How to Create 301 Redirects in WordPress (5 Methods)

What is a 301 Redirect?

HTTP status code 301 means "Moved Permanently." When a browser or search engine requests a URL with a 301 redirect:

1. The server responds with status 301 and a Location header
2. The browser follows the Location to the new URL
3. Search engines update their index to reflect the change
4. Link equity transfers to the destination URL

When to Use 301 Redirects

Scenario	Redirect Type	Why
Changed permalink structure	301	Old URLs should point to new structure
Merged two posts into one	301	Consolidate link equity
Moved to new domain	301	Preserve SEO during migration
Affiliate link management	301	Clean URLs, easy updates
HTTP to HTTPS migration	301	Secure version is permanent
Temporary maintenance page	302	Will revert (not 301)

Method 1: .htaccess (Apache Servers)

The fastest method because it executes before WordPress loads. Requires Apache server with mod_rewrite enabled.

Single URL Redirect

# Add to .htaccess (before WordPress rules)
Redirect 301 /old-page https://yoursite.com/new-page

Multiple Redirects with RewriteRule

RewriteEngine On

# Redirect single page
RewriteRule ^old-slug/?$ /new-slug/ [R=301,L]

# Redirect entire directory
RewriteRule ^old-category/(.*)$ /new-category/$1 [R=301,L]

# Redirect with query string
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} ^id=123$
RewriteRule ^page\.php$ /new-page/? [R=301,L]

HTTP to HTTPS

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

Method 2: Nginx Configuration

If your server runs Nginx instead of Apache, .htaccess won't work. Add redirects to your server block:

server {
    # Single redirect
    location = /old-page {
        return 301 https://yoursite.com/new-page;
    }

    # Redirect with regex
    location ~ ^/old-category/(.*)$ {
        return 301 https://yoursite.com/new-category/$1;
    }

    # HTTP to HTTPS
    if ($scheme = http) {
        return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
    }
}

After editing, reload Nginx:

sudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl reload nginx

Method 3: PHP in functions.php

Executes within WordPress, so it's slower than server-level redirects but doesn't require server access.

// Add to functions.php or a custom plugin

add_action('template_redirect', 'custom_301_redirects');
function custom_301_redirects() {
    // Get current path
    $request = $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'];

    // Define redirects
    $redirects = array(
        '/old-page/'     => '/new-page/',
        '/old-post/'     => '/updated-post/',
        '/category/old/' => '/category/new/',
    );

    // Check and redirect
    foreach ($redirects as $old => $new) {
        if (strpos($request, $old) === 0) {
            wp_redirect(home_url($new), 301);
            exit;
        }
    }
}

Redirect Deleted Posts to Category

add_action('template_redirect', 'redirect_deleted_to_category');
function redirect_deleted_to_category() {
    if (is_404()) {
        // Redirect all 404s to blog page
        wp_redirect(home_url('/blog/'), 301);
        exit;
    }
}

Method 4: WordPress Redirect Plugin

The easiest method for non-developers. Popular options include:

Plugin	Free/Paid	Best For	Downsides
Redirection	Free	General redirect management	Complex interface, database bloat
301 Redirects	Free	Simple URL mapping	Limited features
Yoast Premium	Paid	SEO users already using Yoast	Requires premium subscription
External Redirect Pro	$19	Post-level redirects, affiliate links	Per-post only, not URL patterns

Method 5: Database-Level Redirects

For advanced users: store redirects in a custom database table and check on each request. This scales better than hardcoded arrays for thousands of redirects.

// Check custom table for redirects
add_action('template_redirect', 'db_redirect_check');
function db_redirect_check() {
    global $wpdb;
    $request = $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'];

    $table = $wpdb->prefix . 'custom_redirects';
    $redirect = $wpdb->get_row(
        $wpdb->prepare(
            "SELECT new_url FROM {$table} WHERE old_url = %s AND active = 1",
            $request
        )
    );

    if ($redirect) {
        wp_redirect($redirect->new_url, 301);
        exit;
    }
}

Testing Your Redirects

Always verify redirects work correctly after implementation:

Browser DevTools

1. Open DevTools (F12)
2. Go to Network tab
3. Check "Preserve log"
4. Visit the old URL
5. Look for 301 status and correct Location header

Command Line

curl -I https://yoursite.com/old-page

# Expected output:
HTTP/2 301
location: https://yoursite.com/new-page

Online Tools

Services like httpstatus.io show the complete redirect chain and final destination.

Common 301 Redirect Problems

Redirect Loops

Page A redirects to B, B redirects to A. Results in "too many redirects" error.

Fix: Map out all redirects and ensure no circular references.

Redirect Chains

A redirects to B, B redirects to C, C redirects to D. Each hop adds latency.

Fix: Update A to redirect directly to D.

Mixed Content After HTTPS Redirect

Page loads over HTTPS but contains HTTP resources.

Fix: Update internal links and use plugins like Really Simple SSL.

Caching Issues

Browser caches 301 redirect even after you remove it.

Fix: Clear browser cache or test in incognito mode.

Summary

Choose your redirect method based on your needs: .htaccess for speed and server access, Nginx for Nginx servers, PHP for WordPress-level control, plugins for ease of use, or database tables for scale. Always test after implementation and watch for loops or chains.