{"id":2581,"date":"2025-07-29T06:45:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T05:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forestsoftware.co.uk\/blog\/?p=2581"},"modified":"2025-07-28T15:17:44","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T14:17:44","slug":"why-redirections-matter-when-moving-pages-or-redesigning-your-small-business-website","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forestsoftware.co.uk\/blog\/2025\/07\/why-redirections-matter-when-moving-pages-or-redesigning-your-small-business-website\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Redirections Matter When Moving Pages or Redesigning Your Small Business Website"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 7<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes : <\/span><\/span><h1>Why Redirections Matter When Moving Pages or Redesigning Your Small Business Website<\/h1>\n<p>So, you\u2019re giving your small business website a bit of a makeover? Or maybe you\u2019re tidying up some old pages, moving stuff around, or even switching to a brand new domain? That\u2019s brilliant \u2013 a fresh look can do wonders for your online presence. But before you get stuck into the fun bits like colours and fonts, there\u2019s one not-so-glamorous thing you really need to think about: redirections.<\/p>\n<p>Yep, it doesn\u2019t sound super exciting, but setting up redirections properly is one of the most important things you can do during a redesign or restructure. Ignore them, and you could end up losing traffic, annoying your customers, and falling down the search engine rankings. Ouch.<\/p>\n<p><em>But, before we start, a warning, the codes below are examples based on what works for our sites.\u00a0 If you are planning on using them, check the meaning of the code (copy the code and search it in Google for example) and that it does what you want it to do.\u00a0 Then back up any files you are changing and once the changes are made test the site, including pages that\u00a0 you expect to redirect and pages that you don&#8217;t expect to.\u00a0 With over 27 years of working on websites we know that sometimes website configurations are different and different methods are needed.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>What\u2019s a Redirection, Then?<\/h2>\n<p>A redirection (also called a \u201credirect\u201d) is like putting up a signpost. Imagine someone turns up at your old shop, but you\u2019ve moved to a new location. Without a sign, they\u2019d shrug and walk off. But if there\u2019s a clear sign saying, \u201cHey! We\u2019ve moved, you can now find us just around the corner,\u201d they\u2019ll follow it and still end up where they need to be.<\/p>\n<p>On the web, it\u2019s the same idea. If someone tries to visit a page that no longer exists because you\u2019ve moved or renamed it, a redirection will automatically send them to the new version. No confusion. No dead ends.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Redirections Are So Important<\/h2>\n<p>Alright, let\u2019s break it down. Why should you even care about redirects?<\/p>\n<h3>1. Stop Losing Customers<\/h3>\n<p>Let\u2019s say someone clicks on a link to a product you used to sell. Maybe they found it on Google or bookmarked it ages ago. If that link now leads to an error page (you know the ones \u2013 \u201c404 Page Not Found\u201d), they\u2019ll probably give up and go somewhere else. That\u2019s a missed sale. And if it happens enough times, that\u2019s a lot of missed sales.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Keep Google (and Other Search Engines) Happy<\/h3>\n<p>Search engines like Google crawl your site and store links to your pages. If you suddenly delete or move loads of pages without telling them where they\u2019ve gone, they\u2019ll see lots of broken links. That\u2019s bad news for your SEO (search engine optimisation). Basically, Google might think your site is a mess and drop you down the rankings. Not ideal if you rely on online traffic to get business.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Protect Your Reputation<\/h3>\n<p>If someone clicks on a link to your site and lands on an error page, it doesn\u2019t look great. Even if it\u2019s not your fault (maybe a blogger linked to the old URL), it still makes you look unprofessional. A redirect helps you keep things smooth and professional, even when things change behind the scenes.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Save Your Backlinks<\/h3>\n<p>If other websites have linked to your pages \u2013 maybe a blogger reviewed your product, or you were featured in a local directory \u2013 you don\u2019t want to lose that traffic just because you changed a page URL. A redirect keeps those links working, which is good for your traffic and your SEO.<\/p>\n<h2>When Do You Need to Use Redirections?<\/h2>\n<p>There are loads of situations where redirects come in handy. Here are some of the most common:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You\u2019ve <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forestsoftware.co.uk\/blog\/2011\/04\/dont-lose-visitors-when-you-redesign-your-site\/\">redesigned your website<\/a> and changed the URL structure (e.g. from <code>\/services.html<\/code> to <code>\/our-services\/<\/code>)<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019ve deleted a page, but there\u2019s still useful content somewhere else<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019ve merged two pages into one<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019ve changed your domain name (e.g. from <code>myoldsite.co.uk<\/code> to <code>mynewbrand.com<\/code>) after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forestsoftware.co.uk\/blog\/2025\/07\/stuck-between-the-devil-and-the-deep-blue-sea-rebranding-worries\/\">rebanding your business<\/a><\/li>\n<li>You\u2019re switching to HTTPS (which you definitely should be doing)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Different Types of Redirection<\/h2>\n<p>There isn\u2019t just one type of redirect. The main ones you need to know about are:<\/p>\n<h3>301 Redirect (Permanent)<\/h3>\n<p>This is the most common and the one you\u2019ll probably use most of the time. A 301 redirect tells browsers and search engines, \u201cThis page has moved permanently.\u201d So if you\u2019ve changed a page\u2019s URL for good, this is the one to use.<\/p>\n<p>Why is it so important? Because a 301 redirect passes most (if not all) of the SEO value from the old page to the new one. So your Google rankings don\u2019t take a massive hit. Handy, right?<\/p>\n<h3>302 Redirect (Temporary)<\/h3>\n<p>This tells browsers, \u201cThis page has moved, but just for a bit.\u201d It\u2019s useful if you\u2019re doing maintenance or testing something. But be careful \u2013 if you use 302s when you mean 301s, search engines won\u2019t update their records, and you might lose out on SEO benefits.<\/p>\n<h3>Meta Refresh<\/h3>\n<p>You\u2019ve probably seen these before. You land on a page, and it says something like \u201cYou\u2019ll be redirected in 5 seconds.\u201d These aren\u2019t great. They can be annoying for users, and search engines don\u2019t love them either. Try to avoid them if you can.<\/p>\n<h3>JavaScript Redirects<\/h3>\n<p>These use code to send people to a new page. They work, but again, not always ideal for SEO. Search engines might not follow them properly, especially if the code is complicated. Stick to server-side redirects like 301s when possible.<\/p>\n<h2>How to Set Up Redirects<\/h2>\n<p>Right, let\u2019s talk about the actual doing part. How you set up redirects depends on how your website is built. Here are a few of the most common methods &#8211; there are other more technical ways to do this, but those should probably be left to a website developer that is used to dealing with code and not just &#8220;how it looks&#8221; :<\/p>\n<h3>If You\u2019re Using WordPress<\/h3>\n<p>The easiest way is to use a plugin. Some good ones include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Redirection<\/strong> \u2013 Free and easy to use<\/li>\n<li><strong>Yoast SEO Premium<\/strong> \u2013 Has a redirect manager built in<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>With these, you just type in the old URL and the new one, and boom \u2013 job done.<\/p>\n<h3>If your website host uses CPanel<\/h3>\n<p>Some hosts (but not all) use a product like CPanel which gives owners lots of options.\u00a0 If you have access to CPanel on your site you can use the Redirects section to set up different types of redirects.\u00a0 This page <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.cpanel.net\/cpanel\/domains\/redirects\/\">https:\/\/docs.cpanel.net\/cpanel\/domains\/redirects\/<\/a> has more details of the options available.<\/p>\n<h3>If You\u2019ve Got Access to .htaccess (on Apache Servers)<\/h3>\n<p>If your website runs on an Apache server (which many do), you can set up redirects in your <code>.htaccess<\/code> file. It might look like this:<\/p>\n<pre><code>Redirect 301 \/old-page.html \/new-page\/<\/code> - this redirects the \/old-page.html to the page at \/new-page\/\r\n\r\nIf you are changing from http to http you might need to use something like :<\/pre>\n<pre><code>RewriteEngine On\r\nRewriteCond %{HTTPS} !on\r\nRewriteRule (.*) https:\/\/%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI}<\/code><\/pre>\n<p>The 2nd line about tests to see if the page address is not using https, the 3rd line redirects(rewrites) all page to the same page using https.<\/p>\n<p>Just be careful \u2013 this file controls how your server behaves, so if you mess it up, your whole site can break. Always back it up first and check both the redirection and other pages that you&#8217;ve not redirected as soon as you have made the changes (even better if you make one change at a time and test it so you don&#8217;t have to worry which of the 20 lines you have added have broken the site).<\/p>\n<h3>If You\u2019re Using Nginx<\/h3>\n<p>Nginx uses a different format. Your redirect might look like this in the config file:<\/p>\n<pre><code>rewrite ^\/old-page$ \/new-page permanent;<\/code><\/pre>\n<p>Again, be cautious and test things properly before pushing changes live.<\/p>\n<h3>If You\u2019re Moving to a New Domain<\/h3>\n<p>This is a big one. If you\u2019re switching to a new domain name, you\u2019ll want to set up what\u2019s called a \u201cwildcard redirect.\u201d This means every page from your old domain points to the same page on the new one.<\/p>\n<p>In <code>.htaccess<\/code>, it might look something like this:<\/p>\n<pre><code>Redirect 301 \/ https:\/\/www.newdomain.com\/<\/code><\/pre>\n<p>Of course, it\u2019s a bit more technical than that, so you might want help from your hosting company or a web developer.<\/p>\n<h2>Don\u2019t Forget to Update Your Links!<\/h2>\n<p>Redirects are great for catching old links, but it\u2019s still a good idea to update things wherever you can. That means:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fixing internal links on your site so they go to the new pages directly<\/li>\n<li>Updating your sitemap and resubmitting it to Google Search Console<\/li>\n<li>Changing links in your email templates, social media bios, and anywhere else you\u2019ve shared them<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to Test Your Redirects<\/h2>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve set them up, don\u2019t just assume they work \u2013 check! Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Type the old URL into your browser and see if it lands on the new one<\/li>\n<li>Type URLs that shouldn&#8217;t redirect into your browser and make sure that they don&#8217;t redirect to an unexpected page or error page<\/li>\n<li>Use free online tools like <a href=\"https:\/\/httpstatus.io\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">httpstatus.io<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.webfx.com\/tools\/http-status-tool\/\">https:\/\/www.webfx.com\/tools\/http-status-tool\/<\/a> to check the response codes (or search for http response code test in your favourite search engine)<\/li>\n<li>Use Google Search Console to monitor for crawl errors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What Happens If You Don\u2019t Bother?<\/h2>\n<p>Honestly? A bit of a mess.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Visitors will land on 404 error pages and probably bounce off<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019ll lose any SEO ranking that those old pages had<\/li>\n<li>Backlinks from other sites will be wasted<\/li>\n<li>Your brand might come across as unprofessional or broken<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It\u2019s like leaving your front door locked while customers knock on it. If you don\u2019t answer, they\u2019ll leave \u2013 probably for your competitors.<\/p>\n<h2>Tips for a Smooth Website Redesign or Move<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Make a list of all your current URLs before you start<\/li>\n<li>Map out where each one will go (old to new)<\/li>\n<li>Set up 301 redirects for every changed or deleted page<\/li>\n<li>Test everything before launching the new version<\/li>\n<li>Keep monitoring after the move to catch any missed links or errors\u00a0 Google may follow old links for months or even years once they are in its index.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>In a Nutshell<\/h2>\n<p>Redirections might seem like a boring bit of behind-the-scenes website work, but they\u2019re actually super important. They help your visitors find what they\u2019re looking for, keep your SEO rankings healthy, and protect your reputation online.<\/p>\n<p>Whether you\u2019re just tweaking a few pages or doing a full redesign, taking the time to set up proper 301 redirects will save you a lot of stress \u2013 and potentially a lot of lost business \u2013 in the long run.<\/p>\n<p>So next time you\u2019re moving pages around, don\u2019t just hit \u201cdelete\u201d or change the link and hope for the best. Set up those redirects. Your website (and your customers) will thank you for it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 7<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes : <\/span><\/span>Why Redirections Matter When Moving Pages or Redesigning Your Small Business Website So, you\u2019re giving your small business website a bit of a makeover? Or maybe you\u2019re tidying up some old pages, moving stuff around, or even switching to a brand new domain? That\u2019s brilliant \u2013 a fresh look can do wonders for your online [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,5,10,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business-advice","category-computers","category-marketing-2","category-seo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.forestsoftware.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.forestsoftware.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.forestsoftware.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.forestsoftware.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.forestsoftware.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.forestsoftware.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2581\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.forestsoftware.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.forestsoftware.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.forestsoftware.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}