How it Works

Automatic Detection:
When a visitor or search engine tries to access a singular post or page URL that no longer exists (returns a 404 error), Smart Redirects automatically checks if that content type has Smart Redirects enabled in the settings.

Archive Redirect:
If enabled for that post type, the system automatically creates a 301 (permanent) redirect from the broken URL to the post type’s archive page. This happens in real-time, without any manual intervention.

How It Works Step by Step:

Step	Action
1	Visitor clicks a link to /blog/old-post-that-was-deleted/
2	WordPress returns a 404 error because the post doesn’t exist
3	Smart Redirects detects the 404 and checks if Posts have Smart Redirects enabled
4	Since enabled, Smart Redirects creates a 301 redirect to /blog/
5	Visitor is automatically sent to the blog archive page

Real-World Examples:

Original Broken URL	Redirects To
/case-studies/broken-slug/	/case-studies/
/blog/deleted-post/	/blog/
/products/old-item/	/products/
/news/outdated-article/	/news/
/portfolio/old-project/	/portfolio/

Per Post Type Control:
You have granular control over which content types use Smart Redirects. For example:

• ✅ Enable for Posts → Blog posts redirect to blog archive
• ✅ Enable for Products → Products redirect to shop archive
• ❌ Disable for Pages → Deleted pages show normal 404 (if no page archive exists)

Management Options:
Once Smart Redirects are enabled and running, you can:

Action	Description
View Records	See all automatically created redirects in a table
Toggle Status	Turn individual redirects on/off without deleting
Delete Records	Remove a redirect record (also deletes the linked redirect)
Reset All Records	Delete every Smart Redirect at once
Reset by Post Type	Delete only redirects for a specific post type (e.g., all Post redirects)

Integration with Redirection Manager:
All redirects created by Smart Redirects automatically appear in the SEO Repair Kit → Redirection Manager. This gives you a centralized place to view, edit, or delete any redirect — whether created manually or automatically.

What Cannot Be Redirected:
Post types without archive pages cannot use Smart Redirects. Examples include:

• Pages (if your theme doesn’t have a page archive)
• Custom post types where has_archive is set to false
• Any content type without a public archive URL