How to create a 301 redirect in WordPress • Yoast

Do it’s essential to create a 301 redirect in your WordPress website? You’ve come to the best place! We’ll present you the right way to arrange 301 redirects utilizing three strategies. Have you learnt if it’s essential to use a redirect or whether or not a 301 redirect is true? No worries, we’ll clarify that, too.

Redirects in a nutshell

The identify ‘redirect’ says all of it: It sends guests touring from a selected web page to an alternate one as an alternative. Or, if there’s no various, an HTTP header (much like redirects) could make that clear to customers and search engines like google. It’s like registering a change of tackle whenever you transfer home. What if an previous pal visits your previous house to go to you? A redirect is sort of a entrance door word telling your guests the place you reside now. Any time you modify a URL or delete a web page, you need to take into consideration redirects.

Totally different redirects serve completely different functions. Since this put up is all about 301 redirects, let’s take a look at some conditions the place you would possibly want to make use of one.

When must you use a 301 redirect?

A 301 redirect ought to be used when:

• You’ve completely deleted a web page in your website, however you’ve gotten one other comparable web page you need to ship customers to as an alternative
• You’ve modified the URL of a web page that was already revealed
• You’re shifting your website to a brand new area
• You’re altering your URL construction, e.g. altering from HTTP to HTTPS, or eradicating ‘www’ from the beginning of your URL

These are among the extra widespread causes for utilizing a 301 redirect, however different conditions require redirecting, too. And moreover that, there are different redirects and HTTP headers you should use in different conditions. As an example, in case you completely delete a web page and there’s no appropriate alternative or substitute you possibly can ship customers to, then a 410 redirect is what it’s essential to use. We’ve got one other put up the place you possibly can learn extra about which redirects to use in which situations.

Possibility 1: Create a 301 redirect on the server

To arrange a 301 redirect utilizing .htaccess for the given instance URLs, it’s essential to add a selected line to your website’s .htaccess file, which is situated within the root listing of your WordPress set up. Right here’s how you are able to do it:

1. Entry your server. Entry your website’s recordsdata utilizing an FTP shopper or your internet host’s file supervisor. You may as well entry and edit your .htaccess file from inside the Yoast SEO tools section.
2. Find the .htaccess file: The .htaccess file is often within the root listing of your WordPress set up.
3. Edit the .htaccess file: Open the .htaccess file with a textual content editor.
4. Add the redirect rule: Insert the next line on the finish of the file to create the redirect. This rule signifies that requests to /page-1 ought to be completely redirected to /page-2.

Redirect 301 /page-1 /page-2

5. Save modifications: If you happen to use an FTP shopper, save your modifications to the .htaccess file and add them again to your server.

Utilizing this rule, any request to https://instance.com/page-1 will probably be completely redirected to https://instance.com/page-2. The 301 standing code signifies to search engines like google and browsers that the redirect is everlasting. Observe that this method assumes the URLs observe the format /page-1 and /page-2 with out extra subdirectories. You may regulate the trail in case your URLs are completely different.

These configurations can grow to be unmaintainable over time, particularly in case you’re an avid blogger attempting to enhance your posts’ search engine optimisation. You will need to additionally log in to your server over FTP, edit the recordsdata, and re-upload them everytime you add a brand new redirect. That’s why, typically talking, this technique is just not thought of the way in which to go.

Possibility 2: Create a 301 redirect with Cloudflare

Most of us already use Cloudflare in a single kind or one other, so you already know that it gives a big selection of instruments to assist our web sites carry out. As an example, it comes with a Guidelines function the place you possibly can set varied choices associated to your web site cache. You may as well discover varied redirect choices right here; it will assist you to information up redirects for every thing from HTTP to HTTPS to single redirects for particular person pages.

It’s straightforward to arrange redirects by means of Cloudflare. Right here’s how that works:

1. Log into your Cloudflare account: Go to the Cloudflare dashboard and choose your account and area. Then, choose Guidelines and Overview.
2. Create a redirect rule: Choose Create rule after which select Redirect Rule. Within the Rule identify discipline, you would possibly identify it one thing like Redirect Web page 1 to Web page 2.
3. Outline the matching standards: Set a wildcard sample and set the Request URL to https://instance.com/page-1. This implies any site visitors to instance.com/page-1 will probably be matched for redirection
4. Set the redirect parameters:
   • Goal URL: Enter https://instance.com/page-2 because the redirect vacation spot.
   • Standing code: Choose 301 to point a everlasting redirect.
   • Protect question string: Determine based mostly in your desire; allow this selection if the unique URL’s question string ought to be retained. While you select to protect the question string in a redirect, you retain any extra parameters which may be included within the authentic URL when redirecting to the brand new URL. Preserving the question string is usually helpful for monitoring functions, like retaining analytics or promoting parameters, making certain that helpful information isn’t misplaced throughout redirection.
5. Deploy the rule:
   Click on Deploy to avoid wasting and activate the redirect.

Now, every time somebody visits https://instance.com/page-1, they are going to be redirected to https://instance.com/page-2 with a 301 standing code, indicating a everlasting transfer.

You may effectively handle site visitors with out touching your server configuration by organising redirects through Cloudflare. It gives flexibility for utilizing easy patterns or extra advanced URL constructions.

Possibility 3: Create a 301 redirect the straightforward approach with Yoast search engine optimisation

Our Yoast SEO Premium plugin gives you a serving to hand in the case of creating these redirects. Our built-in redirect manager assists you everytime you change the URL of a put up, web page, or any taxonomies that will end in a attainable 404 in case you don’t correctly redirect guests. As well as, we additionally give you an interface to edit or take away these redirects at a later time limit. The plugin additionally tells you whenever you’re about to create a redirect that may end in a redirect loop. This looping is one thing you need to keep away from in any respect prices.

Right here’s how one can arrange a 301 redirect utilizing Yoast search engine optimisation Premium in WordPress:

1. Entry the Yoast search engine optimisation settings: Log into your WordPress admin space and navigate to the Yoast search engine optimisation part.
2. Open the Redirect Supervisor: Go to the Redirects function in Yoast search engine optimisation Premium.
3. Add a brand new redirect: Comply with the steps under to create a brand new rule.
   • Within the Outdated URL discipline, enter /page-1 because the supply path.
   • Within the New URL discipline, enter the vacation spot /page-2 as the whole new URL.
   • Select a 301 (Moved Completely) from the record of redirect varieties.
4. Save the Redirect: Click on Add redirect, and Yoast search engine optimisation will deal with the redirection.

Yoast search engine optimisation Premium additionally gives an choice to routinely redirect deleted content material. While you delete a web page or put up, Yoast search engine optimisation prompts you to arrange a redirect to keep away from damaged hyperlinks. This ensures guests and search engines like google gained’t encounter 404 errors and are easily directed to a related web page.

These options are a part of Yoast search engine optimisation Premium, designed to make managing redirects simple with out manually altering code or server settings. They maintain your website user-friendly and assist keep search engine optimisation efficiency by stopping useless hyperlinks.

Conclusion

Understanding the right way to arrange 301 redirects is important for sustaining your web site’s integrity and person expertise. Whether or not you select Cloudflare, Yoast search engine optimisation Premium, or the .htaccess technique, every method gives a easy resolution to information guests to the best place, stopping 404 errors and retaining your search engine optimisation rankings intact. Easily transitioning site visitors from previous hyperlinks to new ones enhances usability and search visibility. Select the perfect technique that fits your wants and retains your web site working easily.

Learn extra: How to properly delete pages from your site »

Edwin Toonen

Edwin is an skilled strategic content material specialist. Earlier than becoming a member of Yoast, he labored for a top-tier internet design journal, the place he developed a eager understanding of the right way to create nice content material.

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