Discovering the Mysteries of WordPress Page Redirects

WordPress, the enigmatic software that enables people and businesses to create their own websites, is a content management system that is widely used throughout the world. Despite this, its ease of use makes it accessible to anyone, even those without a technical background. One vital aspect of content creation using WordPress is page creation, yet the need to redirect pages may arise in certain situations. As an example, you may need to redirect a page after moving it to a new location or when merging or deleting pages. This is necessary to ensure that visitors can access the content they require.

1. Utilizing a Redirect Plugin:

The simplest and most uncomplicated way to redirect a WordPress page is to use a redirect plugin. With this plugin, you can set up redirects rapidly and effortlessly, without needing any coding knowledge or messing around with server files. The WordPress repository has a variety of redirect plugins available, but the most popular and widely used among them is the Redirection plugin.

Step 1: Install and Activate the Redirection Plugin

The Redirection plugin is free and downloadable from the WordPress repository. You can install and activate the plugin on your WordPress site by following these steps:

• Log in to your WordPress dashboard
• Click on Plugins>Add New
• In the search bar, type “Redirection” plugin and click the “Install Now” button.
• After installation, activate the plugin.

Step 2: Creating a Redirect

You can create a redirect by following the steps below, once you have installed and activated the Redirection plugin:

1. Click on Tools>Redirection
2. In the Redirections panel, click on “Add New.”
3. Enter the URL of the old page you want to redirect in the Source URL field.
4. In the Target URL field, enter the URL of the new page.
5. Choose the type of redirect you want to perform, which can be permanent (301), temporary (302), or a custom status code if you have something specific in mind.
6. Save your changes and update your site.

2. Using Redirect Codes:

Another way to redirect a WordPress page is to use redirect codes in your site’s .htaccess file. This method is ideal when you need to redirect several pages, or when you want to redirect a specific type of page, such as those with a specific parameter or category.

Step 1: Access the .htaccess File

The .htaccess file is a configuration file that controls how your server behaves. You can access this file in one of two ways, either by using an FTP client or by using your cPanel File Manager.

Step 2: Open the .htaccess File

1. Launch your FTP client if you are using one and enter the server credentials to get connected.
2. Navigate to the root directory of your WordPress site where the .htaccess file is located.
3. Right-click on the file and pick “Edit” or “View” to open it.

Step 3: Create a Redirect

You can create a redirect with these steps after opening the .htaccess file:

Redirect 301 /old-page/ https://www.yourwebsite.com/new-page/

Here’s how the above format works: The first part (/old-page/) represents the URL of the page you wish to redirect, while the second part (https://www.yourwebsite.com/new-page/) represents the new URL of the page. You can add redirect code for every page you want to redirect.

Step 4: Save the Changes and Update the Website

After creating the redirect codes in the .htaccess file, you can save the changes, close the file and update your website to make sure that the redirects are active.

3. Using a Redirect Plugin with Shortcodes:

A final option for redirecting a WordPress page is to use a redirect plugin with shortcodes. This technique enables you to specify redirects within the page or post content, which is useful when you need to redirect only a specific page or post.

Step 1: Install and Activate a Redirect Plugin

As described in the first option, you should install and activate a redirect plugin for your WordPress site.

Step 2: Create a Redirect Shortcode

To create the shortcode, follow these steps after installing and activating the redirect plugin:

[redirect url=’https://newsite.com/new-page’]

Replace the URL with the new URL of the page you want to redirect to.

Step 3: Add the Shortcode to the Page or Post

Copy the shortcode and paste it into the content editor of the page or post you want to redirect. The new URL should match the page you want to redirect to when someone clicks on the old URL.

Step 4: Save and Update the Page or Post

After making changes to the page or post, save them and update your website.

Conclusion

WordPress is a versatile platform that offers numerous means to assist users in achieving their goals, including redirecting pages. The different methods outlined in this article are able to help you achieve your goals, whether you are redirecting a single post, a group of pages, or all of your website’s pages. However, it’s crucial to remember that redirects can impact your website’s ranking and traffic, so it is important to use them sparingly and wisely.