How to Set Up Website Redirects: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

Ever clicked on a link thinking it’ll take you somewhere, but it randomly lands you on a totally different page? That right there? That’s a redirect. And guess what—it’s not just a tech thing for coders or developers or whatever. It’s actually super useful for online stores, blogs, or literally any website that doesn’t wanna lose people halfway.

Now if you’ve got a WooCommerce store, especially, plugins that allow you to redirect after login can make a big difference. Like… seriously, nobody likes landing on a boring dashboard after logging in. If you can send your visitors straight to the product page or their account or even a sales page, you’re already winning.

So yeah, let’s break this whole redirect thing down in the chillest way possible.

What Even is a Redirect?

Let’s assume that you own a website and you recently updated a web page or it is under maintenance. So for the time being, you would want the user to be directed to some other page, an alternative instead of the original one. This is what redirection basically is.

It tells the browser, “Yo, this page moved,” or, “Nah, this isn’t here anymore but here’s a better link.” Kinda like changing your address and making sure your friends still find your new place.

There are a few kinds of redirects, but honestly, if you’re just starting out, don’t stress too much. Here’s a quick look:

• 301 Redirect – Permanent move. It’s like “This page is gone for good.”
• 302 Redirect – Temporary move. Like, “Hey, we’ll be back soon, chill.”
• Meta Refresh – Kinda old school, happens after a few secs. Like a delayed redirect.

You’ll probably deal with 301s the most. They’re like the go-to for online shops, blogs, and just normal sites.

Why Websites Even Need Redirects

Some of you reading this might still be thinking why they should even bother with redirections. Well, here’s the thing. Redirects are lifesavers when you’re changing stuff on your site.

Deleted a product? Changed a URL? Moved your entire site to a new domain? Yeah, you need redirects or else people are just gonna land on those annoying 404 error pages. And let’s be real, no one’s sticking around after that.

Plus, if Google sees a bunch of broken pages on your site, it’s not exactly a good look. Your SEO? Down. Your traffic? Bye. And that’s just a headache you don’t wanna deal with.

Redirects Make WooCommerce Stores So Much Better

If you’ve got an online store with WooCommerce, redirects aren’t just helpful, they’re kinda necessary. Especially when it comes to login pages.

Like let’s say someone logs into your store. Normally, they land on the account dashboard, which is just… meh. But with a plugin that handles woocommerce redirect after login, you can send them to somewhere actually useful.

Wanna show returning customers your latest sale? Or maybe push new users to a welcome page? Or your bestsellers? You totally can. This kinda stuff helps with conversions, no lie.

And yeah, if you wanna sound fancy, the whole thing’s called redirect after login woocommerce. Sounds technical, but you’re literally just picking a URL and saying, “Hey, take them there after login.”

Tools That Make Redirects Way Easier

Okay so you don’t need to be some coding genius to set up redirects. Thank god. There are actually tools made to make life easier for people who just wanna manage their site without stressing out.

Here’s a few that are cool:

• Redirection Plugin (for WordPress) – This one’s free and works well. You just pop in the URL you wanna redirect from and where you want it to go.
• Yoast Premium – If you’re already using Yoast SEO, the premium version has a redirect manager built in. Easy peasy.
• WooCommerce Redirect After Login Plugin – Yup, this exists. It lets you set different redirects based on user roles. Like send admins to the dashboard, customers to their orders, and subscribers to a blog or something. It’s all click-and-set, no coding.

So yeah, definitely recommend using a plugin, especially if you’re on WordPress. Why make life hard when you don’t have to?

How to Set Up a Redirect (Step-by-Step But Not Boring)

Alright, now onto the fun part. Setting up a redirect is actually not that complicated. Like, at all. Let’s walk through it like we’re on a quick call and I’m screen-sharing or something.

Step 1: Pick Your Redirect Tool

Use the Redirection plugin if you just want basic stuff. Or if you’re doing login redirects, the WooCommerce plugin we talked about earlier is what you want.

Step 2: Install and Activate

Yeah, this is just hitting “Install” and then “Activate.” You’ve probably done this a million times already.

Step 3: Add the Redirect

In the plugin settings, you’ll find something like “Add New Redirect.” There’ll be two fields:

• Source URL – This is the old page or link.
• Target URL – This is where you want people to land.

You fill that out, hit save, and boom. Redirect set.

Step 4: Test It

Don’t skip this part. Open a new tab, paste the old link, and see if it lands where it should. If it doesn’t, go back and check the URLs. Maybe you typed something wrong, it happens.

Step 5: Keep Track

Some plugins let you see how many times people used the redirect. It’s kinda fun, honestly. Helps you know if people are still trying to visit old pages.

Common Problems with Redirects (And Fixes That Actually Work)

Okay so sometimes stuff doesn’t work like it should. But don’t stress. Here’s what usually goes wrong and how to fix it:

• Too Many Redirects – This happens when you’ve got loops going on. Like redirecting a page to itself or doing back-and-forth links. Fix it by clearing your redirects and checking each one.
• Wrong URL Structure – Maybe you forgot a slash or typed the wrong thing. Happens more than you’d think. Double check everything.
• Plugin Conflicts – If you’ve got like ten plugins trying to manage redirects, things get messy. Keep it simple. Stick to one.
• Not Clearing Cache – Sometimes your redirect is working but your browser or site cache is showing old stuff. Clear it out and try again.

Final Thoughts

Look, redirects might sound super nerdy at first, but once you get into it, they’re not that deep. If you care even a little about your users not getting lost or annoyed, redirects are like a no-brainer.

And especially with stuff like woocommerce redirect after login, it makes your store just feel more put-together. You’re giving people what they need faster, and that’s always a win.

So yeah, don’t overthink it. Grab a plugin, set some redirects, and keep things flowing on your site. It’s actually kinda fun once you get the hang of it.