When a page's address changes, old links and Google still point to the old address. A 301 redirect sends anyone who uses the old address straight to the new page. A custom 404 page catches every other wrong address with your own page instead of a bare error. Both are built into EverWeb for websites on EverWeb + Hosting. On another host, your host sets them up.
Why it matters
- Your visitors. Without a redirect, an old link opens an error page, or an old copy of the page. Publishing doesn't delete old files from your server, so a renamed page can stay online at its old address. See I deleted a page in EverWeb but it's still online.
- Google. A 301 redirect tells Google the page has moved for good. Over time Google lists the new address instead, and the new page can keep the old page's place. This takes weeks, and nobody can guarantee a position. See Why can't people find my website on Google?
An address changes when you change a page's File Name (in Inspector > Page Settings), move it into a directory, or rebuild your website from another program such as iWeb.
Redirect an old address to a page (EverWeb + Hosting)
You set this up on the new page:
- Open the old address in your browser and copy it from the address bar, such as
https://www.yourdomain.com/old-page.html. - In EverWeb, select the new page in the page list.
- Go to Inspector > Page Settings, open Advanced Options, and find Redirects.
- Paste the full old address into the field.
- Publish.
- Test it: open the old address in a private browser window. You should land on the new page, and the address bar should show the new address.
Good to know:
- Each old address should point to its own matching page. Don't enter your website's main address (your home page address), or you'll redirect your whole website to one page.
- The old address must be on the same domain as your website now.
- Moving a whole domain, or many old addresses? We can set up redirects for you: send us the old and new addresses.
Set up your own 404 page (EverWeb + Hosting)
- Click Add Page and make a short page, such as "Sorry, we can't find that page", with links to your home page and main sections. Keep it light, with no large photos or videos.
- In Inspector > Page Settings, untick Include page in navigation menu, and untick Include page in search engines.
- Choose File > Edit Publishing Settings. Scroll down to Advanced Options and set Not Found Page to your new page.
- Choose File > Publish Entire Site.
- Test it: open
yourdomain.com/no-such-pagein a private window. You should see your page.
Don't choose your home page as the Not Found Page. Automated programs (bots) that guess addresses then keep getting a full page, so they keep going. That uses up your bandwidth. See Bandwidth Limit Exceeded: why my site is offline and what to do.
Website on another host
EverWeb's Redirects and Not Found Page settings only work when you publish to EverWeb + Hosting. On another host, publish your 404 page first so it has an address, then send your host this:
Please set up a permanent (301) redirect from [old address] to [new address].
Please use [address of my 404 page] as my website's custom 404 error page.
Many hosts let you do both in their control panel. Test the redirect again after your next publish.
Common problems
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| The old address still shows the old page | Check you're on EverWeb + Hosting, and that you published after adding the redirect. Test in a private window, as your browser may be showing a saved copy |
| The redirect goes to the wrong page | The old address was entered on the wrong page. Clear the field there and add it to the right page |
| You still see a plain "Not Found" error | Set the Not Found Page again (if one is already selected, select it again), then File > Publish Entire Site |