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Redirect Manager: Create 301 and 302 Redirects

The Redirect Manager lets you create and manage URL redirects directly in WordPress. Use it to fix broken links, restructure your site, or permanently move content. The manager supports standard redirect types (301, 302, 307), HTTP status codes for removed content (410, 451), regex pattern matching, and bulk import/export via CSV.

Where to find it

Section titled “Where to find it”

Go to SEOvault AI > General > Redirects.

How it works

Section titled “How it works”

When a visitor or bot requests a URL that matches a redirect rule, SEOvault AI sends an HTTP redirect response to the target URL you specified. The redirect happens before WordPress loads the theme, so it’s fast and reliable.

Redirect rules are evaluated in the order they appear in the table. The first matching rule wins. You can reorder rules by editing and re-adding them (the table shows rules in creation order by default).

Redirect types

Section titled “Redirect types”

Choose the appropriate HTTP status code for your use case:

  • 301 (Moved Permanently) — Use when the content has permanently moved to a new URL. Search engines transfer ranking signals to the new URL.
  • 302 (Found / Temporary) — Use when the redirect is temporary. Search engines keep the original URL indexed.
  • 307 (Temporary Redirect) — Similar to 302 but preserves the request method (POST stays POST). Use for temporary redirects where method matters.
  • 410 (Gone) — Use when the content has been intentionally removed and will not return. Tells search engines the URL is permanently gone.
  • 451 (Unavailable For Legal Reasons) — Use when content is removed due to legal requirements (DMCA takedown, court order, etc.).

Match types

Section titled “Match types”
  • Plain (exact match) — The origin URL must match exactly. Example: /old-page matches only /old-page, not /old-page/ or /old-page/sub.
  • Regex (pattern match) — Use regular expressions for pattern-based redirects. Example: ^/blog/(\d+)/(.*) can capture parts of the URL and reuse them in the target.

Create a redirect

Section titled “Create a redirect”
  1. Go to SEOvault AI > General > Redirects
  2. Scroll to the “Add New Redirect” section
  3. Enter the Origin (Source URL) — the path that should be redirected (for example, /old-page)
  4. Enter the Target (Destination URL) — where to send visitors (for example, /new-page or https://example.com/new-page)
  5. Choose the Redirect Type (301, 302, 307, 410, or 451)
  6. Choose the Match Type (plain or regex)
  7. Click Add Redirect

The target URL can be:

  • A relative path on your site (/new-page)
  • A full URL to another page on your site (https://yoursite.com/new-page)
  • A full URL to an external site (https://example.com/page)

For 410 and 451 redirect types, the target URL is optional since these status codes indicate the content is gone rather than redirected.

Edit or delete a redirect

Section titled “Edit or delete a redirect”
  • Click Edit next to a redirect to populate the form with its values, modify as needed, then click Update Redirect
  • Click Delete to remove a redirect rule

Bulk actions

Section titled “Bulk actions”

Select multiple redirects with checkboxes and use the Delete Selected button to remove them in bulk.

CSV import and export

Section titled “CSV import and export”

Export redirects

Section titled “Export redirects”

Click Export to CSV to download all your redirects as a CSV file. The export includes origin, target, type, and format columns. Use this for backups or to migrate redirects between sites.

Import redirects

Section titled “Import redirects”
  1. Click Choose File and select a CSV file
  2. Click Import CSV
  3. The plugin processes the file and shows how many redirects were imported vs skipped

CSV format requirements:

  • Column order: Origin, Target, Type, Format
  • Type values: 301, 302, 307, 410, 451
  • Format values: plain, regex
  • Existing origins are skipped (no duplicates)

Example CSV:

/old-page,/new-page,301,plain
^/category/(.*)$,/archive/$1,301,regex
/removed-content,,410,plain

Best practices

Section titled “Best practices”
  • Use 301 for permanent moves (content relocated, site restructure)
  • Use 302 or 307 for temporary redirects (maintenance pages, A/B tests)
  • Use 410 when content is intentionally removed and won’t return
  • Use 451 for legal removals (DMCA, court orders)
  • Test redirects after creating them — open the origin URL in a browser or use a tool like curl to verify the status code
  • Avoid redirect chains (redirects that point to other redirects). Point directly to the final destination.
  • For site-wide moves, consider regex patterns instead of individual redirects

Regex examples

Section titled “Regex examples”

Redirect a category structure:

  • Origin: ^/category/(.*)$
  • Target: /archive/$1
  • Type: 301
  • Format: regex

Redirect old post IDs:

  • Origin: ^/post/(\d+)$
  • Target: /?p=$1
  • Type: 301
  • Format: regex
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