A quick explanation first, a redirect is when you click on a website link and it leads you to another page completely, unrelated to the one of your expectations. However, a key part of that experience is that it must feel smooth. So that is exactly what a redirect is, simple as that.
Redirects are like those helpful signs at the mall when your favorite store has moved. Instead of making you search around and get frustrated, they point you straight to the new spot. Online, they work exactly the same way. The difference is you’re not walking around a food court with a pretzel. You’re clicking through webpages. And that’s exactly why online stores need them.
Let’s talk about how redirects work, why your store actually needs them, and how something like a redirect plugin helps make it all work better without needing a computer science degree.
What Even Is a Redirect?
A redirect is just a way to send someone to a different URL than the one they originally asked for. This could happen for a bunch of reasons:
- The page they were looking for was deleted
- The URL changed during a website redesign
- A product was discontinued
- You want to guide users to a new collection or offer
There are different kinds of redirects too. The most common are 301 and 302.
- 301 Redirect means the page has moved permanently
- 302 Redirect means it’s just a temporary move
To regular people visiting your site, they won’t notice any difference. The browser does all the work behind the scenes. But for store owners and anyone running an online business, this tiny thing can make or break how a website works.
Why Should Online Stores Care About Redirects?
Running an online store isn’t just about good product photos and cool fonts. It’s also about making sure people actually find what they’re looking for.
Imagine this: someone clicks on a product ad from months ago and the link is dead. That’s bad. They were ready to buy and now they’re staring at an error page.
Redirects stop that from happening.
Let’s break down the reasons you should care:
1. It Stops You From Losing Sales
When people land on broken links or missing pages, they leave. That’s just how it works. Redirects make sure they get guided to the next best thing, whether it’s a similar product or your homepage.
2. It Keeps Your SEO From Crashing
Search engines crawl your site to figure out what it’s about. If they hit a bunch of dead ends, they’re going to assume your site is outdated. Redirects keep your links alive in search engines, even if the actual pages are gone.
3. It Makes Site Updates Less Stressful
Changing your site layout? Moving products to different collections? Redirects make all of that easier because they help you keep users flowing through the right pages even while things are changing in the background.
4. It Helps New Visitors Find Their Way
Not everyone enters your store through the homepage. A lot of them come through direct links from ads, blogs, or search results. If that link goes nowhere, you’re probably not getting a second chance.
How Can You Add Redirects to Your Store?
For those who are using either WordPress or WooCommerce, they are already lucky as the process after that isn’t too complicated. There are a few plugins that handle redirects and let you control where users go.
One popular option is the WooCommerce redirect after login plugin. It’s used for directing customers to specific pages as soon as they log in. This is useful if you want returning customers to land on a promo page or a dashboard instead of the same homepage they’ve already seen ten times.
Other plugins worth mentioning:
- Redirection – One of the most used redirect tools for WordPress. It helps with both simple and complex redirect setups
- 301 Redirects Easy Redirect Manager – Good for handling URL changes and helping people reach the updated version
- Yoast SEO (Premium version) – Has a redirect feature included, useful for SEO-driven stores
Each plugin comes with its own settings, but most of them are super visual. You don’t need to mess with code. You usually just select an old URL, choose where you want people to go instead, and hit save. Done.
If you’re not sure what pages need redirects, some plugins even track 404 errors so you can catch problems as they happen.
Where Do Redirects Usually Go?
Okay so you have the plugin. Where do you send people?
This totally depends on your store and what your goal is. Here are a few typical redirect spots:
- Product pages that replaced older ones
Example: You stopped selling a winter coat and now have a new version. Redirect the old URL to the new product. - Seasonal landing pages
Redirect last year’s Black Friday sale page to this year’s version so your promo traffic isn’t wasted. - Account pages or dashboards
This is where the WooCommerce redirect after login Direct returning customers to their profile, orders, or member-only deals. - Collections or category pages
When collections change, redirect the old URL to the new one so your traffic and SEO juice isn’t lost.
Are Redirects Hard to Set Up?
Not really. Most plugins try to make it easy on purpose because they know not everyone’s a developer.
That said, it’s still smart to keep things organized:
- Keep track of what you’re redirecting and why
- Make sure you test the new links after setting up the redirect
- Don’t go redirecting everything. Only use them when you actually need to
For more complex stores with hundreds of products, redirects can get a little tricky especially if you’re changing slugs or switching domain structure. But if you stick with user-friendly plugins and document your changes, it’s totally doable.
Final Thoughts
Redirects aren’t one of those shiny features everyone talks about. They kind of work in the background. But if you’re running an online store, they’re lowkey one of the most important parts of your setup.
They keep your site functional, they help with SEO, and they stop customers from dropping off the edge of the internet when they hit an old link. Using something like the redirect after login woocommerce plugin is just one example of how you can use redirects to guide people where they need to be.
Whether you’re moving products around, launching new promos, or just trying to clean up your site structure, having proper redirects makes everything cleaner. And way less frustrating for your customers.
If Should you wish to read more, head to our blog page.
