A redirect sends visitors (and search engines) from one URL to another automatically — essential after renaming a page, merging sites, or switching domains, so old links and bookmarks don’t just 404.
Creating a redirect in cPanel
- Go to Domains > Redirects.
- Choose the domain, then enter the path you want to redirect (e.g.
/old-page). - Enter the destination URL it should go to.
- Choose Permanent (301) or Temporary (302).
- Decide whether to redirect www and non-www the same way, and whether to redirect the exact path only or the whole directory (wildcard).
301 vs 302 — why it matters
A 301 tells browsers and search engines the move is permanent — search engines transfer the old page’s ranking signal to the new URL, and browsers/cache the redirect, so use this for anything you don’t intend to reverse. A 302 signals a temporary move — ranking stays with the original URL, and it isn’t cached the same way. Using 302 for a permanent change is a common SEO mistake that leaves ranking “stuck” on the old, no-longer-canonical URL.
When to use .htaccess directly instead
cPanel’s Redirects tool is really just a friendly interface that writes rules into your domain’s .htaccess file. For simple one-to-one redirects it’s the easiest option; for pattern-based redirects (e.g. every URL under /blog/2019/ redirecting to a new structure), editing .htaccess directly with a RewriteRule gives you the regex flexibility cPanel’s UI doesn’t expose.
Testing a redirect
Use a redirect-checker tool or your browser’s network tab to confirm the status code is what you expect (301/302) and that it lands on the correct final URL — and clear your own browser cache when testing, since 301 redirects are cached aggressively and a browser may keep following an old rule even after you’ve changed it.