Redirects Component
Fixing broken links using Redirects
The Redirects Component enables you to fix broken links that otherwise produce Page Not Found (404) errors.
You can use it to redirect broken links to specific pages in your website.
If managed carefully the fixing of broken links will improve your website's performance in search engines.
Getting Started
First, open the Redirects Component screen.
Next, enable the Redirect Plugin.
Select Redirects from the Manage Panel in your website's System Dashboard.
Before your website will commence recording broken links being used by users and bots you must enable the Redirect System Plugin i.e. the Redirect Plugin.
Click the Redirect System Plugin link to open the Redirect Plugin screen.
Note: you could otherwise open the plugin via the Plugins screen.
The default Redirect Plugin settings are shown in the image below.
To enable the plugin toggle the Status button on the right from Disabled to Enabled.
Your website will immediately commence recording broken links.
Reason: by default the Collect URLs setting on the left = Enabled.
To temporarily disable the collection of broken link URLs change Collect URLs setting to = Disabled.
Important
This automated recording of broken links will result in an ever expanding database.
For this reason when we create a WYNCHCO Website Design we initially configure the Redirect Plugin to disable the collection of broken links.
And recommend that only those who actively manage their website content permanently enable the collection of broken links.
The Redirect Plugin is enabled BUT the Collect URLs setting = Disabled.
Click the Redirect System Plugin link to change Collect URLs setting to = Enabled.
Read more: Using the Redirect Plugin.
Use Redirects to aid your Marketing Campaigns
You could create your own broken links and then fix them.
This counter-intuitive task will enable you to create a landing page with any URL you like and then create a second easier to use URL for inclusion in a marketing campaign.
Take care to ensure that the link you wish to redirect traffic from is not an existing link ion your website.
It should instead be a new fictitious link - one that does not link to an Article.
The new link could be a marketing catch phrase.
Once configured, the Redirects Component will redirect traffic using the catch phrase to a landing page you have created to address the needs of your target audience.
Avoid creating lots of Soft 404 Errors
Soft 404 Errors will undermine your website's performance in search engines.
They arise when you fix lots of broken links by redirecting visitors to a common landing page which is not relevant to what was linked to before.
Read more: How to avoid Soft 404 Errors.
Some advice from the developer of Joomla! extension, 4SEO
Yannick Gaultier, developer of third party Joomla! extension, 4SEO, said:
"I have seen lots of websites where admins insist on redirecting each and every 404 error to... something - usually the home page.
Just don't do that. 404s are fine, that's how search engines update their index quickly. It's not a sign of low quality and does not hurt your rankings.
You should fix the ones coming from your site but most are from random robots and redirecting them is just a waste of your time and your server CPU.
There's only one case where a 404 needs redirecting: when you moved some content from one URL to another.
And in that case you should add the redirect before you get any 404 anyway."
Source: Yannick Gaultier, the man behind Weeblr (JCM, August 2024)
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