Setting Up 301 Redirects to Fix Broken Links in WordPress

To fix broken links in WordPress by setting up 301 redirects, the most common and user-friendly method is to use a plugin such as the Redirection plugin. This allows you to redirect old or broken URLs to new, correct URLs without coding:

1. Install and activate the Redirection plugin from the WordPress dashboard under Plugins > Add New.
2. Navigate to Tools > Redirection.
3. Enter the broken URL in the "Source URL" field and the correct URL in the "Target URL" field.
4. Ensure the redirect type is set to 301 Moved Permanently.
5. Click Add Redirect to save.

This method also helps you track 404 errors and manage all redirects from one dashboard, making it ideal for non-technical users.

For more technical users, manually editing the .htaccess file is an alternative. This involves adding redirect rules directly to the server configuration, which can be faster but requires caution to avoid server errors.

Additionally, before setting redirects, it’s important to:

• Identify broken links using tools like Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or SEMrush.
• Plan redirects carefully to preserve SEO value by redirecting old URLs to relevant new pages.
• After setting up redirects, allow time for search engines to re-crawl and update their indexes.

In summary, using the Redirection plugin is the easiest and safest way to set up 301 redirects in WordPress to fix broken links, while .htaccess editing offers a more advanced option for performance optimization.