How to setup 301 redirects for BigCommerce store?

If you are looking for the answer to enhance your website’s performance and provide your customers with a better shopping experience, then you have come to the right place.

There are reasons explaining the popularity of 301 redirects among eCommerce retailers. And all of them will be discovered in today’s article. We will inform you about the definition plus functions of them and more importantly, a tutorial on How to set up BigCommerce 301 redirects.

No more beating around the bush, let’s get started!

What are BigCommerce 301 redirects?

According to BigCommerce, 301 redirects is a critical feature of any Web-based enterprise. Up to the present, it is considered as one of the most effective and SEO-friendly strategies where ole URL links will be replaced by new and more efficient ones.

More specifically, referring users who have already typed in an outdated domain name (or URL link) will be redirected to a new position of the same site using BigCommerce 301 redirects. This little technique helps customers continue to search for an online store even it has been re-positioned on the Web.

Here is an example, in the past, your store was located on the page of http://mystore.com/my-old-page but now has been transferred to a new link http://mystore.com/my-new-page and BigCommerce 301 redirects will ensure that all the customers entering to your previous address will automatically be redirected to the current page. In this way, you will no longer have to be afraid of losing your consumers!

Advantages of using BigCommerce 301 redirects

Below is the list of benefits that BigCommerce 301 redirects will bring to your online business. And for sure, you do not want to miss out on it!

• Better customer experience: it is stated that website operators who use 301 redirects can have the ability to ensure their users enjoy a good experience while shopping at their stores because this feature makes it easier to approach the front page.
• Evaluate SEO results: BigCommerce 301 redirects also work as a notification telling search engines that your website has not been altered in the short term. Moreover, good usage of 301 redirects helps your store’s rankings and user satisfaction increase on search engine tools.

On the basis mentioned above, acknowledge the utility of BigCommerce 301 redirects will let both businesses and webmasters keep their sites relevant, especially when it comes to the long-term goals.

How to set up 301 redirects for your BigCommerce store?

If you have made up your mind and decided to update BigCommerce 301 redirects setting for your store, this section was born for you. We have divided the guidance of How to set up 301 redirects for your BigCommerce business into small and simple steps so that everyone can follow:

Step 1: Adding 301 redirects

At your BigCommerce Dashboard, look for the Server Settings page on the left side of your screen:

Go to “301 Redirects”, and then you will see a button saying “Add direct” next to the trash can icon.

Step 2: Adjusting URL link

Once you click on it, your old URL link will appear underneath; all you have to do is add “/” before and after your domain name, just like the image:

The URLs following the domain name should also be inserted. For instance, from /my-old-page/, you can extend it into something like /category/old-category.html

Last but not least, remember to “Save” your changes, or you have to start over again.

Step 3: Setting up manually or dynamically

Next to the old URL fill-in boxes, you must choose the type of redirect, either Manual or Dynamic: Manual link: just like its name, if you want to update a new URL link, you must change the BigCommerce 301 redirects by yourself through the whole process.

• Dynamic link: you may use this redirect type to specify groups, products, brands, blog posts, or webpage that your consumer was supposed to enter. BigCommerce 301 redirects will automatically make changes if there are any differences happened.

If you chose the first option, then there is a box asking online merchants to fill in their new URL links:

On the other hand, if Dynamic link was your choice of preference, you have to click on “Click here to choose a product, category, brand or webpage”:

Then, select the most suitable category of products for your store to continue. And, don’t forget to “Insert link” to save your changes:

Additional set up relating to BigCommerce 301 redirects

Besides setting up BigCommerce 301 redirects for your online business, there are few other additional settings you might need to know when it comes to this feature.

Deleting BigCommerce 301 redirects

At your BigCommerce > 301 Redirects site, you will see a blue Trash can icon next to the “Add Redirect…” button. Click on it and then tick on the checkbox next to the link you want to delete:

Be careful, there is no pop-up site asking for your confirmation before getting rid of any redirected link!

Bulk importing through BigCommerce 301 redirects

BigCommerce 301 redirects are only feasible when you import a bulk of products. If you can use the 301 redirects importing function to add new URLs, it is impossible to use with the aim to update or edit available URL links in place. If you have a lot of redirection rules in your BigCommerce store at the moment, please export and uninstall them before taking the following measures.

Bulk importing using BigCommerce 301 redirects involves two CSV files: one with the original URL and another with the modified URLs. Feel free to copy the sample CSV below for your own personal use:

Also, at your Server Settings > 301 Redirects, click on the “Bulk import” button:

Then drag the CSV file from your device to the box. If this file includes headers for either your old or new URL links, select “This file contains headers”.

The final step is to “Import” your products using BigCommerce 301 Redirects. When the import has finished, BigCommerce 301 Redirects will reopen your website with the most recent updates.

Exporting BigCommerce 301 redirects

If you want to export any of those customized links, check on the checkboxes next to them and then choose “Export these redirects”.

After that, click on the “Default” button written in the box and “Continue” as below:

Now, you will receive a pop-up site on your screen requiring the confirmation, just select “Export my redirects to a CSV file”. BigCommerce will begin to generate your links into the file, if they are finished, please click “Download my Redirects file”, and you are good to go!

Final thoughts

BigCommerce 301 redirects might contribute a great deal to your customer experience as well as boosting your store’s total profits. Knowing the best ways to use them would fasten the process even more.

We hope that this article has successfully cleared your thoughts on How to set up BigCommerce 301 redirects for online businesses and helped you to enjoy the journey!