How to Create and Manage URL Redirects in HubSpot?

If your business’s revenue depends completely on your website’s performance, outdated URLs and broken links can have huge negative impacts. Whether you’re updating content or migrating to a new domain, the challenge of ensuring a smooth transition while maintaining SEO standards is real. Alongside this, effectively tracking your URLs is an integral part of managing a successful website.

Don’t worry if you have no clue how to handle this challenge – because in this blog, I’ll tell you everything you need about URL redirects in HubSpot. 

What are URL Redirects?

URL redirects in HubSpot happen when a URL redirects your domain’s visitors to a different web address. You can direct your domain name to any web page or website that is available online. This process uses status codes from the HTTP protocol to function.

Why are URL Redirects in HubSpot Important?

Redirects in HubSpot play a very important role for any professional or business owner:

• Increases and contributes to the user experience because your users are not redirected to broken links or duplicated content.
• Ensure better traffic from an outdated URL to a new one when the original URL is no longer in use. 
• Transfers authority to a new page where all the new backlinks have been directed.

When Should You Use URL Redirects in HubSpot? 

Here are some scenarios when you should redirect the URLs:

• Modifying URLs by adding parent pages and category tags
• Merging two or more web pages with duplicate content. 
• Deleting a webpage. 
• Switching to your website from HTTP to HTTPS. 
• Changing the URL of a webpage. 
• Transferring your website to a new domain. 

How to Create and Manage URL Redirects in HubSpot?

i) To include a new URL redirect:

1. Go to your HubSpot account and select the settings icon in the main navigation bar.
2. From the left sidebar menu, navigate to Content > Domains & URLs.
3. Click on the URL Redirects tab.
4. Hit the Add URL redirect button in the upper right corner.
5. Choose either the Standard or Flexible redirect type; Standard redirects one URL to another, while Flexible updates URLs based on structure.
6. Input the full URL or URL path you want to redirect in the Original URL field.
7. Enter the URL of the page you want the original URL to redirect to in the Redirect to field. Ensure to include http:// or https:// for external pages not hosted on HubSpot.
8. Click Add URL redirect to finalize.

ii) To manage URL redirects:

1. On the URL Redirects dashboard, use the Display dropdown menu to filter redirects based on their creation method (Manual or System).
2. To view redirects a specific user creates, utilize the Created by dropdown menu.
3. To search for a specific redirect, use the search bar and input a URL or part of a URL from either the Original URL or Redirect to fields.
4. To download all redirects in CSV format, click Export in the upper right corner.
5. Customize the displayed fields by clicking the Switch columns in the upper right corner.
6. To edit or delete a redirect, use the Actions dropdown menu or select the checkboxes next to the redirects and use the corresponding buttons at the top of the table.

iii) For advanced options customization:

1. While creating or editing a URL redirect, click More Options.
2. Set the Redirect style: choose between Permanent (301), Temporary (302), or Proxy.
3. Adjust the Priority setting if needed.
4. Decide whether to Match query strings, Ignore trailing slash, Ignore protocol, or Disable redirect if a page exists at the redirected URL.
5. Explain the redirect creation if necessary.
6. Click the Update URL redirect to save changes.

Best Practices for URL Redirects in HubSpot

These are the best practices that you need to follow if you want to maximize the contributions of URL redirects in HubSpot: 

• 301 Redirects: If you change a URL permanently, you should use a 301 redirect. It helps signal the search engines that the page has been moved permanently, promoting updating their indexing and the transfer of link equity to the new URL. 
• Regular Audit: It’s important to monitor your redirects and follow significant website updates. This will help you identify and rectify ineffective redirects or broken links that might affect your SEO or user experience.
• Consistent URL Structure: A logical URL structure helps manage redirects, improves your website’s overall SEO, and helps users understand the site architecture better.
• Site Performance and SEO: Regularly monitor the impact of redirects on your site’s rankings and load times. Enhancing site performance with HubSpot’s custom properties can be key to a more personalized user experience and effective URL management.
• 302 Redirects: If a temporary change, such as a temporary content relocation, occurs, you can use a 302 redirect. This helps to inform the search engine that the page is not the original.
• Post-implementation Checks: Once you have implemented the redirects, it is important to start testing and ensuring that they are working as intended. This helps you catch and fix errors immediately that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Mastering URL redirects in HubSpot is crucial for maintaining a robust online presence and ensuring a seamless user experience. By understanding the what, why, and when of URL redirects and diligently following the step-by-step guide to creating and managing them in HubSpot, you can effectively avoid the pitfalls of broken links and outdated URLs. 

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