Set up a 301 redirect in WordPress

  • redirects
  • seo
  • permalinks
  • site-editing

Updated

To add a 301 redirect in WordPress, install the free Redirection plugin, then enter the old address as the source and the new page as the target. A 301 redirect sends anyone who visits an old URL to the page that replaced it. Without one, people following old links, bookmarks, or search results land on a 404 page.

When to add a redirect

  • You changed the slug of a published page or post (see Change a page's URL (permalink) in WordPress).
  • You deleted or merged pages and the old URL should land somewhere useful.
  • You moved the site or reorganized a section of it.

Use a 301 (permanent) redirect for moves you intend to keep. Search engines carry the old page's ranking over to the new URL.

WordPress redirects some changes on its own: when you change the slug of a published post, the old address keeps working. It doesn't do this for pages, so add a redirect whenever you change a page's address.

Add a redirect with the Redirection plugin

If Redirection isn't installed yet, go to Plugins → Add Plugin, search for Redirection, then install and activate it. Its setup screen walks you through the first steps. Most Dirigible sites already have it.

  1. Go to Tools → Redirection (older versions put it under Settings → Redirection).

  2. Open the Redirects screen and fill in the Add redirect form below the list:

    • Source URL: the old path, such as /old-page/.
    • Target URL: the new path or full URL, such as /new-page/.
    The Add redirect form on the Redirects screen with /old-page/ as the Source URL and /new-page/ as the Target URL

  3. Leave the type as 301 unless the move is temporary. It's under the gear icon next to the Add redirect button, as with HTTP code: 301 - Moved Permanently.

    The Add redirect form with advanced options open, showing When matched: Redirect to URL with HTTP code 301 - Moved Permanently

  4. Click Add redirect.

Open the old URL in a private or incognito window and confirm it lands on the new page.

Tips

  • Match trailing slashes to how your site writes URLs (/page/ vs /page), or leave Ignore Slash on next to Source URL (it's on by default) so the plugin ignores them.
  • Point old URLs straight at the final page. If A redirects to B and B redirects to C, update A to go directly to C.
  • Don't send every missing URL to the homepage. Pick the closest relevant page.
  • If other URLs start returning 404s after a batch of slug changes, see Fix 404 errors by refreshing permalinks.

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