I have a client who is migrating from a WordPress website run by a different webmaster to a new Webflow site that I will be managing.
The old WordPress site is well-established, so naturally the client wishes to maintain her current SEO rankings. She is undergoing a complete rebrand and has changed the name of her business, domain, etc. The structure of the new site is markedly different from the old one. A few pages have the same slugs, but most don’t.
This is my first time moving a site, and I have a couple of questions:
Where is the 301 redirect meant to be implemented? Is this something I need to do on the new site, or does it need to be done on the old WordPress site?
If I need to do it here on Webflow, can I use the 301 Redirects section under “Hosting” to set up redirects for each page from the old site to the new?
I want to make sure I get this right for my client, so any help is greatly appreciated!
First thing I want to ask is HOW many pages are on the old WP site?
With that answer you can make a lot of decisions from there.
If there is less than 20/30 you can do it manually on the hosting page once the domain has been connected.
UPDATE: If there is more than say 30, I would use the Wildcard transfer rules (NOT mass upload .csv file system) for 301 redirects. UPDATE: I misspoke, sorry.
Hope that answers your questions?
And yes you can follow the university training that @Pablo_Cortes provided for you as well.
We’ll be redirecting about 10 pages from the old WP site, so it shouldn’t be a problem to do it manually.
It looks like the 301 Redirects section under the “Hosting” tab in Project Settings is meant to be used for pages within the current domain, since you have to begin the old path with something like “/stuff.html”:
Unfortunately you are correct with the domain issue. The 301 redirects within Webflow are only designed for changing paths.
The only other way would be to use the redirects within your Domain service like GoDaddy or Google Domains. In there, in your DNS settings, you will be able to forward your domain and all related pages to your new domain. For this I would use something like: www.olddomain.org/* to Parked at Loopia
This is the only other way that would be efficient enough to make changes from one domain name to a new domain name. There are tools out there that would allow you to do this as well, but most are paid.
Thank you for the clarification, @QA_Brandon! That answers my questions perfectly.
I figured it made more sense for 301 redirects to be set up with the domain registrar. (Otherwise, what’s to stop people from simply redirecting competitors’ websites to their own?) It’s good to know for certain so I can do right by my client–and future clients, as well.
Well, here’s the thing. The 301 redirect in Webflow will only allow it for that domain that is hosted in Webflow. Thats why the 301 Redirect is faded out and not accessible until a paid plan is added and the domain is connected. Therefore, not just anyone can redirect domains. You still have to be the owner of the domain for a redirect to work, whether 301 (permanent) or 302 (Temporary).
