Fix 404 error in WordPress with 301 redirects - How to fix 404 error in WordPress? The following article will help beginners like you solve that!
When encountering a 404 error page, many visitors quickly assume that the website they are visiting is broken. After all, they don't see the website they're expecting.
However, this assumption is incorrect. A 404 error does not necessarily mean that something is wrong with the website you own.
A 404 error simply means that the requested URL cannot be found. This must be due to a broken link, or something else as simple as a typo. In other words, 404 is classified as a client-side error - which the visitor did incorrectly, either directly or indirectly.
However, 404 errors will certainly reflect bad impressions on a website - especially visitors who don't understand what their cause is.
Hopefully, you now understand that while 404 errors are not your own, they still need to be fixed. And luckily, there's a plugin that will help you do just that, perhaps this is the best solution for you to fix 404 errors in WordPress - it's called Redirection, and it's available for free from the repository. official:
Today, we will look at three common causes of 404 errors and how to use the Redirection plugin to ‘fix’ them using 301 redirects. Although you can create these 301 redirects without using the plugin by manually editing the .htaccess file, the Redirection plugin will be the fastest and easiest solution to fix 404 errors in WordPress.
How to fix 404 errors in WordPress: possible situations
The three scenarios we will consider are:
- Change the URL yourself.
- Issues with inbound links pointing to known destinations.
- Issues with inbound links pointing to unknown destinations.
Scenario 1: change the URL yourself
This is a scenario we have full control.
For example, when we moved from example.com/2016/old-linksang example.com/new-link, the original URL no longer exists. Requesting that URL will return an error.
Of course, we still want our existing posts and pages to work. Therefore, we need to configure 301 redirects to solve the problem.
301 redirects are the best in most situations - it tells search engines that the website has moved forever. Therefore, the search engines will not penalize you because your changes and SEO rankings remain the same.
The script also has two possibilities:
a) Change existing URLs
If you've changed your URL, you're probably experiencing a lot of 404, right? That's bad news for everyone, -, depending on how big your website is.
In this situation, you will have to create 301 redirects manually.
Start by noting all of your old URLs and the corresponding new URLs. Now navigate to Tools / Redirection.
Under the heading New Redirection, add one of your backup URLs to the source URL field. While there are many options for the Match field, ‘URL only’ works best here, so leave it as it is.
Similarly, because we know the target location for our website, we can leave the Action field set to ‘Redirect to URL.’ Leave the Regular Expression field blank.
Finally, enter the correct URL in the Tagert URL field. Finish by clicking the Add Redirection button
Now we need to test the redirect. Visit the old URL, if you have configured the correct redirects, you will immediately be redirected to the correct URL.
Great, your first attempt to fix 404 errors on WordPress has been successful!
This is a laborious process that we have discussed, as it involves creating manual redirects for each page.
See more: Build a professional responsive website
b) Change URLs in the future
If you are considering changing your URL, give yourself a priority and install the Redirection plugin now. This will save you a lot of time and you won't be disappointed about it.
To get started, click through Tools / Redirection, then click the Group tab. Give your group a name, put it into WordPress Posts, then click Add
Now, go to the Options tab, find the Monitor Changes field for the post and select the group you just created.
Open a post, then click to edit the URL extension. When you have made your changes, click OK and then Update.
Now, when you navigate back to Tools / Redirection., You'll see the plugin has completed the hard work. It has created a 301 redirect.
Scenario two
For most 404 errors, you have absolutely no errors.
In this situation, anyone who clicks on the link will go to a non-existent URL, generating error 404. Since you don't have control over the external website, how do you fix this problem?
The option for you is to contact the website administrator about any known broken links. If not successful, it will be transferred to the reliable Redirection plugin again.
Navigate to Tools / Redirection. Next, click on the 404s tab. This screen will list all 404 errors generated on your website. Go ahead and try it out by visiting the URL on your website that doesn't exist - the Redirect plugin will flag 404 errors in real time.
Once you have located the link, click the Add Redirect button
Add the correct URL in the Target URL field. Again, leave the Match and Action options to the default and click Add Redirection.
Easy? Now try accessing the broken link, to confirm that your redirect is working.
See more: Create Website
Scenario three
Remember: you can never stop or fix 404 errors in WordPress completely. They are only part of running a website. The question is: how do you avoid the impact of 404 errors to a minimum?
For example, you can refer visitors to the most useful resources you have. Or you can simply redirect them to another existing site, such as the home page.
Every WordPress theme has a default 404 error page, but they are not always the most useful or creative, as we have just presented. If you want to customize your 404 page, you can do so by editing the theme's 404.php file or by installing the plugin.
If you follow the plugin path - and it's a friendlier option - I recommend the 404 Page by SeedProd plugin.
This option will not fix 404 errors in WordPress every time. However, by offering visitors a useful alternative to the content they are looking for.
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