WordPress Redirect Checker

WordPress Redirect Methods

1. Redirection Plugin

The Redirection plugin is the most popular WordPress redirect solution. It provides:

• User-friendly interface for managing redirects
• Automatic 301 redirect creation when changing permalinks
• 404 error logging and redirect suggestions
• Support for regex patterns and wildcard redirects
• Import/export functionality for bulk redirects

2. .htaccess File

For Apache servers, .htaccess redirects are server-level and faster than plugin redirects. Common patterns:

Single page redirect:

Redirect 301 /old-page /new-page

Domain-wide redirect:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^olddomain\.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://newdomain.com/$1 [R=301,L]

3. WordPress Functions

Programmatic redirects in functions.php using wp_redirect() for custom redirect logic.

Common WordPress Redirect Scenarios

Permalink Structure Changes

Changing permalink structure (e.g., from /%postname%/ to /blog/%postname%/) requires redirects for all posts. Use Redirection plugin's automatic redirect feature or bulk import.

WordPress Site Migration

Moving WordPress to a new domain requires site-wide 301 redirects. See our website migration checker for comprehensive guidance.

HTTP to HTTPS

After installing SSL, add this to .htaccess:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

WooCommerce Product URLs

When changing WooCommerce product slugs or shop page structure, use Redirection plugin to map old product URLs to new ones to preserve product rankings.

WordPress Redirect Best Practices

1. Use Server-Level Redirects When Possible: .htaccess is faster than PHP/plugin redirects
2. Monitor 404 Errors: Enable 404 logging in Redirection plugin to catch missing redirects
3. Test After Plugin Updates: Plugin updates can reset redirect configurations
4. Backup Redirect Rules: Export Redirection plugin settings regularly
5. Avoid Redirect Chains: Use our redirect checker to detect chains

Troubleshooting WordPress Redirects

Redirect Not Working

• Clear WordPress cache (if using caching plugin)
• Clear CDN cache (Cloudflare, etc.)
• Clear browser cache and test in incognito mode
• Check redirect order in Redirection plugin (first match wins)

Too Many Redirects Error

• Check for redirect loops (A→B→A)
• Verify HTTPS redirect isn't conflicting with plugin redirects
• Check for conflicts between .htaccess and plugin rules

Wrong Redirect Type

Ensure Redirection plugin is set to 301 for permanent redirects. Use our 302 checker vs 301 checker to verify the correct type is being used.

WordPress Multisite Redirects

WordPress Multisite networks require special consideration. Redirects can be:

• Network-wide (in network .htaccess or wp-config.php)
• Per-site (using Redirection plugin on each subsite)

Test redirects on each subsite individually to ensure they work correctly across the network.

Monitoring WordPress Redirects

Regular link monitoring is essential for WordPress sites because:

• Plugin updates can reset configurations
• Theme changes may affect redirects
• WordPress core updates occasionally affect URL handling
• .htaccess can be overwritten by plugins

Use our bulk redirect checker to test all critical WordPress URLs after any major update or change.