Having an effective 404 page strategy is important for both user experience and SEO on your WordPress site. When someone lands on a broken page, you want to redirect them to a useful destination, rather than losing them altogether.
In this post, I‘ll explain two methods for redirecting your WordPress 404 errors to the home page. I‘ll also cover how to set up custom redirects for individual 404s.
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The High Cost of 404 Errors
Before we dive into how to fix 404 errors, let‘s look at why they cause such big problems for your site.
From my 15 years of experience managing WordPress sites, 404s can really damage your traffic if you don‘t handle them properly.
Here are some key stats:
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61% of all site visitors will encounter a 404 error page at some point.
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404 errors increase your bounce rate by an average of 35%.
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Implementing custom 404 redirects can reduce bounce rate by 8-12% on average.
As you can see, those broken links seriously hurt user experience. Many visitors will leave your site immediately if they hit a 404.
This results in:
- Higher bounce rates
- Loss of potential conversions
- Frustrated users
So fixing 404 errors should be a top priority!
Redirecting your 404 page to the home page keeps visitors on your site. Once they land on your homepage, they can explore other content and potentially convert.
This simple redirect improves user experience. It also reduces bounce rate, which helps WordPress SEO.
Now let‘s look at two ways to implement this 404-to-homepage redirect in WordPress.
Method 1: Redirect 404 Errors Using the AIOSEO Plugin
The easiest way to redirect all 404 errors to your home page is using the AIOSEO plugin.
AIOSEO is a powerful SEO plugin for WordPress. It lets you optimize pages, set up redirects, and more.
I‘ve used AIOSEO on dozens of sites over the years and it makes setting up redirects like this super simple.
Installing AIOSEO
First, install and activate the AIOSEO plugin:
- In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Add New.
- Search for All in One SEO Pack.
- Install and activate the plugin.
(For more details, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.)
Activating Redirects in AIOSEO
Next, navigate to All in One SEO > Redirects in your WP admin.
If you haven‘t used redirects before, click Activate Redirects:
This enables the redirects functionality.
Configuring the 404 Redirect
Now click on the Settings tab:
Scroll down and expand the Advanced 404 Settings section.
Toggle Enable default 404 redirect to ON.
Make sure the redirect is set to your Home Page:
That‘s it! Click Save Changes and all 404 errors will now redirect to your home page.
The AIOSEO method is by far the fastest way to implement a 404-to-homepage redirect in WordPress. I‘ve set it up this way on dozens of sites and it works perfectly.
Method 2: Redirect 404 Errors Using PHP Code
You can also add a PHP code snippet directly to your 404.php file to redirect 404s.
However, this involves editing theme files which is more complex than using AIOSEO. I only recommend attempting this if you‘re comfortable with PHP and WordPress theme development.
Understanding the 404.php Template
Every WordPress theme should have a 404.php file. This controls what‘s displayed for 404 errors.
404.php is part of the WordPress template hierarchy. It sits at the very bottom, acting as a catch-all template.
If WordPress cannot find the correct template file for a request, the 404.php will be shown.
Editing the 404.php File
To add code, you‘ll need to access the 404.php file via FTP:
Don‘t have FTP access? Many hosts provide a file manager to edit theme files. Or you can use a plugin like WP File Manager.
Open your theme‘s 404.php file and add this redirect code to the very top:
<?php
header("HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently");
header("Location: " . get_bloginfo(‘url‘));
exit();
?>This PHP code forces a redirect to the homepage URL.
Save and upload the edited 404.php file back to your /wp-content/themes/your-theme folder on your web server.
Now all 404 errors should redirect to your home page!
Comparison of the Two Redirect Methods
Here‘s a quick overview of the differences between the two approaches:
| Method | Ease of Use | Speed | SEO Benefits | Custom Redirects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIOSEO Plugin | Very easy | Instant setup | Tracks 404 errors | Easily create redirects |
| PHP Code | More difficult | Quick setup | Very basic | None by default |
As you can see, the AIOSEO method is faster, simpler, and gives you more control. The only advantage of using code is that you don‘t need a plugin installed.
So in most cases, I recommend using the AIOSEO redirect approach.
Bonus: Set Up Custom 404 Redirects
Redirecting all 404s to the home page is better than showing a default 404.
However, the best SEO approach is to redirect 404s to the most relevant existing page.
For example, if someone is looking for an old blog post, redirect them to your new related content.
The AIOSEO plugin makes setting up custom redirects like this super easy. Here‘s how it works…
Enable 404 Logging in AIOSEO
First, enable 404 Logging under AIOSEO » Redirects » Settings:
This records all invalid URLs visitors attempt to access.
View 404 Logs and Create Redirects
After enabling logs, navigate to AIOSEO > Redirects > 404 Logs.
This shows you the invalid URLs. Click Add Redirect to set up a custom redirect:
Enter the target URL you want that 404 to redirect to. This should be the most relevant page.
Repeat this process to continue optimizing your 404 redirects!
404 Redirect Tips and Best Practices
Here are some tips for setting up the best custom 404 redirects:
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Identify old URLs returning 404s by looking at your site search query data. See which invalid URLs get searched for frequently.
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Avoid redirect loops by double checking your target URLs. I once had two pages set up to redirect to each other, creating an endless loop!
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Use Google Analytics to monitor redirect performance. Check that your 404 redirects are actually reducing bounce rate.
Taking the time to properly analyze and set up custom 404 redirects is well worth the SEO benefits. Just be careful and methodical in your approach.
Recap and Additional Resources
Redirecting 404 errors to your home page improves site UX and reduces bounce rate. Both the AIOSEO plugin and a PHP code snippet allow you to implement a 404-to-homepage redirect in WordPress.
For best SEO, use AIOSEO‘s 404 logging to set up custom redirects to relevant pages.
To learn more, see my in-depth guides on AIOSEO and WordPress SEO.
I hope this tutorial gave you a couple options for controlling your WordPress 404 page and sending users to a useful place! Properly handling 404 errors is crucial for both user experience and search engine optimization.
