To fix WooCommerce 404 errors, open StoreRuler → Marketing → Redirects and 404s in the free plugin and choose Not found (404). It lists the addresses visitors asked for in the last 30 days that your store does not have. Click Redirect next to one, enter the new address, choose 301 and save.

Why 404s matter, and what WordPress does by itself

A 404 is a visitor who wanted something and got "not found". They come from old links on social media, ads, other sites and search results after you moved from another platform or renamed products and categories. WordPress follows a post or product whose slug you changed, but it has no list of your own redirects and no report of the addresses people could not reach. StoreRuler adds both, inside the WordPress admin.

Read the 404 report

The Not found (404) tab shows the most requested missing addresses first, with these columns:

  • Address: the path that was asked for.
  • Visitors and Search engines and bots: counted apart, so a crawler does not look like real traffic.
  • Came from: the referring site's name, or A link on this store when the broken link is on your own pages.
  • Last seen, and a Redirect button.

No IP address, browser details or query string is kept, and probes for server files are left out. An entry is removed 30 days after it was last seen. Clear the list empties the report; your redirects stay.

Add a redirect

  1. On Not found (404), click Redirect next to an address. The form opens with the Old address filled in and the type set to 301. For any other address, click New redirect on the Redirects tab.
  2. Enter the New address: a path such as /product-category/new-category or a full address.
  3. Choose the Type: 301 · moved for good, 302 · moved for now or 410 · gone for good. A 410 needs no new address; it tells search engines the page will not come back.
  4. To move a whole folder, tick Also every address under it. End the new address with * to keep the rest of the old address.
  5. Save. The redirect works at once.

A redirect is looked up only when WordPress finds no page at an address, so it never covers a page that exists, and the query string is passed on. If a redirect points to an address that is itself redirected, visitors go straight to the end in one step and the list shows where it now goes.

Renamed categories, tags and brands redirect by themselves

When you change the slug of a category, tag or brand, StoreRuler adds a 301 from the old address, together with the categories under it. These rows are marked Added when a category, tag or brand address changed. You do not have to add anything.

Import and export a CSV

Moving from another platform? Prepare a CSV with three columns, in this order: old address, new address, code (301, 302 or 410). A first row with column names is skipped.

  1. On the Redirects tab, click Import CSV and choose the file. Split larger lists into files of up to 3,000 lines.
  2. Read Check the import: how many lines are ready and which lines cannot be imported, with the reason. A redirect whose old address is already listed is updated, not doubled.
  3. Click Import … redirects.

Export CSV downloads the whole list in the same format, so you can keep a copy or edit it in a spreadsheet. The Used column shows which redirects visitors still reach. A store can keep up to 20,000 redirects.

If another redirect plugin is active, the screen says so, because it may answer the same addresses first. Keep your redirects in one tool.

The SEO health summary

The Marketing page also shows SEO health: a score out of 100 and the top issues, such as products without a description, photos without alt text or a site that asks search engines not to index it, each marked Urgent, Important or Worth a look. It only reads your store and changes nothing; Check again counts it afresh.

Plans

Redirects, the 404 report and SEO health are in the free version and in every paid plan; in StoreRuler Pro the redirects screen sits under SEO. Fixing SEO issues, bulk SEO, structured data, sitemaps and Search Console are part of StoreRuler Pro's SEO Center. See SEO tools and pricing.

Next step: the Store health screen points out kinds of addresses that often return "not found". For more background, read WooCommerce 404 errors and redirects.

Frequently asked questions

Can a redirect hide a page that still exists?

No. A redirect is used only when the store finds no page at that address. Admin, login and REST API addresses are never redirected.

I changed a category's slug. Do I need a redirect?

No. When the address of a category, tag or brand changes, StoreRuler adds a redirect from the old address by itself, and the list marks it as added automatically.

Does the 404 report store visitors' IP addresses?

No. It keeps the path, the visit counts, the referring site's name and when the address was last seen. No IP address, browser details or query string is kept.

A redirect points to an address that is itself redirected. Must I fix it?

No. Visitors are sent straight to the end of the chain in one step, and the list shows where the redirect now goes. If redirects go round in a circle, the list says so.