How to Redirect Your Users

Do you have a web page that you no longer feel is valid? You may have outdated content that you don't intend to change or isn't helpful for your customers. Or perhaps you have a service or product you no longer offer and don't need that page anymore.

Now, it's not just a case of deleting that page and moving on without a second thought. You'll need first to redirect the traffic that used to visit those pages to an alternative location. If this seems overwhelming, it isn't, and we will show you how to do it.

Have a plan: Before deleting old content or making any changes, it's essential to have a plan in place. Where do you want a user or search engine bot to go instead of the old page? Having a plan in place will prevent a disappointed user from seeing an error page rather than the content they were hoping for.

Perform any changes:  If you're deleting content, remove the page from your website. It's good practice to make a copy of the content before you delete it, just in case you need it again in the future. For any new content, add it to your website, and note the new URL.

Set up the redirect: We recommend the WordPress Redirection plugin, a tool to set up a redirection of a url. This screenshot will show how it is done. 

Test the redirect: After you've created the redirect, test it in your web browser. Open a new tab in your browser and try to visit the old page on your website. If the redirect works correctly, you'll find yourself redirected to the page you set. If it's not working, you'll want to troubleshoot the issue and double-check everything you entered.

Track any errors: The Redirection plugin has a handy option to track 404 errors (An HTTP status code that the "page is not found"). 404 errors that show up in the report could be for content that was previously deleted or moved. Use this information to set up a redirect to ensure visitors are redirected to an appropriate alternate page.

Creating and maintaining a website is not for the faint of heart. It requires discipline and attention to detail and can sometimes be tough to manage when there are already so many other things needing your attention.  When you work with us to create a new website, part of the pre-launch checklist is creating a sitemap of the existing site and creating redirects to any new pages. It's just one of the many services we offer. If you'd like to find out how we can help you, just fill out the form below to get started.