301 Redirects WordPress Plugin

While it is possible to manually create 301 redirects for URLs that are no longer in use via the .htaccess file, you may find this process time-consuming. This is particularly true in cases where multiple redirects are necessary, which is where redirection plugins come in handy. One such plugin is the 301 Redirects WordPress plugin. This plugin provides features that allow you to easily and quickly create multiple 301 redirects from the WordPress dashboard. In this article we will discuss the key features of this plugin and provide basic instructions for using this plugin on your WordPress website.

Topics Include:

• Redirects For Posts and Pages
• 404 Error Logging
• Import/Export
• Redirect Stats

Redirects For Posts and Pages

The 301 Redirects plugin provides a number of options for redirects using a simple drop-down menu:

• Pages
• Posts
• Custom Post Types
• Archives

Depending on what type of URL you wish to redirect, you can select it from the drop-down and create a 301 redirect for it. Not only can you setup redirects between URLs on the same website, you can create a custom redirect for URLs on other websites. This is useful for situations where a site has become defunct and traffic needs to be redirected to the new site. 

404 Error Logging

One of the challenges in maintaining a WordPress site is keeping track of URLs that lead to missing page errors, also known as 404 errors. The 301 Redirects plugin handles this for you, keeping a helpful log of all URLs that lead to 404 errors. This makes it easy to rectify these URLs by either removing the link from the page in question or by setting up a redirect to an active page. 

Too many 404 errors on your site can negatively impact your position on search engine rankings as well as create site functionality problems. If an image or application depends on a URL that now leads to a 404 error, those page elements will not function properly. This can reduce your site’s overall usability and give visitors a bad impression of your website. Using the 301 Redirects plugin to identify and correct 404 errors can help you avoid this outcome.  

Import/Export

The 301 Redirects plugin also supports the ability to import redirections set up in similar plugins such as Redirection. This makes it easy to switch between redirection plugins depending on your preference and site requirements. You can also export all redirects configured in 301 Redirects for use in similar plugins. This is useful if you wish to clone your redirects from an old version of your website and copy them into a new version, or if you decide to use a different plugin such as Redirection.

Redirect Stats

Another feature of the 301 Redirects plugin is the ability to access helpful statistics that provide information regarding the usage of redirects. Through these statistics you can see how effective a given redirect is, informing you of the traffic being redirected between URLs. If a redirect has a large volume of traffic, you know that the redirect is effective in getting website visitors where they want to be.