Whenever you change a URL, delete a page, or migrate a website, you create a problem: anyone who previously linked to or bookmarked the old URL will now hit a 404 error. For search engines, those old URLs may have accumulated authority and rankings over time - authority that evaporates if the page simply disappears.
A 301 redirect solves this. It tells browsers and search engines that a page has permanently moved to a new address, passes approximately 90% of the original page's link equity to the new URL, and sends visitors to the right place automatically.
When You Need 301 Redirects
Changed URLs - If you have updated your permalink structure, changed a post slug, or renamed a page, every old URL needs a redirect to its new location.
Deleted pages - If you remove a service you no longer offer or consolidate two posts into one, redirect the deleted URL to the most relevant remaining page rather than letting it return a 404.
Site migrations - Moving from one domain to another requires redirecting every URL from the old domain to its equivalent on the new domain. This is the most critical redirect scenario - without it, a migration can wipe out years of SEO progress.
Fixing historical broken links - You may have broken links from years ago pointing to URLs that no longer exist. Finding and redirecting these recovers link equity you did not know you were losing.
How to Set Up Redirects in WordPress
The Redirection Plugin - This is the best free option for managing redirects in WordPress. Install it from the plugin repository (Plugins > Add New, search "Redirection"). It provides a simple interface to add redirects one at a time or import them in bulk via CSV. It also logs 404 errors automatically, making it easy to identify broken links that need redirects.
To add a redirect: go to Tools > Redirection, enter the old URL in the Source URL field, the new URL in the Target URL field, and set the type to 301 (Moved Permanently). Save. Done.
Yoast SEO Premium - If you already use Yoast SEO Premium, it includes a redirect manager built into the Yoast interface. It also automatically prompts you to create a redirect whenever you change a post's slug, which prevents accidental broken links from day-to-day editorial work.
Manually via .htaccess - For technical users, redirects can be added directly to the .htaccess file in your WordPress root directory. Access it via cPanel File Manager or FTP. A single redirect looks like this:
Redirect 301 /old-page/ https://yourdomain.ca/new-page/
For large redirect sets, .htaccess management becomes unwieldy. Use the Redirection plugin for anything more than a handful of rules.
Verifying Your Redirects
After adding a redirect, always verify it works. Use a tool like httpstatus.io or the free Redirect Checker at redirect-checker.org. Paste the old URL and confirm it returns a 301 status code pointing to the correct destination - not a 302, and not a chain of multiple redirects.
Avoiding Redirect Chains
A redirect chain occurs when URL A redirects to URL B, which redirects to URL C. Each hop in the chain loses a small amount of link equity and adds latency for visitors. If you find chains, collapse them: make URL A redirect directly to URL C.
This commonly happens after repeated site reorganizations where redirects from previous rounds were not updated. Audit your redirect list periodically - the Redirection plugin shows all active rules in one place, making it straightforward to spot and fix chains.
Done correctly, a well-maintained redirect structure protects your SEO investment through any change to your site's URL structure. Done poorly or neglected entirely, URL changes silently erase ranking authority you spent years building.
