¶ Redirects - keeping your search ranking when a URL changes

Redirects in Hummerce preserve the store's search engine ranking when the URL of an item, a category or another page changes - the customer and the search engine's crawler land on the new address instead of a page error. Redirects are created automatically when addresses change, and extra ones can be set up manually.

Last updated: 2026-09-28.

¶ Benefits and use cases

Preserving search ranking when an item's or category's address changes - a 301 redirect tells the search engine the page has permanently moved.
Automatic redirect creation when friendly URLs change, with no extra work for store staff.
Manual redirects - e.g. from the address of an item that no longer exists to a replacement item's address.
Three redirect variants matched to the need: with a visible address change in the browser, without it, or both at once.
Automatic redirect from an inactive category to the category the customer last viewed, or to the main category - the customer doesn't land on a page error.

¶ What it looks like

Screenshot from the Hummerce panel.

¶ A category marked as inactive

Setting a category as inactive in the Hummerce panel - entering such a category automatically redirects the customer elsewhere

¶ How it works

¶ Types of redirects

301 redirect - a permanent address move: the user and the search engine's crawler land on the target address, and the browser address bar changes. Used together with friendly URLs. The incoming address can contain regular expressions, and the target address can contain placeholders (e.g. $1, $2).
Internal redirect - works like a 301 redirect, but the address in the user's browser doesn't change.
Symmetric redirect - combines both variants: an internal redirect from the incoming address to the target one, plus a 301 redirect from the target address back to the incoming one.

¶ Creating redirects

Redirects are created automatically, e.g. when an item's friendly URL changes.
Redirects can also be set up manually - e.g. from a deleted item's address to a replacement item's address.
The full list of the store's redirects is managed under Configuration -> Rewrites.

¶ Redirects from inactive categories

Entering an inactive category automatically redirects the customer (an internal redirect, without changing the address) to the category they last viewed, or, if they haven't viewed any category before, to the main category.

¶ URL best practices

Keywords in the address structure, separated by hyphens, e.g. store.example.com/category/product-name.
Friendly URLs instead of technical identifiers, e.g. store.example.com/category/product-name instead of store.example.com/en/do/item/372.
Avoiding special characters (&, %, @, *) and mixed letter case - for a search engine, store.example.com/category/product and store.example.com/Category/PRODUCT are two different pages.
An address with and without a trailing slash are two different pages for a search engine.
Avoiding duplicates of the homepage address (e.g. /index.html, /index.php), or redirecting them to the correct address.
Systematically redirecting addresses created by mistake or no longer in use.
One consistent convention for building addresses across the whole store, e.g. always with a www prefix or always without one.

¶ Dependencies

A 301 redirect is used together with friendly URLs - see Friendly URLs - overview.

¶ Implementation

Redirects are configured on your own in the panel (Configuration -> Rewrites) - adding a single manual redirect doesn't require a developer.
A large share of redirects (e.g. when an item's friendly URL changes) are created automatically, with no extra work for store staff.

¶ Limitations

Letter case and a trailing slash in the address matter to search engines - without a consistent address convention, duplicates of the same page can appear.
A redirect from an inactive category is internal only (no address change) and leads to the last viewed category or the main category - this method can't send the customer to an arbitrary other address.
We do not verify the redirect and URL configuration for legal compliance.

¶ Frequently asked questions

Are redirects created automatically when an item's address changes?
Yes, changing an item's friendly URL automatically sets up a redirect to the new address.

Can a deleted item's address be redirected manually to another one?
Yes, redirects can also be created manually in the panel, e.g. from the address of an item that no longer exists to a replacement item's address.

Does a 301 redirect change the address visible in the customer's browser?
Yes. Unlike an internal redirect, a 301 redirect changes the address shown in the browser to the target one.

What happens when a customer opens an inactive category?
The store automatically redirects them to the category they last viewed, or to the main category - without a page error and without changing the address.

Does adding a redirect require a developer?
No. Redirects are managed on your own in the panel, and most of them are created automatically.

Friendly URLs - overview - friendly URLs and meta tags, which redirects work together with.
On hummerce.com: SEO and SEM optimization (in Polish).

Want to see how tidy URLs could work in your store? Contact the Hummerce team (in Polish).

¶ Configuration details

¶ Access in the admin panel

Redirect list and management: Configuration -> Rewrites - a list of all redirects in the store, creating a manual redirect (type: 301 / internal / symmetric, incoming address, target address).
The incoming address can contain regular expressions, and the target address can contain placeholders (e.g. $1, $2).