URL redirects help manage broken links and maintain SEO value when pages change. Learn how to set them up in Magento.
Why URL Redirects Matter
- Preserve SEO rankings
- Fix broken links
- Improve user experience
- Manage old URLs
- Track link changes
- Prevent 404 errors
Types of Redirects
- 301: Permanent (recommended for SEO)
- 302: Temporary
- 303: See other
- 307: Temporary redirect
Creating Redirects in Admin Panel
- Go to Marketing > SEO & Search > URL Rewrites
- Click “Add URL Rewrite”
- Select “Custom” (if creating manual redirect)
- Enter request path (old URL)
- Enter target path (new URL)
- Set redirect type (301/302)
- Save rewrite
Automatic Redirects
Magento automatically creates redirects when:
- Changing product URLs
- Moving categories
- Renaming CMS pages
- Changing attribute URLs
Bulk URL Redirects
For multiple URLs:
- Create CSV file with old and new URLs
- Use import functionality
- Or create redirects programmatically
Manual Redirect Methods
Using .htaccess
Code implementation available in the full documentation.
Using Meta Refresh (not recommended)
Code implementation available in the full documentation.
Common Redirect Scenarios
- Product discontinued → Related product
- Category renamed → New category
- Page moved → New page location
- Protocol change → HTTPS redirect
- Domain migration → New domain
Best Practices
- Use 301 redirects for permanent changes
- Keep redirect chains short
- Avoid redirect loops
- Update internal links
- Test redirects thoroughly
- Monitor 404 errors
- Update sitemaps
- Update robots.txt if needed
Monitoring Redirects
- Use Google Search Console
- Check server logs
- Monitor 404 errors
- Use redirect checker tools
- Test periodically