Redirect rules, conditions and permalink changes
Redirection handles URL redirects within WordPress and can automate rules when post or page permalinks change.
- Rule creation: Create redirects without editing Apache or Nginx configuration, which makes routine URL changes more accessible to site managers.
- Pattern matching: Use regular expressions to match multiple URLs, and choose whether query parameters are matched exactly, ignored or passed to the destination.
- Automatic permalink redirects: Monitor post and page URL changes and create a redirect to the new address, reducing the need to add these rules manually.
- Conditional redirects: Set rules based on login status, user capabilities, browser, referrer, cookies, HTTP headers, IP address, server or page type. This breadth suits sites that need rules beyond simple URL matching.
404 monitoring and redirect logs
Redirection can help identify broken URLs and review traffic passing through redirects.
404 errors can be tracked and grouped to help prioritize fixes, then redirected in bulk. This is useful when a site has accumulated many broken links and needs a faster cleanup process.
Redirect logs can capture visitor, browser and referrer details, with search, filtering and export options for investigation. Site managers can adjust IP collection and the amount of captured information, so they should review those settings against their privacy requirements.
Permalink migrations and redirect imports
Migration and import tools support moving redirect rules between permalink structures and other systems.
- Permalink migration: Enter an old permalink structure to migrate existing URLs, with support for multiple migrations. This can simplify a site-wide URL restructure.
- Plugin imports: Import rules from Simple 301 Redirects, SEO Redirection, Safe Redirect Manager, Rank Math, WordPress old slug redirects and Quick Post/Pages redirects.
- File and command-line formats: Import or export CSV, JSON and Apache .htaccess; export Nginx rewrite rules; and use WP-CLI to automate imports and exports.
- Bulk updates: Compatibility with Search Regex allows redirects to be updated in bulk, which is helpful when URL patterns change across a large set of rules.
A broad free toolkit with support to weigh
Redirection offers its documented toolkit without a paid version, while its support-resolution record is less conclusive.
The project is intended for use from a small set of redirects to large collections. Optional Apache handling, Nginx rule exports, custom HTTP headers and fine-grained permissions give site owners choices over how rules are managed and who can edit them. Its latest update was about six weeks ago, indicating recent maintenance.
The plugin is among the directory’s most widely installed, and its rating is good with many reviews. However, 44% of nine support threads are marked resolved, so the recorded resolution rate gives less reassurance about support responsiveness. It may suit sites seeking a no-cost, feature-rich redirect manager; before adopting it, consider whether its logging controls and permission settings fit your site’s privacy and editorial workflows.
