🎥 Watch the tutorial here: Rank Math SEO Plugin: How to Set Up 404 Monitor and Redirections
1. A Quick Look at Rank Math SEO
Rank Math is an SEO plugin for WordPress that has a lot of features to help site owners improve their content, keep track of how well it's doing, and easily handle technical SEO chores. The 404 Monitor and Redirections Manager are two of its most powerful features. These tools can make a huge difference in the SEO health of your website.2. What are 404 errors, and why do they matter?
When someone tries to reach a page that doesn't exist, they get a 404 error. This might happen because:- Mistyped URLs
- Content was deleted or changed
- Broken links inside and outside the site
Impact on SEO:
- Bad experience for users
- Higher bounce rates
- Crawl effectiveness dropped
- Loss of link value
3. Learn about redirects in SEO
Someone or a search engine crawler can be sent from one URL to another by a transfer. Search engines will be able to see where your information has moved.Types of Redirects:
- 301: Permanent redirect; moves SEO value
- 302: Temporary redirect This is used for repair or testing
- 307 and 308: HTTP default values
- 410: The content is gone for good
4. Rank Math: The Best SEO Add-On
Rank Math is both easy to use and has features that are suitable for large businesses. Some features are:- Checks for on-page SEO
- Markup for schemas
- Management of redirections
- Keep track of 404 errors
- SEO for WooCommerce
5. Setting up Rank Math and activating it
- Click on Plugins and then Add New.
- Find "Rank Math SEO"
- Install and activate
- To set up basic SEO settings, follow the setup process.
Pro Tip:
To get access to more courses, connect a free Rank Math account.
6. A Quick Look at the 404 Monitor Tool
The 404 Monitor keeps track of every broken URL that people or bots try to reach. This shows you things like deleted pages, typos, links that don't work anymore, and bots looking for security holes.It has two modes:
- Simple: It only records URLs that don't work.
- Advanced: Keeps track of referral, user agent, and timestamp
7. How to Turn on and Set Up 404 Monitor
- For the dashboard, go to Rank Math.
- Turn on the 404 Monitor feature.
- Go to Rank Math > 404 Monitor.
- If you want more info, you can switch to Advanced Mode.
- Look over the URLs that were saved.
8. A Closer Look at 404 Logs, Modes, and Insights
Each item in the 404 log has the following:
- Broken URL
- Number of hits
- Referring page
- User agent (browser or bot)
- Timestamp
This information can be used to:
- Find the spam bots
- Find websites and links that aren't working.
- Detect hacked/expired URLs
9. How to Set Up Redirection in Rank Math
- From the Dashboard, turn on the Redirections feature.
- Tap Rank Math and then tap Redirections.
- Press "Add New."
- Set the Source URL (the 404 page).
- Pick the type of reroute (301 is suggested).
- Decide on the destination URL.
- Save the rule
10. Types of Redirects (301, 302, etc.) Spelt Out
| Redirect Type | Use Case | SEO Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 301 | Moved permanently | Preserves link equity |
| 302 | Temporary move | Does not pass full SEO value |
| 307/308 | HTTP standards for 302/301 | Used in RESTful APIs |
| 410 | Content gone forever | Removes from index |
11. Setting up automatic redirects from 404 logs
From the 404 Monitor:
- Click the Redirect icon next to a broken URL
- Add your destination URL
- Choose redirect type
- Save – now the error is fixed and SEO is preserved
12. How Power Users Can Use Regex Redirections
To make bulk reroute rules, use Regular Expressions (RegEx):- Redirect all URLs starting with
/old-posts/to/archive/ - Pattern:
^/old-posts/(.*) - Destination:
/archive/$1
13. How Redirections Are Used in the Real World
- Changing URL structure:
/blog/post-title→/articles/post-title - Consolidating content:
/old-guide→/ultimate-guide - Fixing typos:
/contcat→/contact - Marketing campaigns:
/promo2022→/special-offer
14. The best ways to make redirects SEO-friendly
- For changes that will last, use 301.
- Stay away from redirect loops and links.
- Keep landing pages up and running and optimised.
- Use Search Console to keep an eye on speed after the redirect.
15. Using Analytics to Keep Track of Redirects
When you combine Rank Math with MonsterInsights or Google Analytics, you can:
- Track redirected traffic sources
- Keep an eye on changes to the bounce rate
- Understand user behavior on redirected pages
16. How to Fix 404 and Redirect Problems
Issue: The redirect isn't working?
Get rid of the cache and save the permalinks again.
The problem message says "too many redirects."
Look for reroute loops in Rank Math or.htaccess or fix them.
Problem: Are you still seeing 404s?
Links in menus, content, or apps need to be updated.
17. Performance Considerations
- Do not use too many redirect rules.
- To speed things up, use server-level forwarding.
- Combining links that are similar using RegEx
- Clean up outdated or unused redirection rules
18. Rank Math PRO: More Features for Redirecting
- Import/export redirection rules
- Schedule temporary redirects
- Track redirection stats
- Redirect fallback URLs19. Conclusion and Checklist for Implementation
🎥 Watch the full video tutorial: Rank Math SEO Plugin: How to Set Up 404 Monitor and Redirections
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