404 Redirection

The 404 Redirection WordPress plugin is an easy to use plugin that helps redirect 404 errors on your site to existing content and help you maintain visitor retention. It also helps improve your SEO rankings by automatically generating a 301 redirect.

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What We Think:

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Very highly recommended!

404 Redirection: A Comprehensive Review

The 404 Redirection plugin is an essential WordPress plugin for almost any website. It automates the process of redirecting users from a page that doesn’t exist to a page which does exist. This means that visitors who click on a page that no longer exists, such as if a link on another blog is outdated, will be automatically redirected to a page that does exist. This provides a much better user experience than the default behaviour of presenting a ‘page not found’ error page. Additionally, the 404 Redirection plugin is super easy to configure and does not require the use of any coding skills.

404 Redirection: Breakdown

The 404 Redirection plugin eliminates the need for manual page redirects within WordPress. All you need to do is specify the page to which the 404 page should be redirected. This can be done quickly and easily from the plugin settings page. Once activated, the plugin will automatically create a temporary redirect whenever a user visits a 404 page. This ensures that visitors don’t get stuck in limbo on an error page.

The plugin also offers the ability to log all the URLs that result in 404 errors. This is a great way to identify broken links and take appropriate action to correct them. Additionally, 404 Redirection also offers advanced features such as the ability to redirect to a post or page by keyword, restrict redirection to specific IP addresses or domains, and set up conditional redirects.

Furthermore, the plugin is also compatible with popular caching plugins such as W3 Total Cache and WP Super Cache. This ensures that the redirects will be cached, enabling faster page loading speeds. It also means that the redirect will remain in place, even if the page or post that the user visited has been moved or deleted.

Pros of Using 404 Redirection

Easy to Use: The 404 Redirection Plugin for WordPress has an intuitive and easy-to-use interface that enables quick and straightforward setup with no coding knowledge required. This makes it easy for users of all skill levels to get up and running quickly.

Fast Results: When a 404 error page is encountered, the plugin redirects visitors automatically to the preferred URL, rendering near instantaneous results. This helps maintain an ideal user experience and keep customers satisfied.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Friendly: Search engines dislike 404 pages, as they are not as easily indexed as regular pages. This plugin helps to reduce the likelihood of 404 errors occurring, avoiding potential drops in website traffic and improving user experience.

Customization Options: Given the plugin settings page, there are plenty of customization options available to customize redirects to fit user needs. Besides creating a custom URL for redirects, users can customize the type of redirect code, the referrer URL, and can add an HTTP header.

Comprehensive Reporting: The 404 Redirection Plugin offers detailed reports feature of all 404 events, which helps developers to quickly diagnose and fix any issues that the plugin encounters. Additionally, reports can be set to be sent via email notifications or sent to a custom URL.

Cons of Using 404 Redirection

Doesn’t Work With Multi-Domain Redirection: The 404 Redirection plugin does not work with multi-domain redirection. It’s not able to handle redirects that originate from different domains on the same WordPress website. This means that if you have redirected from multiple domains, the redirects will not work for each domain correctly, meaning it’s not as useful as other available solutions.

Limited Triage Options: The 404 Redirection plugin only offers two options when an error URL is encountered: redirecting to the homepage of a website or redirecting to a custom URL. It does not offer any more information about the error or a more specific URL to which to redirect visitors. This leaves users with limited options to triage errors and may not be helpful for websites with more complex structures and redirects.

Can Lead to Unseen Hacking Opportunities: Because the 404 Redirection plugin will allow users to put a URL in the 404 error page, it opens up the potential for hackers to access the site and use the URL to gain access through the back door. This can lead to unexpected issues such as malware attack, information leakage, and data theft.

Requires Manual Checkup: The 404 Redirection plugin requires users to manually check the URLs for changes or typos that result in errors. This can be time-consuming and tedious, making it difficult to ensure the URLs are properly checked and maintained. Further, depending on the complexity of the website, this may not be a feasible task for some individuals who may not be as tech or coding savvy.

Unreliable When Managing High Traffic Websites: Because the 404 Redirection plugin depends on users to check the URLs manually, it is not reliable for managing high-traffic websites. This can lead to unanticipated issues when visitors encounter errors and may lead to dissatisfaction from site users.

100% Very highly recommended!

In conclusion

The 404 Redirection plugin is an invaluable tool for any website. It eliminates the need for manual page redirects and offers a range of features to improve the user experience. The plugin is also super easy to configure and works seamlessly with popular caching plugins, ensuring that redirects remain in place and that page loading speeds are as fast as possible. For any WordPress website, the 404 Redirection plugin is an indispensable tool for ensuring great user experience and optimal performance.

Plugin Specifications

Version: 1.8
Last Updated: 9 years ago
Installs: 10,000+
WP Version: 2.0.2+
Tested Until: 4.3.32
PHP Version: N/A

Use Case Examples

Online Shopping Websites
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An online shopping website requires that customers have a seamless shopping experience. The 404 Redirection plugin is a great tool for redirecting customers to the correct page when they encounter an error or dead link. This plugin can be used to automatically redirect users to the home page, a product page, or the cart page. This ensures that customers can find the information they are looking for without getting frustrated with the slow loading website.
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Company Sites and Corporate Portals
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Educational Websites
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