How to Create a 404 Redirect

When you move a domain name from one content management system (CMS) to another, it’s important to configure 404 redirects. Redirects help search engines understand where your content has moved, ensuring you don’t lose hard-earned Search Engine Optimization (SEO) value when transitioning your website to DecoNetwork.

In this article

• Prerequisites
• Why 404 redirects matter
• Step 1: Generate a sitemap from your old site
• Step 2: Open 404 Redirects in DecoNetwork
• Step 3: Add page-by-page redirects
• Best-practice tips
• Troubleshooting
• FAQs
• Additional Resources

Prerequisites

Why 404 redirects matter

Search engines track page URLs over time. If those URLs suddenly disappear when you move platforms, your site may lose rankings and traffic.

• Preserve SEO value (“SEO juice”) from your old website
• Help search engines understand how pages have moved
• Avoid penalties caused by broken or missing pages
• Ensure visitors land on the correct pages instead of error pages

Step 1: Generate a sitemap from your old site

Start by generating or exporting a sitemap from your previous CMS. This gives you a complete list of URLs that existed on your old website.

Focus on the page paths rather than the full domain. For example:

• /contact
• /about
• /services

Step 2: Open 404 Redirects in DecoNetwork

In your DecoNetwork store, navigate to:

Store Configuration → 404 Redirects

Step 3: Add page-by-page redirects

For each page from your old site, click Add Redirect to create a redirect that points to the equivalent page on your DecoNetwork website.

• 404 Page URL: Enter only the path from the previous site (for example, /contact)
• Redirect To URL: Enter the corresponding path on your DecoNetwork site

This tells search engines: “This page has moved here – don’t penalize us.”

Best-practice tips

• Prioritize high-traffic and high-ranking pages first
• Match page intent, not just page names
• Use consistent URL structures where possible
• Keep a spreadsheet to track completed redirects
• Review redirects after launch to catch missed pages

Troubleshooting

• Pages still showing 404 errors: Confirm the URL path matches exactly, including hyphens and spelling
• Traffic drop after migration: Check that your most important pages are redirected correctly
• Old URLs unclear: Use analytics or search console data to identify common landing pages

FAQs

Do I need to redirect every page?
No. Focus on important pages first, such as home, contact, about, services, and top-ranking content.

Should I include the full domain in the redirect?
No. Enter only the page path (for example, /about) since the domain itself has already moved.

Will redirects completely preserve SEO?
Redirects greatly reduce SEO loss, but results depend on how closely new pages match the old content.

Additional Resources

• 404 Redirects
• Customizing the 404 error page
• Site Redirection