Unleashing the Mysteries of 301 Redirects in WordPress

Is your website a labyrinth destroying visitors’ experiences and your SEO rank alike? Updating pages, deleting content or altering the site structure can lead to broken links spelling a doom to your website’s health. Save the day by reading on about the secret weapon for creating permanent redirections- 301 Redirect.

What’s 301 Redirect?

A superb magical tool, 301 Redirect is a server-side redirect that guides browsers that an old location has permanently shifted to a new URL. The user gets swept over to the new URL when they hit a dead link or moved URL without any irritating broken link messages. Seamless transfer equals a happy visitor and a better ranking with the search engines, which calculate the original page count when it is redirected through 301 Redirect.

Why 301 Redirect?

A few instances where 301 Redirect could be the hero on your website would be:

1. Changed URLs: On changing the URL of a page, using 301 redirect, you ensure that visitors access the new URL and avoid a broken link.
2. Updating content: When updating content on a page, 301 redirect helps retain external links that point to the old page.
3. Merging websites: When merging two websites, avoiding the loss of traffic with a 301 redirect is of utmost importance.

How to implement 301 Redirect in WordPress?

There are three ways to achieve a powerful 301 redirect:

1. Using a plugin

Simply install and activate the “Redirection” plugin from the WordPress repository. Next, navigate to Tools > Redirection. In the “Add new redirection” section, enter the old URL in the “Source URL” field and the new one in the “Target URL” field. Set the “Match” field to “URL only” and select “301 Permanent” from the “Type” dropdown menu. Click “Add Redirection” to save the changes.

2. Using .htaccess file

Login to FTP client or cPanel file manager for website’s root directory. Next, locate the .htaccess file and download the same as a backup. Then, open the text editor and add the following code:

Redirect 301 /old-page-url/ http://www.example.com/new-page-url/

Replace the “old-page-url” with the URL of the old page you want to redirect and “new-page-url” with the URL of the new page. Save and upload the updated .htaccess file to the server.

3. Using the WordPress default redirection tool

In the WordPress dashboard, navigate to Tools > Marketing > Redirection. In the “Add new redirection” section, enter the old URL and the new URL while ensuring that the “HTTP Code” is set at 301. Click “Add Redirection” to save the changes.

The Closing Thoughts

The role of 301 Redirect in WordPress is pivotal in maintaining the SEO ranking, enhancing user experiences, and avoiding broken links. Polish up your website with this super easy tactic with the three methods mentioned above. Be vigilant, though, as incorrectly set 301 Redirect can lead to troubles in the future. So, validate to redirect rightly and reward your visitors with improved navigational experiences.