Link Redirects

There may come a time when a unit needs to redirect a web address to point to a new web address. Redirects are commonly used when:

  • updating outdated URLs after a website redesign;
  • merging content from two pages (or two websites) into one;
  • fixing broken links;
  • shortening URLs;
  • managing campaign tracking.

For example, when reorganizing website content or migrating from one content management system to another, the page URLs may change. If the original link was previously shared or may have been bookmarked, audiences won’t be able to find the page at the new location. Link redirects are added into the website to point visitors looking for the original URL to the new location. 

Note: Redirecting links presents implications for analytics. For example, if a story page headline and URL changed and a redirect was added to point visitors with the original URL to the new URL, there would be an impact on the traffic volumes. Take care with your analytic reporting if redirects are at play. 

Types of Redirects

A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect. This tells browsers and search engines that the URL has permanently moved and passes along nearly all search engine optimization value from the old URL to the new URL.

A 302 redirect is a temporary redirect. This indicates a temporary move and does not pass along full search engine optimization value. 
In most cases, 301 redirects will be used. 

Simple redirects are page-to-page. The redirect points the old URL to a new URL. 
More complicated redirects are created using a regular expression, or regex, based on rules for URLs following distinct patterns. These are used to map sets of URLs following specific URL patterns, such as all news pages or all pages within a subdirectory. 

Creating Redirects

Sitecore users with appropriate permissions can add simple one-to-one redirects directly within Sitecore XM Cloud. To add a redirect within the same site, such as when fixing a broken link due to a page move, follow the instructions below.

In Content Editor:

  1. Expand the MSU node and locate the website.
  2. Expand the Settings folder.
  3. Expand the page where the redirect should be added. 

Examples: All URLs for these examples are fictional. 

 

If redirecting a top-level page, add the redirect at the Home node. For example, if redirecting dxstudio.msu.edu/people to dxstudio.msu.edu/staff, the redirect must be added under Home in the Content Tree.

 

If redirecting a page deeper in the website, navigate to and expand the node where the redirect will reside. For example, if redirecting dxstudio.msu.edu/social-media/twitter to dxstudio.msu.edu/social-media/x, the redirect must be added under Social Media in the Content Tree. 

  1. Right-click on the page where the redirect should be added. Click Insert and Redirect.
  2. Name the item with the old URL path ending (i.e., all content following the final backslash). 

Examples:

For the top-level page redirect example above, the redirect is added under the “home” node and called “people.” 

For the deeper redirect example above, the redirect is added under the “social-media” node and is called “twitter.” 

  1. Click Insert Link and choose the page the redirect should now point to.
  2. Click Save.
  3. Publish the redirect. Navigate to the Publish tab in the navigation ribbon, click Publish and Publish item.
  4. Publish the Home node to trigger a reindex of the site. Important: Uncheck “Publish subitems” and “Publish related items” when publishing the Home node. 

If a user is unable to add redirects and believes it may be a permissions issue, please email Comms.WebSupport@msu.edu to request the UCAM platforms group check the user permissions. 


To add a redirect between two different websites, where both domains will remain active, a user will need to have access to the website where the original (i.e., old) URL resides. 

In Content Editor:

  1. Expand the MSU node and locate the website.
  2. Expand the Settings folder.
  3. Expand the page where the redirect should be added. 

Examples: All URLs for these examples are fictional. 

If redirecting a top-level page, add the redirect at the Home node. For example, if redirecting dxstudio.msu.edu/people to comms.msu.edu/staff, the redirect would be added under Home in the Content Tree for the DX Studio website. 

If redirecting a page deeper in the website, navigate to and expand the node where the redirect will reside. For example, if redirecting ucam.msu.edu/resources/social-media to dxstudio.msu.edu/social-media, the redirect would be added under Resources in the Content Tree on the UCAM website. 

  1. Right-click on the page where the redirect should be added. Click Insert and Redirect.
  2. Name the item with the old URL path ending (i.e., all content following the final backslash). 

Examples

For the top-level page redirect example above, the redirect is added under the “home” node and called “people.” 

For the deeper redirect example above, the redirect is added under the “resources” node and is called “social-media.”

  1. Click Insert External Link and enter the full URL where the redirect should now point to.
  2. Click Save.
  3. Publish the redirect. Navigate to the Publish tab in the navigation ribbon, click Publish and Publish item.
  4. Publish the Home node to trigger a reindex of the site. Important: Uncheck “Publish subitems” and “Publish related items” when publishing the Home node.

If a user is unable to add redirects and believes it may be a permissions issue, please email Comms.WebSupport@msu.edu to request the UCAM platforms group check the user permissions. 


Regex-based redirects should be built by MSU IT. Provide information about the redirects needed and submit a TDX request

There are instances in which an entire website domain is changed, and the old domain must be redirected to another domain. For example, a unit name may change, and the unit’s old website address needs to be redirected to point to a new domain. Alternatively, a website might be absorbed into another website, such as when units combine or when a website related to a program is shut down with the end of the program. 

In any case where a domain will cease to exist and must be redirected to point to a new domain, contact MSU IT. Include information on what URLs should be redirected. 

Things to consider

A 301 redirect should always be used when the move is permanent. This will protect search engine optimization. 

Avoid chains of redirected links (i.e., URL A redirected to URL B redirected to URL C). These slow down performance and impact search engine optimization. 

It is not uncommon for a website that has been around for a long time or that has been migrated through a sequence of content management systems over time to have redirects in place because of technical debt. It’s likely many older redirects are no longer needed. If a webpage has been in place for an extended period at the current URL, it is less likely the old URL will be bookmarked or shared anywhere, and removing the redirect is less likely to negatively impact search engine optimization. 

With larger website migration projects, it can be helpful to track needed redirects using a spreadsheet showing the old URL in one column and the new URL in the next column.

 

Documentation updated: August 8, 2025

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