TL;DR: The quickest way to redirect a WordPress page is with the free Redirection plugin — install it, enter old URL and new URL, pick 301 (permanent) or 302 (temporary), and save. No coding needed. For manual methods, you can add a one-line rule to your .htaccess file or use wp_redirect() in functions.php.
301 vs 302: Which Redirect Type Should You Use?
Before setting up a redirect, you need to pick the right type. Here’s the simple breakdown:
| Type | When to Use | SEO Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 301 (Permanent) | Page moved forever, slug changed, domain migrated | Passes link juice and rankings to the new URL |
| 302 (Temporary) | Page temporarily unavailable, A/B testing, maintenance | Does NOT pass link equity — original URL keeps its rankings |
Rule of thumb: If you’re permanently moving content, always use 301. It tells Google to transfer all SEO value to the new page. Using 302 for permanent moves is one of the most common redirect mistakes — it can cause you to lose rankings.
Method 1: Using the Redirection Plugin (Easiest)
The Redirection plugin is the most popular WordPress redirect tool with over 2 million active installs. It’s free, simple, and handles everything you need.
Step 1: Go to Plugins > Add New, search for “Redirection”, and install and activate it.
Step 2: Navigate to Tools > Redirection. Complete the quick setup wizard (you can enable auto-redirect on permalink changes and redirect logging).
Step 3: Click Redirects, enter your source URL (old page) and target URL (new page), and click Add Redirect.
Step 4: Click the gear icon to expand settings. Choose your redirect type (301 for permanent, 302 for temporary). Save.
That’s it. Your redirect is live. The plugin also logs hits so you can verify it’s working.
Already using Rank Math or Yoast? Both SEO plugins include a built-in redirect manager — you don’t need a separate plugin. In Rank Math, go to Rank Math > Redirections to set up the same 301/302 redirects. Yoast offers this in its Premium version.
Method 2: Using the .htaccess File (No Plugin)
If you prefer not to install another plugin, you can add redirects directly to your .htaccess file. This method works on Apache servers (most shared hosting providers).
Step 1: Access your site’s root folder via your hosting file manager or FTP. Open the .htaccess file.
Step 2: Add this line at the top of the file (before the WordPress rules):
Redirect 301 /old-page/ https://yoursite.com/new-page/Replace /old-page/ with your old URL path and https://yoursite.com/new-page/ with the full destination URL.
Example: To redirect /articles/ to /blog/ on the same domain:
Redirect 301 /articles/ /blog/Important: Always back up your site before editing .htaccess. A syntax error in this file can take your entire site offline.
Method 3: Using functions.php (Code Method)
You can also add redirects programmatically using WordPress’s built-in wp_redirect() function. Add this to your child theme’s functions.php file:
add_action( 'template_redirect', function() {
if ( is_page( 'old-page-slug' ) ) {
wp_redirect( 'https://yoursite.com/new-page/', 301 );
exit;
}
});Replace 'old-page-slug' with the slug of the page you want to redirect, and the URL with your destination.
This method works well for one or two redirects, but becomes hard to manage at scale. For more than a handful of redirects, use a plugin instead.
Which Method Should You Choose?
| Method | Best For | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Redirection Plugin | Most users — easy UI, logging, bulk redirects | Beginner |
| Rank Math / Yoast | Users already running an SEO plugin | Beginner |
| .htaccess | Users who want no extra plugins | Intermediate |
| functions.php | Developers or 1-2 simple redirects | Advanced |
For most WordPress users, the plugin method is the way to go. It’s safer, easier to manage, and gives you a log of every redirect hit. If you’re already using Rank Math, you don’t need any additional plugin at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do redirects hurt SEO?
No — 301 redirects actually preserve your SEO by transferring link equity from the old URL to the new one. Without a redirect, you’d lose all backlink value and users would hit a 404 error. The only thing to avoid is creating redirect chains (A > B > C) as each hop can lose a small amount of link juice.
How do I redirect an entire WordPress site to a new domain?
Add this to the .htaccess file on your old domain:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://newdomain.com/$1 [R=301,L]This redirects every page on the old domain to the same path on the new domain, preserving your URL structure.
Can I redirect a WordPress page to an external URL?
Yes. All three methods support external URLs. In the Redirection plugin, simply enter the full external URL (e.g., https://external-site.com/page) as the target URL. The same works in .htaccess and functions.php.
How do I find and fix broken links that need redirects?
Use a crawler tool like Dr. Link Check or Screaming Frog to scan your site for 404 errors. Then create 301 redirects for each broken URL pointing to the closest relevant live page. Check out our guide on finding and fixing broken links for a step-by-step walkthrough.
Summing Up!
Redirecting a WordPress page takes under a minute with the right method. For most users, the Redirection plugin or your existing SEO plugin (Rank Math, Yoast) is the simplest and safest approach. Use .htaccess or functions.php only if you prefer not to add a plugin.
The key thing to remember: always use 301 for permanent moves and 302 for temporary ones. Getting this wrong can cost you rankings.
Have questions about redirects? Drop them in the comments below!
