Are HTML redirects better than JavaScript redirects?

The arguments which the w3c provides against HTML redirects also apply to Javascript redirects. Additionally, Javascript redirects require javascript enabled, in contrast to HTML redirects. Therefore HTML redirects are strictly better than Javascript redirects in cases where one can use both. @Max. Yes, exactly.

How do I make a PHP redirect work?

That is literally all you need to put in the the PHP file to make the redirect work. No matter though, redirects with HTML are similarly easy, but you do need to create a regular HTML structured file, and then put this meta statement into the head: The “1” stands for “one second delay”, which you can make any integer.

Why am I getting a page redirect?

If the redirection is because someone is trying to access a file outside the scope of root operation i.e. an include file or a file that presents the fact that you are accessing in an illegal manner it is likely that the page redirect is outside the scope of google access anyway. I know not all bots respect the robots.txt file though.