Redirects in WordPress: What They Are and How to Use Them
Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2025 8:46 am
Creativemotions»WordPress Tips & Guides»Redirects in WordPress: What They Are and How to Use Them
WordPress 301 Redirects
If you have redesigned your site or made changes to your permalink structure, it is likely that many of your URLs have changed. This is a problem for both search engines and users, but fortunately redirects offer an easy solution.
By using a redirect, your visitors will not be negatively affected and you will be able to maintain stable search engine rankings.
In this post, we will talk about what redirects are and how to overseas chinese in usa data them in WordPress . Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents view
What is a URL redirect?
A URL redirect is a set of rules that tell a browser to forward visitors from the link they clicked to another link.
There are two outcomes for end users when you redirect a page: either they will see a message informing them that they are about to be redirected, or they will simply be forwarded without being notified.
If you’ve changed domains, updated your permalinks, or redesigned your site, you’ll need to add redirects so that your existing content is still accessible to your readers and search engines.
To understand, think of it this way: when you move to a new home, you need to contact the post office to have your mail forwarded to your new address.
HTML redirects work the same way, except instead of forwarding the email, you're forwarding to a new web page.
The different types of redirects
Permanent 301 Redirect. This is a way to permanently tell browsers to look for your website or your old URL in a new location. You can use this if you move your site from one URL to another or switch to a new hosting service. This way, if someone visits your website using the old URL, they will be seamlessly redirected to the new one.
302/307 Temporary Redirects. These are essentially the same as a 301 redirect, except that they tell browsers that the change is only temporary. For long-term use, these redirects can cause SEO issues . However, you can use them in staging environments and other temporary sites (e.g. staging ).
Redirect 303 See More. This type of redirect prevents users from submitting the same information more than once: submit their information, they will be redirected to a different page. It is used for example to prevent mistakes such as accidentally purchasing the same item twice.
Redirect 308 Permanent. This is another permanent link redirect method. It is similar in function to the 301 redirect, but is the recommended method for POST functions.
404 Not Found. Redirects any broken or missing link to another page, such as a 404 error page or your site's home page; this allows users to continue browsing your site even if they try to access a page that doesn't exist.
Redirect from HTTP to HTTPS. An HTTPS URL has advantages over an HTTP URL, both in terms of security and SEO. To force browsers to display the HTTPS version of your pages you will need to set up a redirect link.
How to Redirect WordPress
WordPress offers several methods to perform URL redirection. You can use a plugin or make changes to your site’s .htaccess file .
Which method you choose will depend on the type of WordPress redirect you need, your hosting provider’s settings, and your level of expertise in making changes to a WordPress core file.
WordPress Redirect Plugin
wordpress redirect plugin
The WordPress Plugin Directory offers many plugins to add redirects to your WordPress site .
Continue reading the post because below we recommend some plugins that will help you with this purpose.
WordPress .htaccess redirect
The .htaccess file is a configuration file that tells the server how to display pages from the WordPress root directory.
You should check with your hosting provider before making changes to your .htaccess file , as they may have rules about what changes you can or cannot make.
WordPress 301 Redirects
If you have redesigned your site or made changes to your permalink structure, it is likely that many of your URLs have changed. This is a problem for both search engines and users, but fortunately redirects offer an easy solution.
By using a redirect, your visitors will not be negatively affected and you will be able to maintain stable search engine rankings.
In this post, we will talk about what redirects are and how to overseas chinese in usa data them in WordPress . Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents view
What is a URL redirect?
A URL redirect is a set of rules that tell a browser to forward visitors from the link they clicked to another link.
There are two outcomes for end users when you redirect a page: either they will see a message informing them that they are about to be redirected, or they will simply be forwarded without being notified.
If you’ve changed domains, updated your permalinks, or redesigned your site, you’ll need to add redirects so that your existing content is still accessible to your readers and search engines.
To understand, think of it this way: when you move to a new home, you need to contact the post office to have your mail forwarded to your new address.
HTML redirects work the same way, except instead of forwarding the email, you're forwarding to a new web page.
The different types of redirects
Permanent 301 Redirect. This is a way to permanently tell browsers to look for your website or your old URL in a new location. You can use this if you move your site from one URL to another or switch to a new hosting service. This way, if someone visits your website using the old URL, they will be seamlessly redirected to the new one.
302/307 Temporary Redirects. These are essentially the same as a 301 redirect, except that they tell browsers that the change is only temporary. For long-term use, these redirects can cause SEO issues . However, you can use them in staging environments and other temporary sites (e.g. staging ).
Redirect 303 See More. This type of redirect prevents users from submitting the same information more than once: submit their information, they will be redirected to a different page. It is used for example to prevent mistakes such as accidentally purchasing the same item twice.
Redirect 308 Permanent. This is another permanent link redirect method. It is similar in function to the 301 redirect, but is the recommended method for POST functions.
404 Not Found. Redirects any broken or missing link to another page, such as a 404 error page or your site's home page; this allows users to continue browsing your site even if they try to access a page that doesn't exist.
Redirect from HTTP to HTTPS. An HTTPS URL has advantages over an HTTP URL, both in terms of security and SEO. To force browsers to display the HTTPS version of your pages you will need to set up a redirect link.
How to Redirect WordPress
WordPress offers several methods to perform URL redirection. You can use a plugin or make changes to your site’s .htaccess file .
Which method you choose will depend on the type of WordPress redirect you need, your hosting provider’s settings, and your level of expertise in making changes to a WordPress core file.
WordPress Redirect Plugin
wordpress redirect plugin
The WordPress Plugin Directory offers many plugins to add redirects to your WordPress site .
Continue reading the post because below we recommend some plugins that will help you with this purpose.
WordPress .htaccess redirect
The .htaccess file is a configuration file that tells the server how to display pages from the WordPress root directory.
You should check with your hosting provider before making changes to your .htaccess file , as they may have rules about what changes you can or cannot make.