We are often asked by beginners: what is a domain name and how do domains work? If you are a beginner, then you may have heard that you need a domain to make a website.

However, many beginners confuse domain name with a website or website hosting service. If you are just starting out, then all these different terms may sound too technical.

In this beginner’s guide, we will answer what is a domain name and how domains work. The goal is to help you understand and choose the right domain name for your website.

Here is a quick overview of the topics we will cover in this guide.

• What is a domain name?
• How domains work?
• How is domain name different from website and web hosting?
• Different types of domain names
• Who is responsible for the domain name system?
• How to choose a domain name
• How to buy a domain name
• Frequently asked questions about domain names

What is a Domain Name?

Domain name is the address of your website that internet users type in the browser URL bar to visit your website.

In simple terms, if your website was a house, then your domain name will be its address.

A more detailed explanation:

The Internet is a giant network of computers connected to each other through a global network of cables. Each computer on this network can communicate with other computers.

To identify them, each computer is assigned an IP address. It is a series of numbers that identify a particular computer on the internet. A typical IP address looks like this:

66.249.66.1

Now an IP address like this is quite difficult to remember. Imagine if you had to use such numbers to visit your favorite websites.

Domain names were invented to solve this problem.

Now, if you want to visit a website, then you don’t need to enter a long string of numbers.

Instead, you can visit it by typing an easy-to-remember domain name in your browser’s address bar. For example, wpbeginner.com.

How Domain Names Actually Work?

To understand how domain names actually work, we will take a look at what happens when you enter it in your browser.

When you enter a domain name in your web browser, it first sends a request to a global network of servers that form the Domain Name System (DNS).

These servers then look up for the name servers or DNS servers associated with the domain and forward the request to those name servers.

For example, if your website is hosted on Bluehost, then its name server information will be like this:

ns1.bluehost.com
ns2.bluehost.com

These name servers are computers managed by your hosting company. Your hosting provider will forward your request to the computer where your website is stored.

This computer is called a web server. It has special software installed (Apache and Nginx are two popular web server software).

The web server now fetches the web page and pieces of information associated with it.

Finally, it then sends this data back to the user’s browser.

How is Domain Name Different from a Website and Web Hosting?

A website is made up of files like HTML pages, website builder software, images, and more. It gives you and your business an online presence.

If the domain name is the web address of your website, then web hosting is the home where your website lives.

This is the actual computer where your website’s files are stored. Such computers are called servers and they are offered as a service by hosting companies.

To create your website, you need both domain name and web hosting. ou need both of them to make any kind of website whether its personal, small business website, or an eCommerce store.

However, it’s important to remember that they are two separate services, and you can buy them from two different companies.

Now you may be wondering, how would it work if you bought them from two separate companies?

You just need to edit your domain name settings and enter the Name Server information provided by your hosting company. Name Server information defines where to send user requests for your domain name.

We recommend getting both your domain name and hosting from the same company. This allows you to easily manage them under the same account.

For more details, see our guide on the difference between domain name and web hosting.

Different Types of Domain Names

Domain names are available in many different extensions. The most popular one is .com. There are many other options like .org, .net, .tv, .info, .io, and more. However we always recommend using .com domain extension.

Let’s take a more detailed look at different types of domain names available.

Top Level Domain – TLD

Top level domain or TLD are generic domain extensions that are listed at the highest level in the domain name system. They are also referred to as gTLD or generic top level domains.

There are hundreds of TLDs, but the most popular ones are .com, .org, and .net. Other TLDs are lesser known and we don’t recommend using them. For example, .biz, .club, .info, .agency, and many more.

Country Code Top Level Domain – ccTLD

Country code top-level domain or ccTLD are country specific domain names which end with country code extension like .uk for the United Kingdom, .de for Germany, .in for India.

They are used by websites that want to target audiences in a specific country.

Sponsored Top Level Domain – sTLD

Sponsored top-level domain or sTLD is a category of TLDs that has a sponsor representing a specific community served by the domain extension.

For example, .edu for education-related organizations, .gov for the United States government, .mil for the United States military, and more.

Second Level Domain – SLD

Second level domain generally refers to the name that comes before the top level domain or TLD.

For instance, in wpbeginner.com, the wpbeginner is the second-level domain of the .com TLD.

Domain registries use the SLDs to create a hierarchy for their ccTLD.

For instance, the .au ccTLD, which represents Australia, has com.au, net.au, and more. In this case, the .com is not the Top Level Domain but a sTLD of .au TLD.

Similarly, in the .co.uk domains, .co is the SLD of .uk TLD.

Who is Responsible for Domain Name System?

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) manages the domain names system. It is a non-profit organization that creates and implements the policies for domain names.

ICANN gives permission to companies called Domain Name Registrars for selling domain names. These domain registrars are allowed to make changes to domain names registry on your behalf.

Domain name registrars can sell domain names, manage its records, renewals, and transfers to other registrars.

As a domain name owner, you are responsible for telling the registrar where to send requests. You are also responsible for renewing your domain registration.

How to Choose a Domain Name for Your Website?

There are currently more than 350 Million registered domain names and thousands more get registered each day.

This means that all the good ones are already registered or will be registered very soon. This puts a lot of pressure on new users to come up with a domain idea for their website.

We’ve created a free AI-powered business name generator tool that helps you come up with creative company name ideas and check domain name availability status to help you save time.

Here are some quick tips to help you choose a domain name for your next website.

• Stick with a .com domain name as it is the most popular, easy to remember, and easy promote.
• Make sure it is shorter and easy to remember
• Make it easy to pronounce and spell
• Do not use numbers or hyphens
• Use domain name generators to come up with clever domain name ideas

For more tips and practical advice, see our guide on how to choose the best domain name for your website.

How to Buy a Domain Name?

You can buy your desired domain names from one of the many domain name registrars. A domain name registration typically costs 14.99 per year. Some popular domain name companies are:

• Domain.com (Use this Domain.com coupon to get a discount)
• Network Solutions (use our Network Solutions coupon code to get 25% off).
• GoDaddy

However, buying a domain does not automatically give you hosting service. For that, you will need a website hosting account as well.

Many WordPress hosting companies offer domain registration services as well. This allows you to manage both services under one account, and you also don’t need to worry about changing name server settings for your domain.

We recommend using Bluehost. They are offering WPBeginner users a free domain name and 60% discount on hosting. Basically you can get started for $2.75/month.

Frequently Asked Questions About Domain Names

Over the years, we have helped thousands of beginners start their first websites. We have heard almost every possible question about domain names that you can think of.

Following are the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about domain names.

1. What is a subdomain?

A subdomain is basically a child domain under the main domain name. For example, videos.wpbeginner.com is a subdomain of wpbeginner.com.

Once you register a domain, you have permission to create subdomains for it by yourself.

Websites commonly use subdomains to create child-sites under the same domain name.

For example, a business website can create a subdomain for their blog or their online store as store.example.com or blog.example.com

2. Can I cancel my registration of a domain name?

Some domain registrars allow domain owners to cancel their domain registration at any time. If you cancel your registration, it will become available for others to register.

Other domain name registrars allow you to simply let your domain registration expire.

In most cases, you will not get any refund for the domain registration. However, some domain registrars do have refund policies which you may want to discuss with them before canceling your registration.

If you don’t have the auto-renew feature turned on, then your domain name will simply expire after the registration period you have paid for.

3. Can I move my website to a different domain name?

Yes, you can. You can point your domain name to your hosting server. You can also keep both domain names pointing to the same website.

However, search engines consider it duplicate content and that will affect your search rankings.

We have a step by step guide on how to properly move a website to new domain name and setup redirects, so you don’t hurt your SEO.

4. Can I sell a domain name?

Yes, you can sell your domain name. Domain names are like real estate for web. There is a huge demand for good brandable custom domain names.

Trading domain names is a multi-million dollar industry. Since domain names are so cheap, smart entrepreneurs are always looking for great domain name ideas to get their hands own.

If you want to sell your domain name, then there are many marketplace websites like Sedo, GoDaddy, and others where you can list your domain for sale.

Popular registrars like Domain.com and Network Solutions also let you buy premium domains right from their domain search feature.

Related: See the best GoDaddy alternatives for buying domains.

5. What is domain privacy? Do I need it?

ICANN requires people registering domain names to provide an email, physical address, phone number, and other personal information to be made available publicly.

Domain Privacy is a separate add-on service sold by domain registrars. It allows you to show proxy information instead of your actual personal info.

You don’t need to buy domain privacy if you don’t want to. However, if you are concerned about privacy, then you can buy this service for a small cost.

6. Can I find out who owns a domain name?

You can use Whois lookup tool to find information about who owns a domain name. However, if the domain name is using domain privacy, then you’ll see the proxy information provided by their registrar.

7. Can I buy more than one domain name?

Yes, you can buy as many domain names as you like.

8. What is www? Is it a part of domain names?

WWW is the abbreviation for the World Wide Web. In the early days of the internet, some experts started using it to indicate that it is a web address.

However, it is not a requirement, and most websites don’t use www in their website addresses anymore.

Technically, www is a subdomain of your main domain name. Anything that comes before your main domain and is followed by a dot is considered a subdomain like videos.wpbeginner.com.

9. What is the Difference Between a URL and a Domain Name?

URL is short for Uniform Resource locator. It is a web address that takes you to a specific page or file on a website.

A domain name alone locates a particular website. If you entered a domain name alone (e.g. wpbeginner.com) in your browser, it will convert it into a URL like https://wpbeginner.com and take you to the homepage of the website associated with that domain name.

Each page or file you see on the internet has a URL associated with it. For instance, you can see the URL for this page in your browser’s address bar above.

10. What is HTTP and HTTPS?

HTTP refers to Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It is the internet protocol technology used to access information on the web.

However, it is succeeded by the HTTPs which indicates Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol. HTTPs indicates that a website is using SSL, which is a secure protocol to transmit data on the internet.

See our article on why your website should use HTTPS.

11. Where can I learn more about making websites?

Right here. WPBeginner is the world’s largest WordPress resource site for beginners. We have tutorials, step-by-step guides, and videos created specifically for beginner users.

Here are some of the helpful resources you’ll find on WPBeginner (All of them are completely free).

• How to make a website (step by step guide for beginners)
• WPBeginner Videos – Our series WordPress video tutorials for beginners
• WPBeginner Dictionary – Our glossary of terms to help you understand the WordPress lingo
• WPBeginner Blog – This is where we publish our WordPress tutorials, how tos, and step by step guides.
• WPBeginner on YouTube – Need more video instructions? Subscribe to our YouTube channel with more than 126,000 subscribers and 12 Million+ views.

We hope this article helped you learn what is a domain name and how do domains work. You may also want to see our list of best free domain name generators to find cool ideas for your next domain name.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

Are you encountering a common WordPress error on your site?

Do you want to troubleshoot these WordPress errors on your own? Most of these errors can be solved by following easy troubleshooting steps.

In this beginner’s guide, we will show you how to troubleshoot WordPress errors, step by step.

1. Research Your Error Message

Often when you encounter a problem with WordPress, you’ll get an error message in the tab where you’re trying to access your website, such as the 404 error.

To learn more about the ‘page can’t be found’ error in the following image, please see our guide on how to fix WordPress posts returning 404 error.

Other times, you may see an error message inside your WordPress admin area, such as the HTTP error that can appear inside the media library.

Every WordPress error is different. If you have an error message, then it makes sense to look for instructions on how to fix this exact error, rather than information on how to troubleshoot WordPress errors in general.

Since you’re on the WPBeginner website, you’re already in the right place to solve all the most common WordPress errors. To start, you can see our guide on the most common WordPress errors and how to solve them.

If your error isn’t on this list, then the next step is to look for articles that mention the error you’re getting.

To do this, simply type or paste your error message into the search bar at the top of the page. For example, searching for ‘Error Establishing a Database Connection’ will bring up a complete guide to fixing the database connection error.

WordPress also comes with a debugging system that can log any error messages shown on your site. You can then read through the log to learn more about the problems you’re having on your WordPress website.

For more information, please see our guide on how to find and access WordPress error logs.

2. Create a Complete Backup of Your WordPress Site

The first thing you should do is create a complete backup of your WordPress site.

Backups allow you to restore your WordPress site easily when something goes wrong. They are your first and most important defense against security threats, hacking, and data loss.

If you are already using a WordPress backup plugin, then make sure that you have a recent backup saved somewhere safe.

Since backups are so important, we recommend creating more than one copy of your WordPress backups and store it in cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox.

Some WordPress backup plugins let you save your files to multiple locations. For example, UpdraftPlus lets you choose between different online storage services, as you can see in the following image.

If you are not already using a backup plugin, then you should start using one now. To help you get started, here’s our expert pick of the best WordPress backup plugins.

If you don’t currently have access to the admin area of your WordPress site, then don’t panic. You can still manually backup your database and files.

3. Clear Browser Cache

A lot of times, your browser may not realize that a WordPress page or post has changed and will load an outdated page from the browser cache. This means you will see an older version of your page or post.

If you’re seeing outdated content, then you may just need to clear your browser cache. This process will vary depending on your web browser. For more details, please see our guide on how to clear browser cache in all major browsers.

4. Clear Your WordPress Cache

If you are using a WordPress caching plugin like WP Rocket, then you may be seeing a cached version of your website.

Some top WordPress hosting companies like Bluehost and SiteGround also have their own built-in caching software. This can cause you to see a cached version of your website, even if you haven’t installed a caching plugin.

If your site is showing outdated content, you may just need to clear your WordPress cache.

5. Deactivate All Plugins Installed on Your Website

Often errors are caused by plugins conflicting with each other, your theme, or the WordPress core.

The easiest way to troubleshoot these errors is by deactivating all your WordPress plugins. You can then reactivate these plugins one by one, to see when the error happens again.

If you have access to the admin area of your WordPress site, then simply head over to the plugins page.

First, you need to select all plugins, and then select ‘Deactivate’ from ‘Bulk Actions’ drop down menu. Click on the Apply button to deactivate all selected plugins.

Some errors may stop you from accessing your WordPress admin area. If this is the case then you can deactivate your plugins using FTP.

To start, you’ll need to connect to your WordPress hosting files using an FTP client. If you haven’t used FTP before, then please see our guide on how to use FTP to upload files to WordPress.

Once you’ve done that, open the ‘wp-content’ folder in your FTP client.

Here you’ll see a folder named ‘plugins.’

You can now either Control-click or right-click this folder, and select ‘Rename.’

Once you’ve done that, rename this folder to ‘plugin.deactivate.’ This will deactivate all of your WordPress plugins.

For more detailed instructions, see our article on how to deactivate all plugins when not able to access wp-admin.

After deactivating your plugins, check to see whether the problem is still happening on your website or WordPress blog. If your site is now working perfectly, then you’ll know that the problem is related to a plugin.

You can now simply reactivate your plugins one by one, to see when the problem starts happening again.

To get started, go to Plugins » Installed Plugins. You can now find the plugin that you want to reactivate and click on its ‘Activate’ link.

As soon as the problem reappears, you’ll know which plugin is causing the problem. You can then uninstall this WordPress plugin and find a better alternative.

6. Switch to a Default WordPress Theme

Sometimes your WordPress theme can cause issues on your site. To find out if your theme is causing the problem, you can try switching to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-One or Twenty-Twenty Two.

Since these themes are created by the official WordPress team, they’re less likely to cause conflicts or have bugs compared to some other third party themes.

To switch to a default WordPress theme, go to Appearance » Themes.

You can then hover your mouse over any of the default themes.

Then, just click on the ‘Activate’ button.

If you can’t log into the admin area of your WordPress site, then you can switch to a default theme using FTP.

First, connect to your website using an FTP client. Once you’ve done that, head to the ‘/wp-content/themes/’ folder.

Inside this folder, you’ll see all the themes installed on your WordPress website.

Before making any changes, it’s a good idea to download a copy of your current active theme. This will make it easier to restore your theme after doing this test.

To download your current active theme, simply find the folder that has this theme’s name. Then either Control-click or right-click this folder.

After that we’re going to select ‘Download.’

Once you’ve downloaded this folder, you can go ahead and delete every theme inside your FTP client except a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Two.

Since your active theme is no longer available, WordPress will automatically switch to using the default theme.

If this solves the error, then you’ll know that your theme was causing the problem.

If this is the case, we recommend finding a new theme for your WordPress website. To help you out, we’ve posted our expert pick of the best responsive WordPress themes.

If this doesn’t solve the problem, then you can restore your original theme. The easiest way is using the copy you downloaded to your computer. For more detailed instructions, please see our guide to using FTP to upload files to WordPress.

7. Refresh Permalinks

WordPress uses an SEO friendly URL structure. Sometimes this permalink structure is not updated or set up properly, which may result in unexpected 404 errors on your site.

If you’re getting 404 errors, then you can try regenerating your links, which will rebuild and repair your permalink structure. You can do this with the click of a button, and without changing anything on your WordPress website.

To regenerate your permalinks, go to Settings » Permalinks.

Now scroll to the very bottom of this page and click on ‘Save Changes.’

After a few moments, you should see a message confirming that WordPress has updated your permalink structure.

For more information, see our complete guide on how to regenerate your permalinks in WordPress.

8. Backup and Delete .htaccess File

Are you getting an internal server error? A corrupt .htaccess file might be to blame.

The easiest way to fix your .htaccess file is by deleting it. WordPress will then create a new .htaccess file automatically.

To delete your current .htaccess file, connect to your site using an FTP client. You’ll find the .htaccess file in your site’s root directory.

To get to this root directory, simply open the folder that shows your website’s name.

Then go ahead and open the ‘public_html’ folder.

You will now see your .htaccess file inside this folder.

If you don’t see .htaccess, then your FTP client may be set to hide sensitive files. For more information, see our article on why you can’t find the .htaccess file on your WordPress site.

Before doing anything, it’s a good idea to create a copy of your current .htaccess file. Then if anything goes wrong you can simply restore your original file.

To download your .htaccess file, give it a click and then select ‘Download.’

Once you’ve done that, you can go ahead and delete the original .htaccess file in your FTP window. After that, go to Settings » Permalinks in your WordPress admin area.

Finally, click on the ‘Save Changes’ button. WordPress will now go ahead and create a new .htaccess file for your website.

9. Fix WordPress Site URL

If you have the wrong settings for your ‘WordPress Address’ and ‘Site Address’ options, then it can cause redirect issues, 404 errors, and other common problems.

To take a look at your URL settings, visit the Settings » General page.

On this page, find the ‘WordPress Address (URL)’ and ‘Site Address (URL)’ fields.

You need to make sure both of these URLs are exactly the same.

If you can’t access the admin area of your WordPress site, then you can change these URLs using FTP.

After connecting to your site using an FTP client, there are two ways to access these URLs.

Update WordPress URL and Site URL Settings in wp-config.php File

With this method, you’ll add some code to your site’s wp-config.php file.

You’ll find this file in the root folder of your website along with other folders like wp-content.

Once you’ve found this file, give it a click and then select ‘View/Edit.’

This will open the file in your computer’s default text editor, such as Notepad.

In this file, find the line that says:

/* That's all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */

Just before this line, add the following code:

 define('WP_HOME', 'http://example.com'); define('WP_SITEURL', 'http://example.com'); 

Don’t forget to replace ‘example.com’ with your own domain name. You can then save your your changes and upload the file back to your server.

Update URLs Using functions.php File

You can also update these URLs using your theme’s functions.php file.

In your FTP client, go to the ‘wp-content/themes/’ folder.

Then, open the folder for your current active theme and find its functions.php file.

Next, you just need to click on the functions.php file and select ‘View/Edit.’ This will open the functions.php file in your computer’s default text editor.

Simply add the following lines at the bottom of the functions file:

 update_option( 'siteurl', 'http://example.com' ); update_option( 'home', 'http://example.com' ); 

You should now be able to access your WordPress admin area.

Once you’re logged in, go to Settings » General. You can now change your ‘WordPress Address (URL)’ and ‘Site Address (URL)’ following the same process described above.

Once you’ve done that, you just need to delete the code that you added to your functions.php file. To do this, simply open the functions.php file following the process described above, and then delete the code.

10. Check Reading Settings

If you follow the WordPress SEO best practices, then search engines like Google should find your website automatically.

However, sometimes a newly created WordPress website won’t show up in the search engine results. This may be because your site is hidden from the search engines.

To check your site’s settings, go to Settings » Reading.

Once you’ve done that, scroll down to the bottom of the page and make sure that the box next to ‘Search Engine Visibility’ is unchecked.

This option discourages search engines from indexing your site.

Website owners often use this setting when they’re still working on their site and don’t want their content to show up in search results.

However, you might accidentally check this setting and forget about it.

If you want your site to appear in search results, then make sure this option is unchecked and then click on ‘Save Changes.’

If you’re still working on your site, then you may want to create a coming soon page. A beautifully-designed coming soon page will create a buzz around your website and can even act as a lead generation tool. For more information, please see our guide on how to create beautiful coming soon pages in WordPress.

11. Troubleshooting Email Issues

Some WordPress hosting providers do not properly configure their mail settings. This can stop you and your visitors from receiving emails sent by WordPress.

If you are using a contact form plugin then you won’t get an email when visitors complete your form. You will also not get any WordPress notifications including messages about serious security threats or suspicious activity.

The best way to fix this problem is by using an SMTP service provider. For more details, see our guide on how to fix WordPress not sending email issue.

12. Scanning for Malware and Backdoors

If you suspect that your WordPress site is infected by malware, then you should scan your website with Sucuri.

It is the best website security monitoring service for WordPress site owners. In fact, Sucuri helped us block 450,000 WordPress attacks in 3 months.

For more information, see our guide on how to scan your WordPress site for potentially malicious code.

Getting Better Support

By following these troubleshooting steps, you can fix most of the common WordPress errors.

However if you’re still having problems with your site, then there are ways to get extra support.

WordPress has a large and helpful community. You can always ask other WordPress users and experts for help by posting in WordPress support forums or in the WPBeginner Facebook group.

When reaching out to the community, it’s important to remember that you’re asking people to take their valuable time and answer your question for free. With this in mind, it’s important to:

• Be polite and nice. No matter how upset or frustrated you are, do not use harsh or unpleasant language.
• Mention your problem briefly. This will make it easier for people to see what the problem is, and decide whether they can help.
• Describe the troubleshooting steps you have taken so far. This shows that you don’t just want other people to do your work for free. It also means that people won’t waste their time by suggesting things that you’ve already tried.
• Upload screenshots on a cloud image sharing service, and then add the links in your support thread. This can provide a deeper insight into your problem.

For more on this topic, take a look at our guide on how to properly ask for WordPress support and get it.

We hope this article helped you learn how to troubleshoot WordPress errors. Next, you may want to check out our ultimate WordPress security guide, or see our expert pick of the best WordPress plugins to grow your website.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

Do you want to learn how to paste snippets from the web into WordPress?

We publish a lot of WordPress tutorials that ask users to add code snippets to WordPress.

Copying and pasting code in WordPress theme files might seem easy for experienced users, but it can be intimidating for beginners.

In this article, we’ll show you how to copy and paste code snippets from the web into WordPress without breaking your site.

Why Add Code Snippets to Your WordPress Site?

WordPress is the best website builder in the world due to the flexibility it offers. It’s super easy to add new features and functionality to your site and can help build nearly any type of website.

We share all kinds of tips and tricks you can use to make your website better. Some of these tips will ask you to add code to WordPress.

While adding custom code snippets to your website is optional, and you can often find plugins to do the same task, sometimes a simple snippet is more efficient.

Often, adding code snippets can be an easy way to fix many common WordPress errors, improve your WordPress security, and add new features to your website.

With that said, let’s take a look at how to add code snippets to your WordPress website safely.

What are the Best Ways to Add Code Snippets in WordPress?

It’s important to mention that before you start adding code snippets to your WordPress website, you should install and use a WordPress backup plugin.

This keeps your WordPress site safe, and you can always restore it from a backup in case anything goes wrong.

When adding snippets to WordPress, you may find instructions to add them to WordPress theme template files, like index.php, single.php, and more.

These snippets are only useful for those specific theme files, so you will have to add them directly or create a WordPress child theme.

However, most code snippets will be added to your WordPress theme’s functions.php file. Some tutorials might recommend adding it directly to the file, but there are much better alternatives that allow you to future-proof your changes.

This way if you ever change a theme, your custom functionality will not be removed.

There are different ways to edit WordPress files depending on which method you choose to add custom code snippets to your WordPress blog or website.

With that said, let’s take a look at some of the most beginner-friendly ways to add custom code snippets in WordPress.

• Adding Custom Code with the WPCode Plugin (Easy)
• Adding Custom Code in Site-Specific WordPress Plugin
• Adding Custom Code to Functions.php or Other Theme Templates
• Troubleshooting Common Code Errors (FAQs)

Method 1: Adding Custom Code with the WPCode Plugin (Easy)

Using a code snippets plugin is the safest and most beginner-friendly way to add code to WordPress.

The WPCode plugin lets you add and manage custom code snippets on your website easily, without having to edit your theme files.

It comes with smart code snippet validation to help you prevent common code errors. This protects you from breaking your website when adding code snippets.

WPCode also has a built-in code library that makes it easy to find all of the most popular WordPress code snippets. You can add these expert-written code snippets in just a few clicks.

The best part is that it lets you manage all code snippets from one central screen, and you can even organize them using tags.

Note: The WPCode method is useful for snippets that need to be added to the functions.php file. If you are asked to add a code snippet in other theme files, then this method will not work.

How to Edit and Add Code to WordPress with WPCode

If you’re going to use the WPCode plugin to add code to WordPress, then you’ll be adding code directly in your WordPress admin dashboard.

First, you need to install and activate the plugin. For more details, see our beginner’s guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, simply go to Code Snippets » + Add Snippet in your WordPress admin dashboard. Then, click the Add New button.

This brings you to a screen where you can choose a snippet from the pre-made library or add your custom code.

To add custom code, click on the Use snippet button under the ‘Add Your Custom Code (New Snippet)’ option.

On the next screen, start by giving your snippet a name to help you remember it. Then, paste your code into the box. Be sure to choose the correct code type from the drop-down menu on the right.

Next, scroll down to the ‘Insertion’ section. Here you can choose to use the code snippet as a shortcode that you can manually copy and paste anywhere on your site. Or, select the ‘Auto Insert’ method to choose a location (WordPress function) where the code snippet will be automatically inserted.

The best part about WPCode is that aside from the various Auto-Insert options, it also comes with beginner-friendly conditional logic option. This lets you select when your code should load.

Once you’re done adding the code, toggle the switch from ‘Inactive’ to ‘Active’ in the top right corner.

Then click the Save Snippet button.

Once the snippet is active, it will be added automatically or displayed as shortcode, depending on the insertion method you chose.

For detailed instructions, see our guide on how to easily add custom code snippets in WordPress.

How to Add Code to the WordPress Header and Footer

Sometimes you may only need to add code to your theme’s header.php or footer.php files. The WPCode plugin can also help you do this easily.

This comes in handy when you need to add a tracking code for Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Google AdSense, and more to your website.

Plus, it lets you manage all of your header and footer codes in one place, prevents any manual errors, and lets you upgrade or change your theme without worries.

Note: This method works best for tracking scripts, custom CSS, and Javascript code.

Go to Code Snippets » Header and Footer and then enter your code snippet into the header, body, or footer, section of your website.

Make sure you click the ‘Save Changes’ button, and your code snippets will be live on your website.

For more details, see our guide on how to add header and footer code in WordPress.

Method 2: Adding Custom Code in Site-Specific WordPress Plugin

Another flexible option is to use a site-specific WordPress plugin. This is a custom plugin that you can create for your own website and use to save all your custom code.

The advantage of this method is that your code is not dependent on your theme, and it will remain active even when you change themes. It is also not affected by any WordPress updates on your website.

Note: This method is only applicable for code snippets that need to be added to the functions.php file.

If you’re using a site-specific plugin, then you can use the built-in WordPress plugin editor to add your custom code.

First, you’ll need to go to Plugins » Plugin Editor and then select your plugin from the drop-down menu labeled ‘Select plugin to edit:’.

The editor will load your site-specific plugin. Then, you can simply add code to the page.

Once you’re finished, make sure to click on the ‘Update File’ button to save your changes.

If something is missing in your code or can break your website, then the plugin editor will automatically undo your changes.

Another way you can add custom code to a site-specific plugin is by using FTP. For more details, see our beginner’s guide on how to use FTP to upload files to WordPress.

Simply open up your website using your preferred FTP client, and then right-click on the plugin file and select the ‘View/Edit’ option.

This will open up the file so that you can add your code snippets. When you save and upload the file again, then changes will automatically show up.

For more details, see our guide on how to create a site-specific plugin for your website.

Method 3: Adding Custom Code to Functions.php or Other Theme Templates

Finally, it is okay to add code snippets directly to your theme’s functions.php file. However, we recommend using the other options above, since there are some downsides.

First, if you update your WordPress theme, then all of your changes will be gone.

Next, the code you added will only work if you are using that particular theme.

That being said, let’s take a look at how to properly copy and paste code snippets and avoid breaking your website.

If you are adding code snippets directly to your theme’s functions.php file or any other page template, then you can add the code by navigating to Appearance » Theme Editor in your WordPress admin panel.

Then, you can select the file from the right-hand column, and it will open up in the editor.

The tutorial you’re following will tell you where you can add the code snippet, but if not, then you need to add the code at the bottom of the file beneath all the code that’s present.

Another alternative is to use FTP of your WordPress hosting file manager to add custom code to your theme files.

Simply connect to your FTP client to your website and then go to wp-content » themes » your-theme-folder and right-click on the file that needs editing.

Then, click the ‘View/Edit’ option to open the file in the text editor and add your code snippet.

Troubleshooting PHP Errors when Adding Custom Code

There are some common mistakes that beginners make when adding custom code snippets to their WordPress websites. Luckily, most of these errors can be avoided and fixed easily.

Let’s take a look at these errors and the best ways you can fix them.

1. Incorrect Usage of PHP Begin and End Tags

WordPress is written mainly in the PHP programming language which has a specific syntax that tells your server that the following code needs to be processed by PHP. Here is what a typical PHP code snippet looks like:

 // PHP Begin Tag <?php  // Rest of the code goes here  // PHP End Tag ?> 

All your PHP code needs to be inside the <?php and ?> tags.

The PHP end tag is very important in files that switch back and forth between PHP and HTML. This includes most WordPress theme files that use PHP tags alongside HTML.

You need to make sure that if you are pasting your code at a location where the PHP start tag is not closed, then you need to add your code without the starting PHP tag.

 <?php // Some pre-existing code  // your custom code  ?> 

If you are pasting your custom code outside or after the PHP end tag, then you need to add the PHP begin tag as well.

 <?php // Some pre-existing code ?>   // Your custom code snippet <?php   ?> 

Almost 90% of all errors are caused by the incorrect placement of PHP start or end tags. Looking at your code will help you understand whether or not you need to add the PHP start or end tags in your custom code snippet.

However, many WordPress theme files like functions.php may not have a PHP end tag at all. This means that you can add your code at the bottom of the file without the start or end tags.

Here’s an example of what that looks like.

 <?php // Lots of code in your theme's functions.php file // // // Your custom code function custom_loginlogo() { echo '<style type="text/css"> h1 a {background-image: url('.get_bloginfo('template_directory').'https://cdn.wpbeginner.com/images/login_logo.png) !important; } </style>'; } add_action('login_head', 'custom_loginlogo'); 

Remember that some tutorials may assume that you already know how to use PHP start and end tags. So, they may simply show you a code snippet without those tags in place.

 function custom_loginlogo() { echo '<style type="text/css"> h1 a {background-image: url('.get_bloginfo('template_directory').'https://cdn.wpbeginner.com/images/login_logo.png) !important; } </style>'; } add_action('login_head', 'custom_loginlogo'); 

Sometimes when code snippets are given they can be added to multiple locations, so the PHP end and start tags won’t be included.

When you are adding such a code snippet in your theme files, you need to make sure that it is inside the PHP tags.

2. Incorrect Nesting Errors

PHP has a particular syntax for functions, conditional logic, and loops. This syntax depends on curly brackets which indicate when a function begins and when it ends.

For example, here is a simple PHP function:

 <?php function wpbeginner_tutorial() { echo "Hello World!"; } ?> 

Now if you want to add a custom code snippet that has nothing to do with this function, then you will need to put it outside this function like this:

 // Pre-existing code in your theme file <?php function wpbeginner_tutorial() { echo "Hello World!"; } // Your custom code function custom_loginlogo() { echo '<style type="text/css"> h1 a {background-image: url('.get_bloginfo('template_directory').'https://cdn.wpbeginner.com/images/login_logo.png) !important; } </style>'; } ?> 

If you miss the starting or ending curly brackets, then this will break the code, and you will end up with an error page.

Understanding PHP Errors in WordPress

Errors that are caused by adding custom code to WordPress will often result in a detailed error message. Most of them are syntax errors, parse errors, or fatal errors due to unexpected characters.

The good news is that these errors will tell you which line in your code caused the error.

Then, you can then go to the exact line to review the code and figure out what you missed.

For this, we recommend using a proper text editor for code editing because they have line numbers and syntax highlighting which can help you fix the issue easily.

What to do When Your WordPress Site is Inaccessible?

First of all, take a deep breath and don’t panic. All of your website’s files are still there and you can access them.

Simply connect to your website using an FTP client or the file manager app in cPanel in your WordPress hosting account.

For more details, see our beginner’s guide on how to use FTP to upload files to WordPress.

Next, locate the file where you added the code that caused the error and open it to edit it.

Then, you can try and fix the issues with the code snippet. If you are unable to fix those issues, then simply remove the code snippet you added and save your changes.

Now, your site should be back to normal again. If it is still showing some error, then download a fresh copy of your WordPress theme and extract the zip file to your computer.

After that, locate the file where you made the changes earlier, and upload it to your server while overwriting the old file.

For more ways to solve these issues, see our guide on the most common WordPress errors and how to fix them. If that doesn’t help, then follow our WordPress troubleshooting guide to perform a step by step diagnosis.

We hope this article helped you learn how to paste code snippets from the web into WordPress. You may also want to see our guide on how to create a free business email address and our picks of the best live chat software for small businesses.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

Do you want moderate comments on your WordPress site but don’t know where to get started?

WordPress comes with a built-in comment system that allows for community interaction around your content.

In this beginner’s guide, we will show you how to moderate comments in WordPress, deal with comment spam, and everything related to comments.

What Are Comments in WordPress?

Comments allow your website visitors to communicate with you and other readers. They can add their input on a specific article that you had written, ask questions, and provide feedback.

On most WordPress sites, anyone with a valid name and email can leave a comment without verifying their identity.

By default, comments are turned on. There will be a comment form displayed at the bottom of any blog post or page, though it may look different or not appear depending on the WordPress theme you’re using.

Once someone submits a comment, they will see a preview of their comment and a message saying that the comment is awaiting moderation.

Before the comment appears for other visitors, it will be held for moderation for you to approve or delete. This allows you to control what appears on your website.

That said, let’s look at how you can moderate comments on your website.

Moderating Comments in WordPress

You can see all comments on your WordPress website by clicking on the ‘Comments’ menu in the WordPress dashboard.

On the comments page, you will see 5 different tabs, including all comments, mine, pending, approved, spam and trash. Comments that need your approval will appear under the Pending tab.

To approve a comment, take your mouse over to the comment, and you will see action links appear below it. Click on the ‘Approve’ button to make a comment publicly visible on your website.

You can also reply to a comment by clicking on the reply link. Replying to comment automatically approves the comment as well.

If you see a comment that looks or feels spammy, then you can mark it as Spam. You’re probably wondering, what does a spam comment look like?

Well, there are a few different indicators that you can use to tell if a comment is a spam:

• Comments with a bunch of links, keywords, and strange characters – This is the most obvious type of spam comment. They could also contain inappropriate content in the comment.
• Comment with a Fake Name – If you see a comment that’s being left by a person named “Best Mortgage Rates” or “Cheap Printer Ink”, then you can clearly tell it’s a marketer trying to spam your site for a backlink.
• Generic Comments – Often spammers rely on generic comments to bypass your spam filter. These generic comments are “Thank You”, “Really Nice Article”, or insert the title of your post and make a generic statement (example: I agree beginners guide to comment moderation is essential).

Filter Spam Comments using Akismet

To filter spam comments from your WordPress website, you can use Akismet. It’s a spam filtering WordPress plugin and is developed by Automattic.

Once you mark a comment as spam, Akismet will learn to catch similar comments in the future.

For more details, you check out our guide on what is Akismet and why you should use it.

All comments marked as spam will appear under the spam tab. You will not need to visit this tab that often. However, if a user complains that their comments are not appearing on your website, then this is the first place you should look.

If you find a comment that is wrongly caught by Akismet as spam, then simply click on the ‘Not Spam’ link to move it from spam to pending.

You can also click on the ‘Empty Spam’ button to delete all spam comments at once. Even if you don’t, spam comments will be automatically deleted by WordPress after 15 days.

Remember that deleting thousands of spam comments at once can slow down your site a bit. If you are trying to delete thousands of spam comments, then you can perform a bulk action. You can check out our guide on how to quickly batch delete spam comments in WordPress.

If for some reason you accidentally got hundreds of spam comments appearing in the ‘Pending’ tab, then simply click on the ‘Check for spam’ button.

This will trigger a spam check on existing comments on your website, and Akismet will move spam comments from Pending to Spam.

If you want to remove a comment without marking it as spam, then simply click on the ‘Trash’ link below the comment.

Comments deleted by you will be sent to the trash and will live there for the next 30 days. After this time, WordPress will automatically delete them forever.

If you accidentally deleted a comment, then simply visit the trash tab and click on the ‘Restore’ link below the comment.

The comment moderation area shows comments for all posts and pages. However, you can individually view the comments left on a particular post by either visiting that post on your site or through your admin area.

Turn Comments On/Off for Specific Posts in WordPress

There are some times when you don’t want comments to be enabled on certain posts. WordPress allows you to turn comments off for single posts or pages.

Simply edit a post and on the WordPress editor screen, open the ‘Discussion’ box from the settings menu on your right. Next, you can uncheck the box for the ‘Allow comments’ option.

You can also go to Posts » All Posts from your WordPress dashboard and click the ‘Quick Edit’ button for any blog post. After that, simply uncheck the ‘Allow Comments’ option.

Allow Blog Users to Moderate Comments in WordPress

If you have lots of articles and get many comments every day, then it can be a challenge to moderate all the WordPress comments.

A simple solution to this issue is having a dedicated comment moderator on your website. You can assign a separate comment moderator role to a user that’s an active commenter on your site or a member of your customer support team.

WordPress doesn’t offer a user role that’s dedicated to moderation comments. However, you can use the Comment Moderation Role plugin.

The plugin is created by our team at WPBeginner, and it allows you to give users access to only see the comment moderation screen in WordPress. You can assign the role to existing and new users.

For more details, please see our guide on how to allow blog users to moderate comments in WordPress.

Comment Settings Configuration

Finally, WordPress allows you to change comment configuration for your entire site.

The comments settings page is located under Settings » Discussion. There are different sections on the discussion settings page, and we will walk you through each option on the page.

Default post settings

The top section on the discussion settings screen controls the Default post settings.

The first option in this section allows your blog to notify other blogs when you link to them in an article. The second option allows similar notifications from other blogs to be accepted on your site.

These are called pingbacks and trackbacks, and we recommend you to uncheck both these options. The first option can slow down your entire site, and the second option would bring you a lot of spam comments.

The third option on the article settings screen is ‘Allow people to post comments on new posts,’ enabling comments for all new articles you write on your WordPress site. It is important to note that you can turn comments on and off for individual articles like we showed you earlier in this article.

Other comment settings

Under the other comment settings section, you will notice the first option as ‘Comment author must fill out name and email.’ This option makes it mandatory for comment authors to provide a name and email address with their comments.

You need to check this option unless you want to allow anonymous commenting on your website.

There is also an option to require users to register to your site before leaving a comment however, in our opinion, it’s not necessary for most sites.

You will also see the option for closing comments on older articles. Some website owners use this to prevent spam, but it’s completely a personal preference.

WordPress allows users to reply to comments. Those replies will appear nested under the original comment only if you check the box next to ‘Enable threaded (nested) comments’ and you can specify how deep these nested comments can go.

Having too many levels can distort the readability of comments. The default setting of 5 levels is good enough for most WordPress themes.

If one of your articles becomes popular and starts getting too many comments, then you will notice that the comment section will become too long. Users will have to scroll a lot to read the latest comments on the article.

To address this problem, you can check the option to break comments into pages. By default, this option allows 50 top-level comments, you can increase or decrease this. Choosing this option will also show the last page of comments first.

Another option is to show your most recent comments first.

Email me whenever and Before a comment appears settings

The next section allows you to receive emails whenever a user leaves comments on your site or whenever a comment is held for moderation. This option is only exciting for the first few days of your website. As you get more comments, these emails become annoying, so we recommend turning them off.

Under the ‘Before a comment appear’ section, the first option is to approve each comment manually. Make sure this box is checked so that no comment can appear on your site without your approval.

Below this, you will see the ‘Comment author must have a previously approved comment’ option.

If this option is checked, comments from authors with a previously approved comment will appear without explicit approval. Simply uncheck this option to make sure that all comments are manually approved.

Comment Moderation settings

A very common trait among automated spam comments is that they contain a lot of links. Since you have already set your comments to be manually approved, all your comments will go to the moderation queue regardless of how many links they have.

You will see a larger text area where you can enter words, IP and email addresses, or URLs that you want to watch out for. Any comment matching things you enter here will be sent to the moderation queue.

There is no need for you to enter anything here since you have already set all comments to be manually approved, and they are all going to the moderation queue anyways.

Avatars settings

The last section on the comments settings screen is for Avatars. These are the images that appear next to the comment author’s name on your website.

WordPress uses Gravatar, which is a free service that allows users to have the same avatar on all the blogs they visit (see our guide on what is Gravatar).

WordPress uses Mystery Person as the default gravatar when a comment author doesn’t have a Gravatar image associated with their email address. You can change this by selecting a default avatar from the list or even add your own custom default gravatar in WordPress.

That’s all! You have configured your comment settings. Don’t forget to click on the Save Changes button to store your settings.

We hope this article helped you learn how to moderate comments in WordPress. You may also want to check out our guide on how to start an online store and best WooCommerce plugins.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

Do you want to create 301 redirects on your WordPress website?

When someone visits your site using an old link to a page that has moved, a 301 redirect will automatically take them to the new page so they do not see a 404 ‘page not found’ error. This provides a better user experience and will also improve your keyword rankings.

In this article, we’ll show you how to create 301 redirects in WordPress.

What Is a Redirect in WordPress?

A redirect is a way for your WordPress website to automatically send users to a new address when the page they wish to visit has been moved or replaced. This is similar to the way a post office will redirect your mail when you move house.

There are various types of redirects that are identified with numbers such as 301, 302, and 307. They automatically point your user’s web browser to a different URL when trying to visit a page that doesn’t exist.

In this beginner’s guide, we will focus on 301 redirects since they are the most important type. They tell the browser that the page has been permanently moved to the new location and that you don’t intend to move it back.

That said, let’s take a look at when you should use a 301 redirect.

When Do You Need a 301 Redirect in WordPress?

The primary reason to use a 301 redirect is when your site or a page on your site has been moved, and you want to point the user to a new page instead.

It is also needed when you plan on changing the permalink of a post or page.

If you don’t set up redirection, then it will cause your users to see a 404 error when the page is not found. This provides a bad user experience and can impact your WordPress SEO.

You can also lose valuable backlinks if there are a lot of broken links on your site. This will result in a significant drop in your domain authority and keyword rankings.

That’s why 301 redirects are very important. They allow you to tell search engines and your users that the page they are trying to reach has been permanently moved to a new location.

This way, all your old page’s traffic and backlinks are transferred to the new page.

Now, let’s take a look at how you can create 301 redirects in WordPress. We’ll show you how to do that easily with several WordPress redirect plugins, and manually using code.

• Method 1: Creating 301 Redirects with AIOSEO Plugin
• Method 2: Creating 301 Redirects With Redirection Plugin
• Method 3: Creating 301 Redirects With Simple 301 Redirects Plugin
• Method 4: Redirecting Existing Pages With Page Links To Plugin
• Method 5: Creating 301 Redirects Manually Using .htaccess

Video Tutorial

If you’d prefer written instructions, just keep reading.

Method 1: Creating 301 Redirects With AIOSEO Plugin

The simplest way to manage and create 301 redirects is through the All in One SEO (AIOSEO) WordPress plugin. It’s the best SEO plugin for WordPress and is used by over 2 million professionals to improve their site’s SEO.

AIOSEO offers a powerful redirection manager addon that makes it very easy to find broken links on your website and set up 301 redirections to fix them.

First, you need to install and configure the AIOSEO Pro plugin on your website. For more information, please refer to our step-by-step guide on how to set up All in One SEO correctly.

Once the plugin is active, you’ll need to go to All in One SEO » Redirects on your WordPress dashboard and then click the ‘Activate Redirects’ button.

Next, you can click the ‘Settings’ tab and select ‘PHP’ as the Redirect Method.

This is the simplest method for creating redirects and doesn’t require any server-side configuration.

AIOSEO also lets you select the Web Server redirect method. However, it requires configuring Apache or NGINX on your web server. This requires technical knowledge and is not recommended for beginners.

Creating 301 Redirects

Now you’re ready to create 301 redirections. To get started, head over to the ‘Redirect’ tab.

First, you need to enter the link you’d like to redirect in the Source URL field. After that, you should enter the new destination for the link in the Target URL field.

Now make sure that the Redirect Type is ‘301 Moved Permanently,’ and then click the ‘Add Redirect’ button.

If you want to redirect multiple URLs to a new location, then simply click the ‘Add URL’ button under the Source URLs field.

Next, you can scroll down to view the logs of the redirects you’ve created. It shows the number of people who visited the redirected link under the ‘Hits’ column and a toggle option to enable or disable individual 301 redirects.

Adding 301 Redirects to Fix 404 Errors

AIOSEO can also help you track 404 error pages and fix them.

To turn this option on, you have to scroll down to the ‘Redirect Logs’ section of the Settings tab. Then enable the options for ‘404 Logs’ and ‘Redirect Logs.’

You can also select the time period to keep the logs. We recommend keeping them for a maximum of one month for smooth and fast server performance.

After enabling these options, make sure to click the ‘Save Changes’ button.

You should now see a new ‘404 Logs’ tab appear in the Redirects section. This is where AIOSEO will track and show your broken links and allow you to set up redirections. You’ll also see the number of visits to the link under ‘Hits’ and the last accessed date and time.

Note: You won’t find any data when you first enable the 404 logs. The plugin only starts to record 404 error pages after the setting is enabled.

Next, click the ‘Add Redirect’ link next to 404 error URL you’d like to redirect. This is not the button at the bottom.

You’ll now see options to enter a Target URL and select the Redirect Type from the dropdown menu.

Go ahead and enter your new URL and choose ‘301 Moved Permanently’ as your redirection type. Now you should click the ‘Add Redirect’ button.

AIOSEO will now create a 301 redirect for your broken link. To see if the redirection is working properly, simply visit the old URL to check if you’re taken to the new target destination.

Adding 301 Redirects Directly From a Post or Page

AIOSEO also lets you redirect a published post or page while you are editing it.

If you scroll to the bottom of the page in the WordPress editor, you will find an AIOSEO Settings section. You need to click on the ‘Redirects’ tab.

The source URL has been filled in for you. Simply enter the new URL in the ‘Target URL’ field, and select ‘301 Moved Permanently’ from the Redirect Type drop down menu.

Also, if you change the permalink of a post while editing, AIOSEO will offer to redirect the old URL to the new one.

Either way, click the ‘Add Redirect’ button and you’re done.

Redirecting Full Websites

If you move your website to a new domain name, then your visitors may encounter broken links and your site SEO may suffer.

You can use AIOSEO to move your entire website to a new location without losing traffic or search engine rankings. This is a full site 301 redirect.

It’s important that you do this the right way, so we have created a step-by-step beginner’s guide on how to do a full site redirect with WordPress.

Method 2: Creating 301 Redirects With Redirection Plugin

Another way to add and manage redirects in WordPress is with the Redirection plugin.

First, you need to install and activate the plugin. You can follow our detailed guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Note: While setting up 301 redirects using a WordPress plugin is easy, it has some minor performance setbacks. Depending on your WordPress hosting provider, your redirects may be a few microseconds slower than other methods.

If you want to make your redirects as fast as possible, then you can do so by editing your .htaccess file using Method 5 below.

Once activated, visit Tools » Redirection and then click the ‘Start Setup’ button.

Next, you can select options to monitor permalink changes in WordPress and keep a log of all your redirects and 404 errors.

You can simply enable these options and click the ‘Continue Setup’ button.

The plugin will now automatically test the Rest API.

When the status comes back as Good, go ahead and click the ‘Finish Setup’ button.

The redirection plugin will perform a few more tasks to complete its setup. When the progress bar reaches 100% you can click the ‘Continue’ button and then the ‘Ready to Begin’ button.

The plugin is now ready for you to create your 301 redirects. To get started, navigate to the Tools » Redirection section of your WordPress panel. You should look at the ‘Add new redirection’ section at the bottom of the screen.

You’ll see the basic settings to add a redirection. However, if you click the gear icon, you’ll see more options to choose your redirection type.

Simply enter the Source URL of your old page and add the ‘Target URL’ you want to redirect to. You should also make sure the HTTP code option is set to ‘301 – Moved Permanently.’

Once you’ve entered all the details, go ahead and click the ‘Add Redirect’ button.

Method 3: Creating 301 Redirects With Simple 301 Redirects Plugin

One of the easiest ways to create 301 redirects is with the Simple 301 Redirects plugin. As the name suggests, it makes 301 redirects really simple.

To start, you’ll have to install and activate the plugin on your website.

After that, you need to visit Settings » 301 Redirects. Here you can enter the old URL in the ‘Request’ field and your target URL in the ‘Destination’ field.

Once you’ve done that, click the ‘Add New’ button to create the 301 redirect. That’s it.

Simple 301 Redirects will begin working immediately.

Method 4: Redirecting Existing Pages With Page Links To Plugin

Sometimes you may want to keep a post in your site’s feed or a page listed a certain way on your site, but have the content hosted elsewhere. This is where the Page Links To plugin comes in handy.

Once you install and activate the plugin, it adds a meta box to your WordPress editor. Here you can enter the address of the new location where you want to send your users.

When you press ‘Update’ or ‘Publish,’ WordPress will treat the post or page as normal, but when someone visits it, they will instead be redirected to the custom URL you chose.

For example, you might have a blog where you occasionally create downloadable content, but you want users on your online store site to see certain posts as products. You can use this plugin to do that without risking duplicate content penalties from Google or splitting your user base.

Method 5: Creating 301 Redirects Manually Using .htaccess

WordPress users can also set up 301 redirects by editing the .htaccess web server configuration file.

Please keep in mind that a small mistake in your .htaccess code can make your WordPress site inaccessible, and it may start showing the Internal Server Error.

That’s why it is important that you back up your .htaccess file before making any changes.

Edit Your .htaccess File Using the All in One SEO Plugin

If you have the All in One SEO plugin installed, then it offers an easy way to edit your .htaccess file.

Note: You will need All in One SEO Pro to use the .htaccess editor.

Simply visit the All in One SEO » Tools page and switch to the .htaccess Editor tab.

From here, you’ll see the contents of your .htaccess file in the editor. You can simply place any redirect code that you want to add at the bottom, after the ‘# END WordPress’ line.

Here is a simple redirect where we are trying to send a user visiting an old post to a new post.

 RewriteEngine On Redirect 301 /a-very-old-post/ http://yoursite.com/a-very-new-post/ 

Don’t forget to change the old post and new post URLs. When you’re done, click the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings and All in One SEO will update your .htaccess file.

Directly Edit Your WordPress .htaccess file

You can also edit your WordPress .htaccess file directly to set up any redirects.

To edit your .htaccess file, you’ll need to connect to your website using an FTP client. The .htaccess file resides in your WordPress site’s root directory.

If you can’t see your .htaccess file, then see our guide on why you can’t find .htaccess file on your WordPress site.

You can download .htaccess to your computer and edit it using a text editor like Notepad.

You can use this redirect code below to send a user visiting an old post to a new post. You should paste the code at the end of your .htaccess file, after the ‘# END WordPress’ line.

 RewriteEngine On Redirect 301 /a-very-old-post/ http://yoursite.com/a-very-new-post/ 

Make sure you change the old post and new post URLs. After that, you can save your changes and upload the .htaccess file back to the server.

Now you can test your redirect to make sure it is redirecting properly as you intended.

In addition, you can also access and edit your .htaccess file through your hosting provider’s dashboard and built-in file manager.

For example, you can find your .htaccess in SiteGround‘s file manager by going to Site Tools » Site » File Manager and navigating to your site’s /public_html/ folder.

Then, you can right-click the .htaccess file and select ‘Edit.’

Just add the 301 redirect code directly and save the file. Again, be sure to download the original .htaccess file for backup to be safe.

We hope this beginner’s guide to creating WordPress redirects helped you set up redirects on your site. You may also want to check out our guide on how to start a WordPress blog the right way, or see our list of the best email marketing services for small business.

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