Import redirects from Redirection and other plugins

If you already have redirects in another plugin, you don't need to re-create them. RankKit SEO reads them straight from that plugin's data and adds them to its own redirect manager. The other plugin's data is never changed, and the whole import can be undone in one click.

This article covers the redirect plugins and SEO plugins RankKit SEO imports from, moving redirects between two RankKit SEO sites, and what to do with a list of redirects in a spreadsheet.

Where redirects can come from

Source	What is imported
Redirection	Enabled redirects that send to a URL.
Rank Math	Active redirections, imported together with Rank Math's SEO data.
Yoast SEO Premium	Its redirects, imported together with Yoast SEO's data.
Squirrly SEO	Its redirects, imported together with Squirrly's data.
Another RankKit SEO site	Redirects from a RankKit SEO export file.

Only rules your edition supports come across. The free plugin imports exact-match redirects with the 301, 302 and 307 types. Prefix and regex matching and the 308, 410 and 451 types need RankKit SEO Pro; without it, those rules are skipped.

Import from Redirection

1. Don't delete Redirection yet: deleting it can remove its data. It can stay active, because RankKit SEO reads its database table directly.
2. Go to RankKit SEO → Tools and find Import from another SEO plugin. Redirection is listed with its number of redirects.
3. If Redirection is active and you're ready to switch, turn on Deactivate the old plugin after the import. Two redirect plugins handling the same URLs make problems hard to trace.
4. Click Import next to Redirection.

When it finishes you see "Import complete" with the number of redirects imported. Open RankKit SEO → Redirects to check them.

What comes across: the source path, the target URL, the status code and whether the rule is a regular expression. Redirection rules that do something other than redirect to a URL (for example "error" or "pass-through" actions) and disabled rules are not imported.

Import from Rank Math, Yoast SEO Premium or Squirrly SEO

Their redirects come across as part of the SEO data import, on the same Import from another SEO plugin card. Click Import next to the plugin, and the titles, descriptions and other SEO fields are imported first, then the redirects. See Switch from Yoast SEO, Rank Math or another SEO plugin for the full list of fields.

What happens during an import

• A backup first. RankKit SEO takes a backup before every import. See Backups, export and import.
• No duplicates. A rule is skipped if an existing RankKit SEO redirect already handles the same path, or if the same rule appears twice in the source.
• Invalid rules are skipped, such as a redirect that points at itself.
• One batch in the Change Log. "The whole import is one batch in the Change Log, so you can revert it in one click."

Move redirects between RankKit SEO sites

Useful for staging-to-live moves or when you rebuild a site.

1. On the old site, go to RankKit SEO → Tools → Export & import.
2. Keep Redirects switched on (turn off Settings and role permissions and SEO fields of every post and term if you only want redirects) and click Export. You get a JSON file.
3. On the new site, open the same card and click Import a file….
4. Check the Import preview: it shows "%d new redirects" and how many "already exist" or are "not supported here" (Pro-only rules on a free site).
5. Click Import.

Redirects in a spreadsheet or CSV

RankKit SEO has no CSV import in the admin. If your redirects are in a spreadsheet, you have two options:

• With an AI agent: connect Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or another MCP client (Connect an AI agent), paste the list and ask it to create the redirects. The bulk_create_redirects tool adds up to 50 rules per call as one Change Log batch and reports any it skipped. Ask for a dry run first. The rules wait in the Change Log until an administrator approves them, even with approval mode off.
• By hand: for a short list, add each rule with Add redirect on RankKit SEO → Redirects.

FAQ

Do I need to keep Redirection installed after the import?

No. Once you have checked the imported redirects, deactivate and delete Redirection. Its rules now live in RankKit SEO.

Why were fewer redirects imported than Redirection shows?

Rules that already exist in RankKit SEO, duplicates, disabled rules, non-URL actions and rule types that need Pro (regex, 308 and 410 on the free plugin) are skipped.

Can I undo the import?

Yes. Open the Change Log and revert the import batch. All redirects from that import are removed together.