What is a Redirect?
A redirect, URL redirection, or URL forwarding, is a technique for sending visitors from one URL to another.
It is common for site owners to move content around or change their permalink structure. Since the site owners can’t inform everyone of the change, they create a redirect instead.
When visitors land on the old URL, they are automatically sent to the new URL. This process of sending the visitor from one URL to another is called a redirect.
Redirects happen so fast that most visitors don’t even realize they have been redirected. Without a redirect, the visitor will encounter a 404 Not Found error if the old content is not available anymore.
Redirects can be done for other reasons, including protecting the visitor’s privacy, for navigation purposes, or to save bandwidth and load a piece of content soon for a visitor.