recommend not using meta refresh-type or JavaScript redirects like that if you have changed your URLs. Instead of using those kinds of redirects, try to have your server do a normal 301 redirect. Search engines might recognize the JavaScript or meta refresh-type redirects, but that's not something I would count on -- a clear 301 redirect is always much better.
How can you check what type of redirect you are using? SEO Consultants has a nice tool that shows you. You can see, that http://seroundtable.com/ redirects using a 301 server side redirect to https://www.seroundtable.com/:
Forum discussion at Google Webmaster Help.
