# How to Create Redirect Links in WordPress

You create redirect links in WordPress with **Link Manager Pro** by mapping a **custom slug on your domain** to a **destination URL**. Open **Link Manager Pro → Links → Add New**, paste the destination, set the slug (for example **`go/sale`**), pick **301**, **302**, or **307**, and save. Visitors who hit **`yoursite.com/go/sale`** land on something like **`https://shop.example.com/spring-sale?ref=you`**. You can add a password, limit active dates, forward query strings, and branch traffic with conditional rules. **301** marks a permanent move and passes link equity; **302** suits temporary promos; **307** matches **302** but keeps **POST** as **POST** for forms and APIs.

## The problem

Raw long URLs look ugly in email and social posts, and you cannot change the destination later without editing every placement. Plain WordPress does not give you a single place to manage slugs, HTTP status codes, schedules, and routing logic for outbound hops.

## The solution

Link Manager Pro treats each managed link as a **redirect**: your branded path on your site forwards to the real target. You control the HTTP semantics, timing, and optional gates from the admin UI.

### Redirect types you choose

- **301 Permanent** — Search engines treat the short URL as the canonical hop to the destination long-term. Use this for stable affiliate or partner URLs you expect to keep.
- **302 Temporary** — Signals a short-lived move; the original URL stays more prominent in search indexes. Use this for flash sales and seasonal pages.
- **307 Temporary** — Like **302**, but intermediaries preserve the HTTP method. Use this when submissions or API clients must not turn **POST** into **GET**.

### Extra capabilities

- **Password protection** — Visitors enter a password before the redirect runs.
- **Scheduling** — You set **`active_from`** and **`expires_at`** so the slug only works inside that window.
- **Parameter forwarding** — Query parameters on the masked URL carry through to the destination.
- **Conditional routing** — You send clicks to different destinations by country, cumulative click count, or date range (see the conditional rules feature docs).

*How a masked slug on your domain resolves to the final destination through Link Manager Pro.*

## Step-by-step: create a redirect link

1. Go to **Link Manager Pro → Links → Add New**.
2. Enter the **destination URL**.
3. Set the **slug** (for example **`go/sale`**).
4. Choose the **redirect type**: **301**, **302**, or **307**.
5. Optionally set a **password**, **schedule**, and **parameter forwarding**, and configure **conditional routing** if you need split destinations.
6. **Save**.

## When to use which type

Pick **301** for permanent affiliate or evergreen partner links where you want equity to consolidate on the destination. Pick **302** for temporary promotions you plan to retire or swap. Pick **307** when method preservation matters—think checkout callbacks, form posts, or API clients that must not downgrade to **GET**.

## Password, schedule, and parameters in practice

**Password protection** helps when you share a hop in a private community or a paid cohort: only people who know the passphrase reach the merchant page. **Scheduling** fits coupon windows and launch sequences—you set **`active_from`** when the deal goes live and **`expires_at`** when the slug should stop resolving, which beats editing posts at midnight. **Parameter forwarding** matters when you append tracking on the short URL (for example **`?src=ig`**) and you need those keys to survive on the final landing page for your partner’s reporting. Pair forwarding with **UTM templates** when you also run campaign analytics.

## Conditional routing at a glance

When a single slug should send US clicks to one merchant path and EU clicks to another, you lean on **conditional routing** instead of maintaining two public URLs. You still measure totals on the short link, but each segment lands on the right regional offer. The same idea applies when you cap a bonus URL after N clicks or switch destinations mid-campaign—configure those splits in the conditional rules UI and retest with a private browser session before you broadcast the link.

## Verify before you ship

After you save, open the short URL in an incognito window and confirm the status code, final address bar, and any forwarded query keys. If you use a cache plugin or CDN, purge caches so visitors do not see stale destinations. When you change a live **301** target, expect search engines to relearn the mapping over time; document the old destination if partners audit historical hops.

*The link editor ties your public slug to the outbound URL and HTTP status.*

## Related

- [Link masking](https://docs.linkmanagerpro.com/features/link-masking)
- [Conditional rules](https://docs.linkmanagerpro.com/features/conditional-rules)
- [Creating links](https://docs.linkmanagerpro.com/user-guide/creating-links)