If you need to redirect a page in WordPress, the quickest route for most site owners is a redirect plugin such as Redirection, which lets you set up a 301 redirect in under a minute without touching any code. A 301 redirect is what you want in almost every case, since it tells Google and your visitors that a page has permanently moved, passing on the SEO value from the old URL to the new one. Below is a full walkthrough, plus the method for doing it manually if you would rather avoid a plugin.
Why you would need to redirect a page
You will usually need this when you delete a page, change its URL slug, merge two pieces of content, or migrate to a new site structure. Without a redirect, anyone who clicks an old link, including Google, lands on a 404 error page. That is a poor experience for visitors and it can chip away at rankings you have already earned, particularly if the page was picking up decent traffic. Our guide on technical SEO tips for website health covers this in more depth, since error handling and redirects go hand in hand. If you are actively working on your SEO services strategy, getting redirects right is one of the more unglamorous but genuinely important jobs on the list.
The main types of redirect
| Redirect type | What it means | When to use it |
| 301 | Permanent move | Page deleted or URL changed for good |
| 302 | Temporary move | Testing a new page or short term change |
| 307 | Temporary, preserves request method | Rarely needed on a standard WordPress site |
Keeping an eye on your most important SEO metrics will usually flag a redirect problem before it becomes a bigger one, since a spike in 404 errors in Search Console is a clear signal something needs fixing.
How to redirect a page using a plugin
- Install and activate the Redirection plugin from your WordPress dashboard under Plugins, then Add New.
- Go to Tools, then Redirection, once it is active.
- Enter the old URL in the Source URL field and the new URL in the Target URL field.
- Leave the redirect type set to 301, unless you specifically need something temporary.
- Click Add Redirect and test the old link in a private browser window to confirm it lands where you intended.
I have set these up for clients who ran a full site migration without a single broken link showing up in Google Search Console afterwards, and it really does come down to this simple process repeated carefully for every changed URL. A well handled migration is also exactly the kind of thing we cover in our piece on getting your website onto page one of Google, since redirects are one of several small technical factors that support that goal. If you handle Google Ads campaigns too, double check any ad destination URLs against your redirect list, since a broken landing page burns budget with nothing to show for it.
How to redirect a page without a plugin
If you would rather avoid another plugin, you can add a redirect directly to your site’s .htaccess file, found in the root directory via FTP or your hosting file manager. Add a line such as:
Redirect 301 /old-page/ https://www.yoursite.com/new-page/
Save the file and clear any caching plugin you are running. This method works well for a handful of redirects but becomes harder to manage at scale, which is where a plugin earns its keep. For a deeper technical explanation of how search engines handle these signals, Google’s own documentation on 301 redirects is worth a read.
Common mistakes to avoid
Redirect chains, where one redirect points to another redirect, slow things down and should be tidied up whenever you spot them. Redirecting everything to your homepage instead of the closest matching page is another common shortcut that hurts more than it helps, and it undoes a lot of the value covered in our guide to backlinks and SEO, since incoming links to a deleted page are wasted if they land somewhere irrelevant. If you run PPC campaigns, this matters even more, since a poor landing experience affects your Quality Score, a point we also touch on in our piece about Google Ads broad match and lead quality.
FAQs
Does a redirect hurt my SEO?
A properly set up 301 redirect does not hurt SEO. It passes on the vast majority of the ranking value from the old page.
How long should I keep a redirect in place?
Indefinitely is the safest approach. Removing it later can bring back 404 errors for anyone still using the old link.
Can I redirect an entire domain?
Yes, this is usually done at server level or through your domain registrar, rather than page by page in WordPress.
If your site has grown messy with old URLs, broken links or campaigns pointing at pages that no longer exist, it is worth getting a proper technical review done. Get in touch with the Flow20 team, and take a look at our social media advertising and LinkedIn advertising services while you’re at it, and we’ll help you sort it out.
