Introduction
URL redirects are an essential tool for maintaining SEO value, protecting user experience, and keeping your site clean when content or structure changes. In Newsifier, we handle many redirects automatically — for example, when you change an article's slug or after a site migration. However, there are situations where you'll need to request custom redirects (for example, after a domain consolidation, when retiring old articles, or when migrating from an older site structure).
This article explains when custom redirects are needed, the two types Newsifier supports, how to prepare your redirect list, and how to submit it to our team.
What is a URL Redirect?
A URL redirect automatically forwards a visitor (and search engines) from one URL to another. The most common type is a 301 (permanent) redirect, which:
Tells Google that a page has permanently moved to a new URL.
Passes SEO value (link equity) from the old URL to the new one.
Ensures visitors who click old links still reach the right content instead of a 404 error page.
Tip: If you're seeing many "Page with Redirect" or "Not Found (404)" entries in Google Search Console, these articles explain what they mean: Understand "Page with Redirect" in Google Search Console and Understand "Not Found (404)" in Google Search Console.
When Do You Need Custom Redirects?
Newsifier already handles several redirect cases automatically:
When you change an article's slug, the old URL automatically redirects to the new one.
When you change a tag slug, a redirect is created automatically (with the Add Redirect toggle enabled by default).
During a site migration, our team creates 301 redirects for all old pages to their new counterparts.
However, you will need to request custom redirects in these situations:
Consolidating old domains: You own a domain that is no longer in use and want to forward all its traffic and SEO value to your main site. For example, merging several regional domains into one after a brand consolidation.
Municipality or region renames: When a town, city, or region name changes (for example, through administrative mergers), old URLs containing the former name need to point to the new location's page.
Retired articles or sections: When you delete an article or an entire section and want visitors and search engines to land on a relevant replacement page (the homepage, a category page, or a related article) instead of a 404.
Cleaning up old URLs from a previous CMS: After your migration completes, you might discover old URL patterns that weren't covered by the automatic redirect rules and need to be added manually.
External redirects: Redirecting a Newsifier URL to a destination outside your site (for example, a partner's page or an archived resource on another domain).
Two Types of Redirects
When preparing your request, you'll organize redirects into two groups:
1. Internal Redirects
Both the source and destination URLs are on the same Newsifier website.
Example: https://yoursite.com/old-category/retired-article redirects to https://yoursite.com/new-category/current-article
2. External Redirects
The source URL is on your Newsifier site, but the destination is on a different domain.
Example: https://yoursite.com/old-page redirects to https://partner-site.com/landing-page
Keep these two groups separate because we use different CSV templates for each.
How to Request URL Redirects
Custom redirects cannot be added from the admin panel — they need to be handled by the Newsifier support team. The process is straightforward:
Prepare your redirect list in a CSV file using the format described below. If you have both internal and external redirects, prepare two separate CSV files.
Email the file(s) to [email protected], or attach them to an existing conversation in the chat. In your message, include:
The name of the website the redirects apply to.
A short note explaining the reason for the redirects (e.g. "retiring old regional domain", "renaming a category", "cleaning up post-migration URLs"). This helps us validate the request.
We'll confirm the scope and timing. For larger redirect lists, we'll share a short effort estimate before proceeding. Small batches are typically completed within one business day.
We'll notify you once the redirects are live so you can verify them from your end.
📌 Note: Setting up custom redirects is a premium service and may incur additional costs depending on the volume. For small batches this is usually minimal; for large bulk requests, we'll share an estimate in advance.
CSV File Format
The CSV uses a simple two-column structure: source URL and destination URL. Use full URLs including https://. Don't include quotes, trailing slashes (unless they're actually part of the URL), or extra whitespace.
Tip: If you'd prefer to work from the exact template files (internal-sample.csv and external-sample.csv), just ask the support team in your first message and we'll send them as attachments.
What Happens After the Redirects Go Live
Once we confirm the redirects are implemented, there are a few things to expect:
Caching may delay the first result. If you (or a visitor) already opened the old URL recently, it might still be cached in your browser or in Cloudflare for a short period. If the first click after implementation doesn't redirect correctly, try again after a minute, or test in an incognito window. After caches refresh, the redirect will work for everyone on every request.
Google Search Console will update gradually. It can take days or weeks for Google to re-crawl the redirected URLs and reflect the change in its index. You may temporarily see an increase in "Page with Redirect" entries in GSC — this is normal and indicates that Google has found the redirects and is following them correctly.
SEO value transfers with 301 redirects. Since we use permanent (301) redirects, link equity from the old URL is passed to the new destination, helping to preserve rankings.
Best Practices When Preparing Redirects
Redirect to the most relevant destination. A redirect to a related article or category is better than a redirect to the homepage. Google and visitors both prefer landing on content that matches the original intent.
Avoid redirect chains. If URL A already redirects to URL B, don't create a new redirect from A to C. Instead, update the existing rule so A goes directly to C. Chains slow down crawling and dilute SEO value.
Check for loops. Make sure no URL in your list redirects back to a URL that eventually points to itself.
Keep your list focused. Only include URLs that actually exist on the old site and have meaningful destinations. Redirects for pages that were never indexed or never received traffic add maintenance overhead without benefit.
Group related requests. Rather than sending redirects in small batches over several weeks, try to compile them into one CSV per project. This is faster for us to implement and easier for you to track.
FAQs
Can I add redirects myself from the admin panel?
Answer: Not for custom URL redirects. Newsifier handles slug-change redirects and tag-slug redirects automatically in the CMS (see the Tag Manager article for tag slug redirects), but any other custom redirect needs to be implemented by our team to ensure it's applied safely across caching layers and doesn't conflict with existing rules.
How long does it take?
Answer: Small batches (up to a few dozen redirects) are typically implemented within one business day of receiving the CSV. For larger requests, we'll share an estimate when we confirm the scope. After implementation, caches can take a few minutes to a couple of hours to fully refresh.
Is there a cost?
Answer: Setting up custom redirects is a premium service. For small batches the effort is minimal, but for large bulk requests we'll share an estimate before proceeding so there are no surprises.
Do I need redirects after my Newsifier migration?
Answer: During migration, we automatically create 301 redirects from all old URLs to their new counterparts. You only need to request custom redirects afterwards if you discover old URL patterns that weren't covered, or if you're consolidating additional domains or retiring content. See the Launch Day Checklist for more on what's handled automatically.
The redirect isn't working on my first try — what's wrong?
Answer: This is almost always a caching issue. Try again after a minute or test in an incognito window. If the redirect still doesn't work after that, contact support with the specific URL so we can investigate.
Can I redirect a URL to a page on another website?
Answer: Yes. These are called external redirects and use a separate CSV template. Use them when you want to forward traffic from your Newsifier site to a different domain.
How do I check that my redirects are actually working?
Answer: The quickest way is to open the old URL in an incognito window and confirm you land on the destination. For larger lists, tools like Screaming Frog or a simple online redirect checker can verify the HTTP status (should be301) and confirm the final destination URL for each entry in your CSV.
Conclusion
Custom URL redirects are a powerful tool for preserving SEO value and protecting user experience when your site evolves. While they can't be added self-serve from the admin panel, the request process is simple: prepare a CSV with your source and destination URLs, send it to [email protected], and we'll handle the rest. Keeping your redirects clean, direct, and purposeful will help your site stay healthy in search engines and keep your visitors on the right path.