URL Redirects

URL redirects forward visitors from old or changed URLs to the correct current pages. Varbase includes the Redirect module for managing redirects, along with tools for monitoring 404 (page not found) errors.

Why Redirects Are Important

• Preserve link equity. When a page URL changes, existing links from external sites, search engines, and bookmarks will break without a redirect. Redirects transfer the SEO value of the old URL to the new one.

• Improve user experience. Visitors following an old link are automatically forwarded to the correct page instead of seeing a "Page not found" error.

• Support content restructuring. When reorganizing site content, redirects ensure that old URLs continue to work.

Managing Redirects

Accessing the Redirect Management Page

Navigate to Configuration > Search and metadata > URL redirects, or go to /admin/config/search/redirect.

Viewing Existing Redirects

The redirect management page lists all configured redirects, showing:

• From: The old URL path that will be redirected.

• To: The destination URL or path.

• Status: The HTTP redirect status code (usually 301 for permanent redirects).

• Operations: Edit or delete the redirect.

Adding a Redirect

1. Click Add redirect on the redirect management page.

2. Fill in the fields:

   • Path (From): Enter the old URL path that should be redirected (without the domain, e.g., old-page-url).

   • To: Enter the destination. You can:

     • Type a page title for autocomplete suggestions (internal paths).

     • Enter an internal path (e.g., /new-page-url).

     • Enter an external URL (e.g., https://example.com/page).

   • Redirect status: Select the HTTP status code:

     • 301 (Moved Permanently): Use for permanent URL changes. This is the most common choice and is best for SEO.

     • 302 (Found): Use for temporary redirects.

     • 307 (Temporary Redirect): Similar to 302 but preserves the request method.

   • Language: Optionally restrict the redirect to a specific language (on multilingual sites).

3. Click Save to create the redirect.

Editing a Redirect

1. Find the redirect in the list on the redirect management page.

2. Click Edit in the operations column.

3. Update the fields as needed.

4. Click Save.

Deleting a Redirect

1. Find the redirect in the list.

2. Click Delete in the operations column.

3. Confirm the deletion.

Automatic Redirects

Varbase can be configured to automatically create redirects when a URL alias changes. When a content item's alias is updated (either manually or through Pathauto), a redirect from the old alias to the new one is created automatically. This prevents broken links when content URLs change.

404 Monitoring

The Redirect module includes a Fix 404 feature that monitors pages returning 404 (page not found) errors:

1. Navigate to Configuration > Search and metadata > URL redirects > Fix 404 pages (/admin/config/search/redirect/404).

2. You will see a list of URLs that have generated 404 errors, along with the number of times each has been requested.

3. To fix a 404 error, click Add redirect next to the URL and configure the redirect to point to the correct destination.

This feature helps you identify broken links and fix them proactively.

Tips

• Use 301 redirects for permanent changes. This tells search engines to transfer ranking value from the old URL to the new one.

• Monitor 404 errors regularly. Use the Fix 404 feature to catch and resolve broken links before they affect users and SEO.

• Avoid redirect chains. A redirect chain occurs when one redirect points to another redirect. Chains slow down page loading and can cause issues with search engines. Always redirect directly to the final destination.

• Test redirects after creation. Visit the old URL in your browser to verify that it correctly forwards to the intended destination.

• Document major redirect changes. When performing a large-scale URL restructuring, document all redirects for future reference.