“I’m migrating WordPress to a new site, so I want to inherit the SEO rating by redirecting!”
“How do I set the redirect? I want to know an easy way!”
Use the redirect function when migrating a site created with WordPress for each domain or when making the entire site SSL .
Redirecting is very convenient because it automatically redirects visitors to your site to a new address .
However, if you have no experience with redirects, you don’t know how to set it.
This article explains how to redirect with WordPress so that even beginners can easily understand it.
What is a redirect?
First of all, there are two types of redirects as a major premise.
- 301 redirect
- 302 redirect
Both redirects are for forwarding the user to another URL .
However, there are significant differences between the two types of redirects.
Let’s use it properly depending on the case.
What is a 301 redirect?
A 301 redirect is a redirect setting that permanently forwards from the original URL to the new URL.
Generally, it is used to keep the original SEO rating when changing the domain and renewing the site .
If you change the URL without doing a 301 redirect, the rating will be reset.
It’s a waste to have the backlinks and search engine ratings you’ve earned so far remain in the original URL.
By setting 301 redirect, the information of the original URL can be inherited as it is, so it is possible to minimize the deterioration of the search ranking.
If you want to change the URL permanently, set up a 301 redirect.
What is a 302 redirect?
302 redirect is a redirect setting used when changing the URL temporarily.
The 301 redirect sets the SEO rating to take over to the new site, while the 302 redirect does not take over the SEO rating.
Use 302 redirects when maintaining your site or when you want to close a page for a period of time.
When do you need a redirect?
Redirection is mainly required in the following cases.
- Moving the entire site
- Site renewal
- Directory transfer
- 1 page transfer
- Creating a smartphone site
- Support for SSL
There are many different cases, but what they have in common is when the URL of your site changes .
When you move your site, you need to set up a redirect because the URL will change at the same time you change the domain.
Also , at the time of site renewal , if there is a change in each file name even in the same domain, it is safer to set each page redirect setting.
The most common redirect setting is when setting SSL .
When making a site that is not SSL-enabled, simply changing HTTP to HTTPS is not the end.
You need to redirect to the new SSL-enabled page so that you don’t see the original non-SSL-enabled page.
Keep in mind that if there is a change in the URL of an existing site, you will need to set the redirect settings.
How to set redirect in WordPress
There are two ways to set up a redirect in WordPress.
- Use the plug-in “Redirection”
- Write redirect settings in “.htaccess”
If you are a beginner, we recommend that you set it with a plugin .
It’s not impossible to write the code directly in the “.htaccess” file, but if you write it incorrectly, you may not be able to view the site.
Since “.htaccess” is a file in which the code that controls WordPress itself is written, if even one character is mistaken, there is a possibility that a problem will occur on the site.
I’ve introduced two methods this time, but unless you have a very special reason, let’s set it with a plugin.
Recommended plug-in “Redirection” for beginners
If you want to use the plugin, first install and enable “Redirection”.
Next, from the home management screen, go to “Tools”-> “Redirection”.
The above screen will appear, so proceed to “Start setup” → “Continue setup” → “Setup complete”.
Then, the screen will change to the “Redirection” setting screen, so enter a value for each item in the “Add new forwarding rule” item at the bottom of the screen.
Basically, put the original URL in “Source URL” and the URL of the transition destination in “Target URL”.
Finally, click the “Add Forwarding Rule” button to complete the redirect creation.
If a new redirect is created, you’re done.
Redirecting by domain is very easy because you just insert the URL in the same way.
How to write in “.htaccess”
As mentioned above, writing directly in .htaccess is not recommended for beginners.
If you make a mistake, the entire site may be affected.
.htaccess is a file that is automatically created in a folder when you install WordPress on your site.
Be sure to make a backup in advance in case of trouble .
Copy and paste the code below.
# Redirect processing
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule Transfer source URL Transfer URL [R = 301, L]
</ IfModule>
This is the iron plate code when setting “301 redirect” .
If you can write code, please try it.
Let’s set WordPress redirection with a plugin!
In this article, I explained the redirect setting of WordPress .
Redirect settings that are absolutely necessary when renewing the site or converting to SSL.
It’s very convenient because you can inherit the SEO evaluation from the original site just by making simple settings .
Writing code directly in .htaccess is a high hurdle for beginners, and it is not possible to set page by page.
Anyone can easily redirect and manage plugins , so please refer to the method introduced here.
