Redirects are essential for a successful website launch

A redirect can be seen as a change of address. Are you about to launch a new WordPress website? Then always set up redirects. Here’s how it works.

Naive. Or rather: downright foolish.

That’s how you could describe the action of an enthusiastic webshop owner. He had a brand-new site built at great cost and impulsively replaced the old one.

The result?

Google links stopped working, backlinks showed 404 errors, and the site plummeted in search rankings. And all of this could have easily been prevented…

Migrating Your Website? Always Set Up Redirects

Getting a new website or moving your current one? That doesn’t automatically go smoothly. Pages get new URLs, and online links lead to 404 errors – unless you prepare properly.

WHAT IS A REDIRECT?

A redirect tells search engines that a page has moved. This can be either a temporary or permanent move, indicated by a status code.

• 301 Permanent Redirect
  A 301 redirect tells search engines that a page has been permanently moved to a new URL. It transfers the old page’s value to the new one and ensures visitors land in the right place.
• 302 Found
  A 302 redirect signals a temporary move – for example, if a product is out of stock. Search engines and visitors are redirected, but Google will periodically check if the original page is back.
• 307 Temporary Redirect
  Similar to the 302, but a bit clearer for search engines.

In practice, you’ll mainly use 301 and 302 redirects. Most redirect plugins support both.

301 redirects are better for SEO.

Why Should I Care About Redirects During a Migration?

Redirects are essential when migrating or significantly modifying your site. They prevent visitors and search engines from landing on missing pages and preserve the SEO value of your URLs.

Websites accumulate value over time. Pages that are heavily linked to – via menus or backlinks – carry more weight. Google sees backlinks as votes. About 30% of your ranking is influenced by these links. If two pages are equally relevant, the one with more backlinks will rank higher.

Switching to a new domain (or even a new CMS on the same domain) breaks your URLs. Without redirects, all those links – and your hard-earned authority – vanish.

“Redirects are essential when you move or significantly change your site. They ensure both users and search engines land on the correct pages – and you don’t waste your authority.”

What can you redirect?

Redirects can be used to modify various elements, such as:

• A single URL:
  clothing.nl/red-sneakers/ → sneakers.nl/red-sneakers/
• Entire directories:
  /red-shoe/ → /red-sneakers/
• Images and files
• Preferred domain setup (e.g., from HTTP to HTTPS or from non-www to www)*

*(ManagedWPHosting automatically configures HTTP to HTTPS for you, preventing SEO issues.)

You can also merge duplicate pages from the old or new website into a new one. This is a smart move for search engine optimization. For example, combine five similar pages into one excellent new page.

Include the right keywords in the new page and set up 301 redirects from the old URLs. This makes things easier for visitors and consolidates the power of the five pages into one central location.

How to Set Up a 301 Redirect in WordPress

You can set up a redirect in different ways. In WordPress, it can be done easily using a plugin or a file called .htaccess. Here are the differences.

There are several plugins available for WordPress that allow you to set up a redirect. They usually work in the same way:

Using a Plugin:
Most plugins work like this:

• Enter the old URL
• Enter the new URL
• Choose a status code (301, 302, etc.)

If you now open the old URL in your browser, it will redirect you to the new page.

Set up a redirect in WordPress using a plugin.
Enter the old and new URL, and choose the Status Code.
With most plugins, you can set up both internal and external redirects. An external redirect sends a visitor to a different site – for example, the same page on your new domain.

Using .htaccess:
This file contains server instructions for Apache and LiteSpeed servers. It can handle redirects and more (like blocking IPs).
Setting up a .htaccess file correctly can be tricky. It involves working with code, and even a small typo can cause an error that makes your site stop working. It can be fixed, but it can still be a bit of a shock.

A major advantage of using a .htaccess file is that it works up to 7 times faster than a plugin like Redirection. Web servers and search engines immediately find the .htaccess file on the site and start processing it right away. They don’t need to load the entire WordPress Core and all the plugins before the server understands that a redirect is required. We tested this on a standard WordPress installation with Yoast SEO, WooCommerce, Gravity Forms, and several other plugins.

Tip: Use Klarned’s redirect generator tool to help you create valid .htaccess rules.

Are Redirects Bad for SEO?

They used to be. Each redirect used to reduce page authority by 10–15%. But in 2016, Google announced this is no longer the case – even if you use many redirects.

30x redirects don't lose PageRank anymore.

— Gary 鯨理／경리 Illyes (so official, trust me) (@methode) July 26, 2016

They used to be. Each redirect used to reduce page authority by 10–15%. But in 2016, Google announced this is no longer the case – even if you use many redirects.

Do you use a lot of redirects? For example, from /shoes/ to /buy-shoes/ and then from /buy-shoes/ to /buy-beautiful-shoes/? In that case, a search engine wastes processing power – and that power isn’t unlimited. So, try to minimize the number of redirects from a single page as much as possible.

Tip: A redirect that points to another page with yet another redirect is called a Redirect Chain. This is not good for SEO. Tools like Screaming Frog and Ahrefs can show whether there are Redirect Chains on your site.

Don’t 302 and 301 Redirects Behave Differently in Google?

For years, SEOs believed only 301 redirects passed link value. But Google’s John Mueller clarified:

“I think there’s a big misconception with 302 redirects being bad for your website and your PageRank and that’s definitely not the case. When we see a 302, we’ll assume it’s a temporary redirect at first. However, if we feel it’s more of a permanent redirect, then we do treat it as a 301. Both of these redirects do pass PageRank.” 

Still, to be safe, always use a 301 redirect for permanent page moves.

My WordPress Site Has Moved and I’m Using Redirects. Should I Inform Google?

Yes! Redirects help users and crawlers reach the right content. But if you’re switching domains, notify Google via Google Search Console.

Google Search Console is a free tool for webmasters. It provides insights into things like the search terms you rank for, crawl errors, and other key points of attention. You can also add your website to the tool.

If your website has moved, add the URL of the new domain to your account. Also, create an XML sitemap and submit the URL. The sitemap lists all the URLs on your site, allowing Google to index them quickly. If something goes wrong, you’ll receive a notification right away so you can fix it.

Tip. Moving a large website? Always use monitoring tools and, ideally, involve an experienced developer. Things can always go wrong, and tools help you spot issues. Be sure to ask about this specifically! It’s easy to forget, and the internet is full of horror stories about failed website migrations. 

Step-by-Step Guide: Moving Your Website and Setting Up Redirects

Setting Redirects in WordPress Is Easy – But Crucial

It’s tempting to launch your new site in a flash. But if your URLs break, the consequences are serious: 404 errors, lost authority, and plummeting rankings. Set up redirects the right way and avoid disaster.

Stress-free migration? It’s included for free with Klarned!