You will observe that many of your URLs have been changed whenever you redesign your website. This is also applicable whenever you made certain changes to its permalink structure. Ultimately, it creates a big issue for users as well as search engines.

Here, comes the role of WordPress redirects which contributes to providing a simple solution. Whenever you make use of a redirect, your visitors would not be negatively impacted. This is something that will keep your search engine rankings intact.

If you are thinking about how to do redirects in WordPress, then don’t worry as this article will provide you a detailed guide on this.

What Is A Page Redirect?

This is a set of rules which tells a browser to forward your visitors from a specific link they clicked on to a diverse page.

Whenever you redirect a page, there are mainly two outcomes for your end-users. Either, they will see a redirection message or they will be simply redirected without any notification.

Adding redirects becomes important whenever you have redesigned your website, made certain updates to your permalinks, or changed your domain. This is necessary to make your pre-existing content accessible to search engines as well as readers.

So, it can be said, that you are forwarding your users to a completed new web page with the help of these redirects.

When You Should Focus On Redirecting A Page?

There are many reasons, for which you may wish to redirect URLs on your website. Some of the most common reasons for this include the following:

• The URL of the page is changing.
• A specific page that is no longer relevant.
• Focusing to move your domain from HTTP to HTTPS.
• You are deleting or moving your content.
• You are changing your original domain name or making use of a different domain.

Additionally, redirects can also help you to make sure that if a page is missing or broken, then the users will be sent along with the other content of your website without any sort of interruption.

Useful Read: How To Do Page Redirects In WordPress [Performance Booster]

Different Types Of Redirects To Know About

There are some of how you can make use of a redirect. Not only that but there are many other types as well. Below, you will find some of the most common redirect methods which you might need to use.

(A) 301 Permanent Redirect

If you are permanently deleting or moving a page, then this redirect is generally used. It may be used when you are considering moving your website from one URL to another or you are switching to a new hosting service.

(B) 302 Temporary Redirects

This is a temporary redirect that should be used with caution as well as tested for browser compatibility. Also, this redirect tells the user that the file that you are looking for exists. But, it is not loading for some particular reason.

After that, the users are offered an alternative option. These redirects can again carry SEO penalties specifically for long-term use. So, this is a good option for temporary websites.

(C) 303 See Other

This is considered to be very important specifically in terms of security. Often, this is used as a replacement for the 302 redirects whenever issues arise. This type of redirect prevents users from submitting the same information more than once.

They will be redirected to a different page once they submit their information. You can also prevent refreshing or bookmarking sensitive data like credit card information. So, this prevents users from making any mistakes like accidentally purchasing the same item twice.

(D) 307

This redirect is similar in functionality as well as purpose to the 303 redirects. Here, the main difference lies in the way, in which it receives and sends information.

Only, one data exchange method is used in this case. So, this can be called a true temporary redirect. But, a 303 redirect makes use of two methods.

(E) 308

This is known to be a permanent redirect similar to 301 redirects. It is mainly used whenever the location of a file has changed.

The main difference existing between 308 and 301 is that the 308 can only make use of the POST method whereas a 301 can specifically change the HTTP method from POST to GET.

(F) HTTP To HTTPS Redirect

There are several advantages of an HTTPS URL over an HTTP URL both in terms of SEO and security. However, you will need to set up a redirect that forces browsers to display the HTTPS version of your pages.

(G) 404 Not Found

This redirects any missing or broken link to another page like a 404 error page or the home page of your website. Also, this enables the users to keep browsing your website even if they try to access any missing page.

Some of these redirect types are considered to be more common than others. So, it becomes very important to have an understanding of how each of the redirects performs. Setting them can be a difficult task and here comes the role of plugins.

Steps To Follow For Redirecting A Page With A WordPress Plugin

It is best to make use of a plugin in this regard. There are many different plugin options that you need to consider. Here, to explain it well, we are taking the example of the Redirection plugin.

1. The first and the most important step is to install and activate the plugin in the dashboard of your WordPress website. After you are done with that, you will need to click through a few items specifically in its “Basic Setup” process.

2. Once you have clicked through these steps, you will be taken to the Redirection plugin “Options” page.

3. You can choose specifically between several different features from the Options page. First of all, you should consider clicking on the “Redirects” link. This will help you to see how to add a new redirection to your website.

4. Similar to adding a new post, you can consider clicking on the “Add New” on the Redirection management page.

After that, you will have to fill in some of the important information about your redirect. This includes your “Target URL” and “Source URL”.

You will also be able to define how you want the redirect to handle specific parameters you set as well as assign it to any redirection “Groups” that you have created.

5. After you have completed filling in all of these fields, you can click on the “Add Redirect” option.

6. Finally, you are done with this.

WordPress Redirect Plugins

Solwin Infotech is one of the trusted names that you can consider whenever it comes to WordPress plugins.

While choosing a plugin for this purpose, it becomes very important to do effective research about the different WordPress redirect plugins that are available.

In this regard, you need to know about the best WordPress redirect plugin offered by Solwin Infotech as mentioned in the below section:
 

Trash Duplicate And 301 Redirect Pro

Duplicate content may affect your website SEO. Trash Duplicate and 301 Redirect Pro plugin can be used to overcome this issue.

This is known to be an ultimate WordPress plugin that can easily find and delete a duplicate post, custom posts, pages, etc. The plugin allows permanently delete the duplicate meta description of your blog post too. It allows the import/export of the redirections without any difficulties. Moreover, the plugin adds wildcard redirection that can be used for a regular expression.

Not only that, but it also takes care of your old post by redirection of the new link with the help of 301 redirects. So, this is something that you can consider for your WordPress website.

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