Create and manage redirects

A redirect sends visitors and search engines from an old URL to a new one. Use one whenever you move, rename or merge a page, so links and bookmarks keep working and the old page's rankings pass to the new one.

RankKit SEO's redirect manager is free. Rules are cached together, so checking a request costs a single lookup, and every change goes through the Change Log, where you can undo it.

Add a redirect

1. Go to RankKit SEO → Redirects. The Redirects tab lists your rules.
2. Click Add redirect.
3. Fill in the form:
   • From: the old path on this site, such as /old-page. "A path on this site. Full URLs are trimmed to the path."
   • To: the new path (/new-page) or a full URL (https://…), which can be on another site.
   • Type: the status code (see below). 301 Moved permanently is the default.
   • Match: Exact path in the free plugin.
4. Click Save redirect.

The redirect works immediately. Test it by opening the old URL in a private browser window.

Choose the redirect type

Type	Use it when	Edition
301 Moved permanently	The page has moved for good. Search engines move rankings to the new URL. Use this for almost everything.	Free
302 Found (temporary)	The page is away for a while, for example during a seasonal promotion. Search engines keep the old URL indexed.	Free
307 Temporary redirect	Like 302, but the browser must keep the request method (useful for form posts).	Free
308 Permanent redirect (keeps method)	Like 301, but keeps the request method.	Pro
410 Gone	The page was removed on purpose and has no replacement. Needs no target.	Pro
451 Unavailable for legal reasons	The page was removed for a legal reason. Needs no target.	Pro

How matching works

With Exact path, the From path must match the requested path. Matching ignores letter case and a trailing slash, so /Old-Page/ and /old-page are the same rule.

• Query strings are carried over. A request for /old-page?ref=mail goes to /new-page?ref=mail, unless the target already has its own query string.
• Loops are blocked. A rule that points at itself is rejected with "This redirect points to itself."
• Redirects run before the page loads, so they work for URLs that still exist as well as for missing ones.

Manage your redirects

Column	Shows
From / To	The rule.
Type	The status code.
Hits	How many times the redirect has been used.
Last hit	When it was last used.

• Use Search redirects… to find a rule by its source or target.
• Click Edit to change a rule, or the delete icon to remove it. "Redirect deleted. Undo from the Change Log."
• The list shows 50 rules per page.

A redirect with no hits for months is usually safe to keep anyway: it costs nothing and old links can resurface.

Redirects that RankKit SEO creates for you

When you change the slug of a published post, RankKit SEO adds a 301 from the old URL to the new one. See Automatic redirects when a slug changes.

RankKit SEO Pro RankKit SEO Pro adds Starts with and Regular expression matching, the 308, 410 and 451 types (Advanced redirects), a 404 monitor and 404 catch-all. See plans.

Moving from another redirect plugin

Redirects from Redirection, Rank Math, Yoast SEO Premium and Squirrly SEO can be imported. See Import redirects.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Cause	Fix
The redirect doesn't fire	A page cache or CDN serves the old URL before WordPress runs.	Purge the cache for the old URL.
No redirect at all, even uncached	The Redirects module is off.	Turn it on in RankKit SEO → Dashboard → Modules.
The browser goes to an old target	Browsers cache 301 redirects.	Test in a private window, or clear the browser cache.
Too many redirects error	Two rules point at each other (A to B, B to A), or a server or other plugin redirects back.	Search for both URLs and remove one rule.
A 410 or regex rule is missing after import	Those need RankKit SEO Pro.	See Advanced redirects.

FAQ

301 or 302: which should I use?

Use 301 when the move is permanent, which is most of the time. Use 302 or 307 only when the old URL will come back.

Can I redirect to another domain?

Yes. Put a full URL in To, such as https://newsite.com/page. The From side is always a path on this site.

Do redirects slow down my site?

No. All rules are cached in one place, so each request costs a single lookup.

Can an AI agent manage redirects?

Yes. Agents connected over MCP can list, test, create, update and delete redirects, and create up to 50 in one call. Each change waits in the Change Log until an administrator approves it, even with approval mode off. See Connect an AI agent.