SEO: Redirections

Overview

URL redirections ensure that visitors and search engines are sent to the correct page when URLs change. This is critical for preserving SEO value (link equity) when you rename pages, restructure your site, or migrate from another platform. RakuWP supports both pattern-based redirect rules and individual URL redirects.

Accessing redirections

1. Go to SEO in the sidebar and select your site.
2. Click the Redirects tab.
3. Use the sub-tabs to switch between Rules (pattern-based) and URLs (individual).

Redirect rules (pattern-based)

Rules match URL patterns and redirect all matching requests to a target. This is useful for bulk redirections during site restructuring.

Creating a rule

1. Click Add rule.
2. Enter the source pattern: a URL path or regex pattern to match incoming requests.
3. Enter the target URL: where matching requests should be redirected.
4. Choose the HTTP status code:
   • 301 (Moved Permanently): The default for SEO. Tells search engines to transfer all ranking signals to the new URL.
   • 302 (Found): Temporary redirect. Use when the original URL will come back.
   • 307 (Temporary Redirect): Like 302 but preserves the HTTP method (POST stays POST).
   • 308 (Permanent Redirect): Like 301 but preserves the HTTP method.
5. Save the rule.

Individual URL redirects

For one-to-one redirects, the URLs sub-tab lets you manage individual URL mappings. Each entry maps a single source URL to a target URL with a specific status code.

The list is paginated (50 per page) and searchable. You can enable or disable individual redirects without deleting them.

Importing redirects

If you are migrating from another SEO plugin, RakuWP can detect and import redirects from popular plugins. Click Import and the system will scan your WordPress database for redirect tables from supported plugins (Redirection, Simple 301 Redirects, and others). Select the plugin to import from and confirm.

How redirects work on your site

The plugin intercepts incoming requests on your WordPress site before the page loads. If a request matches a redirect rule or individual URL entry, the visitor is immediately sent to the target URL with the configured HTTP status code. This happens at the earliest possible stage to minimize server load.

Best practices

• Use 301 redirects for permanent changes. This transfers approximately 90-99% of the original page's ranking power to the new URL.
• Avoid redirect chains (A redirects to B which redirects to C). Point directly to the final destination.
• After a site migration, monitor for 404 errors in your analytics and create redirects for any broken URLs you discover.
• Disable or delete redirects that are no longer needed to keep the list manageable and reduce processing overhead.