By Mehdi HassanWebflow handles redirects at the hosting level, so you don't need a plugin or code. That makes simple redirects easy and large migrations manageable, as long as you understand how the rules, patterns and limits work. This guide covers single redirects, bulk imports and pattern rules step by step. It is part of our website migration SEO checklist, which covers everything else a migration needs.
How do you add 301 redirects in Webflow?
You add 301 redirects in Webflow from Site settings, in the Publishing tab, under the 301 redirects section. Enter the old path, enter the destination, add the rule and publish the site to make it live.
Open Site settings
From the Webflow dashboard, open the site's settings, not the Designer.
Go to the Publishing tab
Scroll to the 301 redirects section.
Enter the old path
Type the path only, starting with a slash, such as /old-pricing. Don't include the domain.
Enter the redirect target
Type the new path, such as /pricing, or a full URL if it goes to another domain.
Add the redirect
Click the add button to save the rule to the list.
Publish the site
Redirects only apply after you publish to your domain. Publish to every domain you use.
Test it
Open the old URL in a private window and check that it lands on the new page, then confirm the 301 status with a header checker.
If you are not sure when a 301 is the right choice versus other redirect types, our plain-English guide to what a 301 redirect is explains it.
How do Webflow wildcard redirects work?
Webflow wildcard redirects use pattern matching with capture groups. You put part of the old path in parentheses with a pattern, and reference what it matched in the destination with %1, %2 and so on.
This is the tool for URL families. If your blog moves from /blog to /articles and the slugs stay the same, one rule replaces every post. The pattern (.+) means any characters after this point, and %1 inserts whatever matched.
Goal | Old path | Redirect to |
|---|---|---|
Move a whole folder | /blog/(.+) | /articles/%1 |
Drop a date from post URLs | /blog/\d{4}/\d{2}/(.+) | /blog/%1 |
Rename a CMS collection path | /case-studies/(.+) | /customers/%1 |
Send old tag pages to the index | /tag/(.+) | /blog |
Keep two parts of a path | /docs/(.+)/(.+) | /help/%1/%2 |
Pattern support follows regular-expression rules, so test each pattern on a few real URLs before relying on it. Put specific one-to-one rules in place for important pages that don't follow the pattern, such as a post whose slug changed during the move.
Why the date pattern needs care
Old WordPress URLs often include dates, such as /blog/2023/05/post-name. A pattern that matches four digits, then two digits, then the slug strips the date and keeps the slug. It only works if every slug stayed the same. If you rewrote slugs during the migration, the pattern sends visitors to pages that don't exist.
Check a sample of 20 old URLs against the new site before trusting any pattern. When slugs changed, use one-to-one rows from your redirect map for those posts and let the pattern catch only the rest.
How do you bulk import Webflow redirects from a CSV?
For migrations, bulk import Webflow redirects from a CSV file instead of typing them one by one. Build the CSV from your redirect map with two columns, the old path and the new path, then import it in the 301 redirects section.
- Build or open your redirect map and filter to the rows you want as one-to-one rules.
- Export a CSV with the old path and the new path, paths only for internal destinations.
- Check the current column format in Webflow's help center, since import formats change.
- Import the file in the 301 redirects section and review the rule list for errors.
- Publish, then test the whole list with a bulk status checker.
If you are moving content into Webflow at the same time, the CMS import has its own pitfalls; our guide to importing a CSV into Webflow CMS covers rich text and images. Moving away from Webflow instead? Start with exporting Webflow CMS content and the Webflow to Framer migration guide.
What are the limits on Webflow redirects?
Webflow documents practical limits on how many redirects a site should carry, and very long lists can affect performance. The fix is to use pattern rules for URL families and keep one-to-one rows for pages with traffic or links.
Exact numbers change, so check Webflow's current help documentation before a large migration, especially on Enterprise sites with thousands of legacy URLs. A few other limits are worth knowing:
- Paths, not domains. The old path is always a path on this site. Redirecting a whole old domain happens at the old domain's DNS or host.
- Order matters with patterns. A broad pattern can catch URLs you meant to handle with a specific rule, so test both.
- Query strings. Redirects match on the path; plan separately for URLs whose meaning depends on parameters.
- Publishing. Rules saved but not published do nothing.
Pros
- No plugin or code needed
- Pattern rules cover whole URL families
- Bulk import speeds up migrations
- Runs at the hosting level, so it's fast
Cons
- Long rule lists can get hard to manage
- Patterns need careful testing
- No built-in report of redirect hits
- Old-domain redirects must be set elsewhere
How do you test Webflow redirects?
Test Webflow redirects by running every old URL through a bulk status checker or a crawler in list mode after publishing. Each should return a single 301 to a page that returns 200 and matches the intended destination.
Look for three problems: 404s where a redirect is missing, chains where an old URL redirects to another redirect, and wrong destinations where a pattern caught too much. Fix the rule in Webflow and in your redirect sheet, so the two stay in sync. Then check Search Console over the following weeks for pages reported as not found. If you're coming from Wix, our Wix to Webflow migration guide lists the Wix URL patterns to test, and if you also run a Framer site, see redirects in Framer.
When should you use Webflow redirects in a redesign?
Use Webflow redirects in a redesign whenever a page's URL changes, a page is merged into another or a page is removed but has an equivalent. If the URL stays the same, you don't need a redirect, even if the design changes completely.
Redesigns often change URLs without anyone noticing: a services page becomes solutions, a case-study collection is renamed, a blog moves to a resources hub. Before the redesign goes live, compare the old and new sitemaps and add a rule for every URL that disappears. Our guide to building a redirect map for a redesign walks through it.
