WordPress is one of the most widely used content management systems (CMS) on the Internet today, powering more than 23% of all websites. That being said, WordPress’ popularity also means that there are many different ways to set up your website – and that can lead to confusion when it comes to figuring out how to redirect a page or URL in WordPress. Fortunately, this guide will show you exactly how to do it in two simple steps!

also check = HOW TO SET A 404 REDIRECT TO HOMEPAGE IN WORDPRESS

Why Use 301 Redirects?

If you’re switching up your website’s structure or moving it from one domain name to another, you’ll want to make sure that there aren’t any broken links getting passed around. While Google is pretty good at updating their index when links are changed, 301 redirects will help make sure that all link juice goes where it should and you’ll avoid sending people down a bunch of broken pages. Also, if you’re doing any A/B testing on your site, 301 redirects can keep users from bouncing back and forth between different versions of pages. Once they’ve landed on a particular version of your page, hitting 301 will send them straight there again for all future visits.

The 3 Ways To Do A 301

301 redirects are one of those SEO best practices that every marketer needs to know about. While there are a few different ways you can do 301s, here’s an overview of three methods: You can use an .htaccess file with Apache, you can use plugins such as Redirection and Wp Redirect, or you can modify your .htaccess file directly. So which way is best? According to an up-to-date Google Webmaster Help thread on 301s , both Redirection and Wp Redirect work fine; they also work well with Apache servers.

Video

Directing users when they make a wrong turn is crucial, but WordPress makes it easy with its Redirection tool. In today’s tip, we’ll show you how to use that tool so that you can avoid 404 errors on your site and instead guide visitors along towards pages you want them to see.

Gotchas And Tips

Redirecting links is an essential part of online marketing. If you have a site that you built but are unhappy with your new location, it’s easy to move content and pages over to their new home. For WordPress users, there are two ways of doing so: either by changing permalinks within your database or via an .htaccess file on your server. The latter is potentially more trouble than it’s worth if done incorrectly, but both methods work perfectly well depending on what sort of control you have over your server setup.

Bonus – Adding Noindex To Your 301 Redirect (if you want search engines not to index it)

At first glance, adding noindex, follow appears redundant. After all, you’ve already told Google not to index it with noindex; and then tell it again with follow? Well, there is value here: Noindex helps stop immediate duplicate content issues, and follow allows you do some last-minute internal linking without getting penalized for duplicate content. If your move has large-scale implications that span across many pages and posts (if any), sometimes follow can be more helpful than noindex.

Bonus – Moving Out Of /into A Subdirectory (if you are moving into/out of a subdirectory like blogs.dir)

If you’re moving your primary domain from one directory structure to another (say, for example, you have a main site but want all of your news content separate), you will need to ensure that all of your internal links still point back to new location. The easiest way is through some clean 301 redirects.