How to Create a URL Redirect from cPanel?

URLs redirecting is a method, having the ability to redirect guests from one URL to another. This is kind of versatile as it can effectively apply to other areas, like when you have transferred your website to a new location or you've changed its domain name; creating more user-friendly URLs can help in this case especially for SEO purposes. If we are talking about cPanel, this often used in web hosting, it offers an intuitive interface to perform URL redirects. Here, we will discuss the steps to add URL redirects which are set from cPanel.

Understanding URL Redirection

Before we dive into the steps, it's essential to understand the different types of URL redirects: Effectively Beginning by discussing the URL redirects without deep diving into the steps is a prerequisite for understanding.

- Temporary Redirect (302): It acts in such a way as a sideroad or loop, which helps when the site is down or being remodeled.

- Instructions given by search engines gives this redirect a status bar of temporary and hence the link equity (ranking power) from the old URL to the new one does not transfer.

- Permanent Redirect (301): Such permanent URL changes, for example, rebranding your domain name, merging and renewing your website, may cause this 301 redirection. These redirects are considered permanent on search engines and thus transfers the link equity from the old URL to the new one, so that you don’t lose your site’s SEO value.

Whereas it's critical to pick up the correct redirect type terms with your own needs in mind.

Creating a URL Redirect from cPanel

Follow these steps to create a URL redirect from cPanel:

Step 1: Go to the cPanel portal.

Log in to your cPanel by Linux hosting providers by typing in your cPanel URL and entering your username/password information.

Step 2: Go to the Redirects Section in Your Search Console.

Now that you have logged out, click the "Domains" section icon to drop down a menu and pick the "Redirects" icon.

Step 3: Redirect the content to the most appropriate type.

On the "Redirects" page, you'll see two options:From list of "Redirects" page you get two choices.

- "Redirect" - Here the word (301) implies a permanent type of redirect.

- "Temporary Redirect" - Select the "temporary" option (302) for temporary redirects.

Pick one of the following feature that corresponds with your preferences.

Step 4: For the text box type, the link URLs or use drag and drop to add links.

In the provided fields, enter the following information:Below that space, write down the data as follows:

- "Source URL" or "Redirect from" field: Insert the address of the old URL where your visitors should first be to see the web site.

- "Destination URL" or "Redirect to" field: Spelt is the new URL you want to take your audience to.

Step 5: Configure Advanced option (Optional).

Depending on your hosting provider's cPanel version, you may have additional options to configure:Depending on your hosting provider's cPanel version, you may have additional options to configure:

- "(Wildcard Redirect)"- this variant enables you to redirect all URLs that start with a specified pattern to a single destination URL.

- "RegEx" - year that enables you to use regular expressions for more complex URL pattern matching and redirection.

Step 6: Instead of throwing things to landfills, let's use them again!

From there enter all of the required information and hit "Add" or "Save" button to complete.

Step 7: First Check the Redirect.

Once you've done this, it's very essential to check that the redirect is working as expected. Open a new window or tab, and the old one (target URL) navigate to it. Setting up redirect correctly routinely implies that, in a case of being succesfull, you are moving to the new destination URL (target URL).

Advanced Redirect Techniques

While the basic redirect setup in cPanel is straightforward, there are some advanced techniques you can employ for more complex redirection scenarios:While the basic redirect setup in cPanel is straightforward, there are some advanced techniques you can employ for more complex redirection scenarios:

- Wildcard Redirects: If all your redirects have a common pattern (like /oldfolder-newfolder) and you need them to all point to the same destination URL, cPanel can help you with a "Wildcard Redirect" option. As an example, if you wanted to redirect all pages with URLs starting at "example.com/old-folder/", you can simply redirect them to "example.com/new-folder/".

- Regular Expression Redirects: RegEx or regular expressions when it comes to advanced URL matching and redirection is what the buzzword is for cPanel. This might be of great value for those cases when regular expression has to be applied to the URL structure, maybe string manipulation is needed or redirection is based on some conditions.

- HTTP to HTTPS Redirection: SSL/TLS may be enabled on your website depending how you'd set up, and to redirect all traffic to the HTTPS version of your site, you can create a redirect from HTTP to HTTPS on your cPanel.

- Redirecting to a Specific File or Page: As opposed to sending users to the homepage or index.php, you can navigate the users to the exact file or web page in your website. It is also helpful to deliver the handpicked message to a designated website, product to be offered, or any content.

- Chained Redirects: Sometimes you may be tasked with the need to establish redirect chains wherein a single URL redirects to another URL and then to the ultimate URL destination. The multiple redirections are gonna be created using cPanel which is the tool that is to be used.

Best Practices for URL Redirection

While creating URL redirects in cPanel is relatively straightforward, it's essential to follow some best practices to ensure optimal performance and user experience:While creating URL redirects in cPanel is relatively straightforward, it's essential to follow some best practices to ensure optimal performance and user experience:

- Avoid Redirect Loops: Redirect Loop is a situation created when two or more URLs redirect each other, and the server or browser cannot determine which URL to use and so thus forms an infinite and never ending loop. It may for instance result in the creation of unfriendly user experiences and consequently it might affect your SEO in a negative way. Don't forget to carefully check your redirects so as to be you are directing them to the right destination URLs.

- Minimize Redirect Chains: Although redirects in chains might be relevant sometimes, typically, the more redirects there are in a chain, the worse redirect performance will be. Every extra redirection can potentially delay response time, causing more than one redirection which affects user experience and SEO rankings.

- Monitor and Update Redirects: It is imperative not only to implement redirects to your website as it grows, but also to be vigilant and update them on an ongoing basis. Outdated or broken’ s redirects can irritate users and bring into doubt SEO level.

- Use Permanent Redirects for Long-term Changes: In addition to that, it is very important to use permanent (301) redirects if you are making a permanent URL structure or domain name change. Such links will inform search engines about the old links and pave the way for their transfer of the link equity to the new URLs that you are creating, hence the website value will remain preserved.

- Test and Verify Redirects: Checking, adding and updating the redirects afterward always, it’s necessary to test and verify that they are working properly. Utilize the various tools of the browsers which include redirects to make sure that the transactions are working as intended on all platforms and environments.

Conclusion

The implementation of the URL redirection feature in cPanel is a simple manner that helps you keep the existing organic keyword value on your platform, pleases your website user, and creates consistency in your site’s URL system. By simply adding the steps and practicing the standard rule, you will successfully redirect URLs and, in the end, have a smooth website that your visitors can navigate freely. Make sure to select the applicable type of redirect, set up redirection monitoring and updating, and test your redirections thoroughly to ensure fast loading pages and high satisfaction value for your users.