Author: hamadamed

Much like any other piece of software, WordPress requires memory to run smoothly. If the content management system (CMS) doesn’t have enough memory allocated for it, you’ll run into the occasional PHP memory limit error. In many cases, this error can prevent you from updating your site.

The good news is that there are multiple ways to increase the memory allocation for WordPress. If your web host allows for it, increasing your PHP memory limit can be as easy as adding one line of code to a specific file.

In this tutorial, we’ll go over two ways you can increase the PHP memory limit in WordPress. Let’s get to it!

What Is the PHP Memory Limit in WordPress

As you may know, WordPress was created using the PHP programming language. This means the CMS also requires PHP to run (as well as other components, such as a web server and database software).

If you’re using a server that doesn’t allocate enough PHP memory, WordPress won’t be able to run some critical scripts for your site to work. You might still be able to carry out most tasks, but at some point, you’ll likely run into a PHP memory limit error.

The simple solution to this problem is to increase the amount of memory that WordPress has access to. By default, the CMS will try to set at least 64 MB of memory for PHP upon install. However, some web hosts may allocate more or fewer resources to your site.

You can check your current PHP memory limit by accessing your dashboard and going to the Tools > Site Health page. From there, go to the Info tab and select the Server option.

Given that allocating more resources here isn’t a hardship, if your PHP memory limit is under 256 MB, I recommend increasing it. This is despite whether you’ve run into any errors yet.

How to Increase the PHP Memory Limit in WordPress (2 Ways)

There are two ways to increase the PHP memory limit in WordPress.

The first involves adding a single line of code to one file. Let’s check it out.

1. Modify Your wp-config.php File

For the uninitiated, wp-config.php is one of WordPress’ core files. In other words, this file contains critical information such as your database credentials and PHP memory limit.

To edit the wp-config.php file, you’ll need to connect to your website via File Transfer Protocol (FTP) using a client, such as FileZilla.

If you’re not sure what your FTP credentials are, I recommend you check the registration confirmation email you received from your web hosting provider when signing up. In some cases, you can also set up new FTP accounts from your hosting control panel.

Once you locate your FTP credentials and connect to your website, navigate to the WordPress root folder. 

That folder is usually called public_html, but it can also appear under other aliases, such as www or your site’s name. Once you find it, open the directory and you should see a list of files and folders.

The wp-config.php file should be within this directory.

Once you’ve found it, right-click on the file and select the View/Edit option. This will open the file using your default text editor.

Note that the screenshot above doesn’t show the entire file, given that it usually contains sensitive information, and most of it is irrelevant for your needs right now.

The part you want to keep an eye out for is the line reading, “That’s all, stop editing! Happy publishing”. This is the end of the file, and before it, you’ll want to add the following code (in the example above, it’s line 68 but it could be different for you):

define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' );

Naturally, you can change the limit to another figure, but this is usually more than enough for most sites. After you add the line to your wp-config.php file, save your changes and close it.

Next, try accessing your WordPress website again and heading to the Tools > Site Health > Info tab to look at your server settings. If your PHP memory limit is still showing the same number as before, it might be due to your web hosting provider.

In some cases, your web host won’t enable you to make direct changes to your PHP memory limit, which brings us to option number two.

2. Contact Your Hosting Provider or Upgrade Your Plan

The easiest way to check if your hosting provider prevents you from increasing your PHP memory limit is to contact them. In our experience, some web hosts will increase the PHP memory limit for you if you ask them.

However, in a few cases, this might not be possible depending on your hosting provider and the plan you’re on. For example, with shared hosting plans, you’re usually very limited when it comes to resources.

If your hosting provider tells you that you can’t increase your PHP memory limit, you might have to upgrade to a better plan. Any type of plan above shared hosting should give you more than enough resources so that you won’t run into the PHP memory limit error again.

In any case, most reputable WordPress web hosts won’t give you any trouble when it comes to increasing your PHP memory limit. In fact, some of our top WordPress hosting picks outright give you more resources than you might need. If you do find that you’re having memory limit problems and your current host is unwilling to help, it could be time to look elsewhere.

Conclusion

The PHP memory limit error is one of the most common problems among WordPress users. Even though it won’t break your site in most cases, it can be annoying. Fortunately, it’s remarkably easy to sidestep this error by making a simple change to your server’s configuration.

If you want to increase your WordPress PHP memory limit, there are two ways to do it:

1. Modify your wp-config.php file.
2. Contact your hosting provider or upgrade your plan.

Do you have any questions about how to increase the PHP memory limit in WordPress? Ask away in the comments section below!

Searching for some Elementor alternatives to visually design content on WordPress without needing any technical knowledge?

Since its launch back in 2016, Elementor has rapidly grown to become one of the most popular WordPress page builders. The Elementor team has continued to push out new features and, as of 2021, Elementor is now active on over five million sites, the highest designation at WordPress.org.

However, while Elementor is a great tool, that doesn’t automatically mean it’s the right tool for you. If you’re looking for something different, there are lots of other quality page builders and theme builders in the WordPress space.

To help you find the right tool for your needs, we’ve collected seven of the best Elementor alternatives that can help you create individual pieces of content or build your entire website.

Let’s get started!

Launched back in 2014, Beaver Builder is one of the OGs in the WordPress page builder space. It doesn’t have quite as flashy of a feature list as Elementor, but it does focus on nailing the core features and creating a really stable, consistent experience, which has built it a loyal following.

The core Beaver Builder plugin is only a page builder for individual pieces of content. However, there is a separate official Beaver Themer extension that adds support for full theme building just like you can get in Elementor Pro. There’s also a bundled Beaver Builder theme that you can optionally use.

Overall, that makes it a great alternative for both building individual pages and designing an entire theme.

Key Features

• Visual, drag-and-drop builder
• Inline text editing
• 30+ content modules plus a solid third-party marketplace with additional modules
• Responsive design controls
• Full theme building via official Beaver Themer extension
• WooCommerce support
• Bundled Beaver Builder theme (optional)

Pricing

Beaver Builder does have a free version at WordPress.org. However, it’s quite limited and you can only use it for basic designs. If you’re specifically looking for a free Elementor alternative, it’s probably not your best option because of this.

To unlock all of the features, you need the Pro version, which starts at $99. However, the advantage is that all Beaver Builder licenses allow use on unlimited sites, which makes it quite a bit more affordable than Elementor’s equivalent license. Of course, if you only need it for a single site, then Elementor Pro is a lot cheaper.

However, if you want to add theme building functionality like Elementor Pro offers, you’ll also need the Beaver Themer extension, which costs $199. For that reason, you’ll only save money if you just need the core premium page builder. Otherwise, it’s a little bit more expensive than Elementor Pro.

Divi is a popular WordPress builder that can rival Elementor in terms of design flexibility. You’ll get tons of design/style rules via Divi’s interface, just like Elementor offers. You’ll also get lots of useful workflow features such as copy/paste styles, find/replace, and more.

Overall, Divi is an alternative that’s focused more towards designers who want to be able to add lots of interesting styles and effects.

One unique thing about Divi, however, is that it comes as both a WordPress theme and a standalone page builder plugin. If you’re looking to match Elementor’s approach, you’ll probably want to stick with the plugin version, but it’s nice to have the option to go either way.

Key Features

• Visual, drag-and-drop frontend editor or backend drop-and-drop editor
• Inline text editing
• Comes in both a theme and plugin version
• 40+ built-in content modules plus a large third-party marketplace for new modules
• 100+ pre-made layout packs which contain over 800 individual templates
• Tons of unique design options and effects
• Responsive design settings
• Full theme builder support
• Dynamic content support (e.g. custom fields)

Pricing

Divi only comes in a premium version.

It’s available as part of the Elegant Themes membership, which starts at $89 for use on unlimited personal and client websites and access to all of Elegant Themes’ products. Both the theme and plugin versions of Divi are included for the same price.

So if you need to use it on lots of sites, Divi can be a lot cheaper than Elementor Pro.

Additionally, Elegant Themes does offer a lifetime license ($249), while Elementor Pro only has yearly licenses. If you’re building a lot of client sites, it’s tough to argue with that value proposition.

Brizy is another popular WordPress page builder that’s quite similar to Elementor in its pricing and features.

Just like Elementor, Brizy offers a generous free version at WordPress.org and then a premium version that adds more features such as theme building, popup building, a form element, and more.

One unique thing about Brizy is its interface, which tries to keep as many settings as possible inline. I think this does a great job of creating a really streamlined, speedy interface. 

Another unique thing is that Brizy isn’t exclusively for WordPress. In addition to the WordPress plugin, there’s also a standalone hosted version that can make a good option for landing pages or simple sites where you don’t need the full flexibility of WordPress.

Key Features

• Visual, drag-and-drop interface
• Keeps as many settings as possible inline to save time
• Inline text editing
• 26 free content elements and 12 pro elements (38 total)
• Megamenu builder
• Popup builder
• Theme builder with WooCommerce support
• Dynamic content support

Pricing

Brizy has a free version at WordPress.org, which makes it one of the best free Elementor alternatives.

Then, like Elementor, you need to go Pro to unlock more advanced features such as theme building, popup building, forms, and more.

Brizy Pro starts at $49, just like Elementor. However, that starting plan allows you to activate up to three websites, while the $49 Elementor Pro plan only allows you to activate a single site. For that reason, you’re getting a little bit more value for your money if you want to use it on multiple sites.

Thrive Architect is a page builder plugin from Thrive Themes that offers a speedy inline editing experience that can rival Elementor’s. The interface also looks a lot like Elementor’s interface, so you’ll feel right at home (Elementor came first, in case you’re wondering).

Like other Thrive Themes tools, Thrive Architect has a conversion-first focus with built-in elements to help you create email opt-in forms and drive actions. With other plugins from the same developer, you’ll also be able to create email opt-in popups (Thrive Leads) and A/B test your designs (Thrive Optimize).

However, one thing Thrive Architect does not have is a theme builder. The developer does offer a separate theme builder called Thrive Theme Builder. However, you’ll only be able to build individual pieces of content with Thrive Architect.

👉 Thrive Architect review

Key Features

• Visual, drag-and-drop editor
• Inline text editing
• Responsive design controls
• Conversion-focused elements, including lead gen forms that integrate with popular email marketing services
• 269+ pre-built templates
• Dynamic content support

Pricing

Thrive Architect only comes in a premium version. Plans start at $67 for use on a single site, which makes it more expensive than Elementor Pro. Additionally, there’s no unlimited license like Elementor Pro offers, which is a bummer.

You can also get it as part of the Thrive Themes membership, which gets you access to all of the developer’s products for $19 per month (billed annually). The membership includes Thrive Optimize, which lets you A/B test your Thrive Architect designs, as well as Thrive Theme Builder and Thrive Leads.

Oxygen is a WordPress website builder that makes an excellent Elementor alternative if you’re specifically looking for an alternative to Elementor Theme Builder. However, because it’s a full website builder rather than just a page builder, it’s not a good alternative if you’re looking to design individual pieces of content.

Still, for full website building, Oxygen really excels thanks to its clean code and deep support for dynamic content. For custom/dynamic content sites, I don’t think you’ll find a more flexible builder.

It also has a pricing structure that offers a lot of value with lifetime updates and unlimited site usage.

Key Features

• Full WordPress website builder
• Visual, drag-and-drop interface
• Clean code (especially for a WordPress builder)
• Global color controls
• Deep dynamic data support (more than Elementor or any other tool on this list), including repeaters and loops built with dynamic content
• WooCommerce support
• Gutenberg block builder that lets you create reusable blocks using the drag-and-drop editor

Pricing

Oxygen only comes in a premium version, but it has a pretty generous pricing structure. Plans start at just $99, but that includes lifetime updates and use on unlimited personal or client websites.

From a value perspective, that’s pretty dang impressive, especially if you’re building lots of websites.

Visual Composer is completely separate from the plugin you might’ve used to know as Visual Composer a few years ago (now, that plugin is called WPBakery Page Builder and is next on our list).

The new Visual Composer shares a lot of similarities with Elementor. There’s a free version that you can use to build content for individual posts/pages. Then, there’s a premium version that adds full theme building support, including support for dynamic content.

It also comes with a cloud-based element hub that lets you download new content elements to use in your designs. The upside of this hub is that you have access to lots of different design elements.

👉 Visual Composer vs Beaver Builder

Key Features

• Visual drag-and-drop interface
• 30+ design elements (free) or 200+ design elements (pro)
• Full theme builder
• WooCommerce theme builder support
• Support for dynamic content (e.g. custom fields)
• Popup builder

Pricing

Visual Composer has a limited free version that can be a suitable alternative to Elementor’s free version.

Pro plans start at a similar price point to Elementor Pro — $49 for use on a single site. However, the 1,000-site license is quite a bit more expensive than Elementor Pro’s equivalent license at $349.

WPBakery is the most popular WordPress page builder plugin sold through Envato’s CodeCanyon marketplace, where it’s been purchased a whopping 395,732+ times with a solid 4.64-star rating on over 10,800 reviews.

It’s commonly bundled with themes at ThemeForest, which is part of the reason behind its popularity.

One downside is that it’s only a page builder. So if you’re looking for an alternative to the Elementor Pro theme builder, this one is not a good choice. Instead, you’ll want to look at one of the other tools. But if you just want an alternative for the Elementor page builder, it’s a popular option.

This plugin used to be known as Visual Composer until the developer rebranded it to launch the completely separate Visual Composer plugin (see above).

Key Features

• Includes both backend and frontend (visual) interfaces
• Huge library of third-party integrations via official or third-party add-ons
• Large template library
• Responsive design controls

Pricing

WPBakery Page Builder only comes in a premium version. It costs $64 for use on a single site and lifetime updates (standard Envato licensing). This makes it a bit more expensive than Elementor Pro, especially if you need to use it on multiple websites.

Which Is the Best Elementor Alternative for You?

Now for the important question — which is the best Elementor alternative for your needs?

Obviously, that’s going to depend on what you’re using the alternative for.

First off, if you’re looking for the best free Elementor alternative, then I would recommend starting with Brizy. While there are some other plugins on this list that offer free versions, Brizy’s free version is the closest to offering the same level of flexibility that Elementor’s free version offers. With the premium version, Brizy can also offer a number of features that you get with Elementor Pro.

Then, if you’re willing to pay, here are my recommendations based on where I see the strong points of some of the best options:

• Divi – one of the few builders to rival Elementor in terms of built-in design/style options and useful features such as copying and pasting styles.
• Oxygen – an excellent alternative to Elementor Theme Builder that offers clean code and great support for dynamic content. More targeted towards developers/advanced users than casual users, though.
• Beaver Builder – an all-around solid alternative that offers unlimited usage on all its premium plans. However, you need the premium version to make it a viable Elementor alternative.
• Thrive Architect – has a really nice and speedy inline editing experience that can rival Elementor.

Still have any questions about the best Elementor alternative for your needs? Ask us in the comments!

Searching for some Elementor alternatives to visually design content on WordPress without needing any technical knowledge?

Since its launch back in 2016, Elementor has rapidly grown to become one of the most popular WordPress page builders. The Elementor team has continued to push out new features and, as of 2021, Elementor is now active on over five million sites, the highest designation at WordPress.org.

However, while Elementor is a great tool, that doesn’t automatically mean it’s the right tool for you. If you’re looking for something different, there are lots of other quality page builders and theme builders in the WordPress space.

To help you find the right tool for your needs, we’ve collected seven of the best Elementor alternatives that can help you create individual pieces of content or build your entire website.

Let’s get started!

Launched back in 2014, Beaver Builder is one of the OGs in the WordPress page builder space. It doesn’t have quite as flashy of a feature list as Elementor, but it does focus on nailing the core features and creating a really stable, consistent experience, which has built it a loyal following.

The core Beaver Builder plugin is only a page builder for individual pieces of content. However, there is a separate official Beaver Themer extension that adds support for full theme building just like you can get in Elementor Pro. There’s also a bundled Beaver Builder theme that you can optionally use.

Overall, that makes it a great alternative for both building individual pages and designing an entire theme.

Key Features

• Visual, drag-and-drop builder
• Inline text editing
• 30+ content modules plus a solid third-party marketplace with additional modules
• Responsive design controls
• Full theme building via official Beaver Themer extension
• WooCommerce support
• Bundled Beaver Builder theme (optional)

Pricing

Beaver Builder does have a free version at WordPress.org. However, it’s quite limited and you can only use it for basic designs. If you’re specifically looking for a free Elementor alternative, it’s probably not your best option because of this.

To unlock all of the features, you need the Pro version, which starts at $99. However, the advantage is that all Beaver Builder licenses allow use on unlimited sites, which makes it quite a bit more affordable than Elementor’s equivalent license. Of course, if you only need it for a single site, then Elementor Pro is a lot cheaper.

However, if you want to add theme building functionality like Elementor Pro offers, you’ll also need the Beaver Themer extension, which costs $199. For that reason, you’ll only save money if you just need the core premium page builder. Otherwise, it’s a little bit more expensive than Elementor Pro.

Divi is a popular WordPress builder that can rival Elementor in terms of design flexibility. You’ll get tons of design/style rules via Divi’s interface, just like Elementor offers. You’ll also get lots of useful workflow features such as copy/paste styles, find/replace, and more.

Overall, Divi is an alternative that’s focused more towards designers who want to be able to add lots of interesting styles and effects.

One unique thing about Divi, however, is that it comes as both a WordPress theme and a standalone page builder plugin. If you’re looking to match Elementor’s approach, you’ll probably want to stick with the plugin version, but it’s nice to have the option to go either way.

Key Features

• Visual, drag-and-drop frontend editor or backend drop-and-drop editor
• Inline text editing
• Comes in both a theme and plugin version
• 40+ built-in content modules plus a large third-party marketplace for new modules
• 100+ pre-made layout packs which contain over 800 individual templates
• Tons of unique design options and effects
• Responsive design settings
• Full theme builder support
• Dynamic content support (e.g. custom fields)

Pricing

Divi only comes in a premium version.

It’s available as part of the Elegant Themes membership, which starts at $89 for use on unlimited personal and client websites and access to all of Elegant Themes’ products. Both the theme and plugin versions of Divi are included for the same price.

So if you need to use it on lots of sites, Divi can be a lot cheaper than Elementor Pro.

Additionally, Elegant Themes does offer a lifetime license ($249), while Elementor Pro only has yearly licenses. If you’re building a lot of client sites, it’s tough to argue with that value proposition.

Brizy is another popular WordPress page builder that’s quite similar to Elementor in its pricing and features.

Just like Elementor, Brizy offers a generous free version at WordPress.org and then a premium version that adds more features such as theme building, popup building, a form element, and more.

One unique thing about Brizy is its interface, which tries to keep as many settings as possible inline. I think this does a great job of creating a really streamlined, speedy interface. 

Another unique thing is that Brizy isn’t exclusively for WordPress. In addition to the WordPress plugin, there’s also a standalone hosted version that can make a good option for landing pages or simple sites where you don’t need the full flexibility of WordPress.

Key Features

• Visual, drag-and-drop interface
• Keeps as many settings as possible inline to save time
• Inline text editing
• 26 free content elements and 12 pro elements (38 total)
• Megamenu builder
• Popup builder
• Theme builder with WooCommerce support
• Dynamic content support

Pricing

Brizy has a free version at WordPress.org, which makes it one of the best free Elementor alternatives.

Then, like Elementor, you need to go Pro to unlock more advanced features such as theme building, popup building, forms, and more.

Brizy Pro starts at $49, just like Elementor. However, that starting plan allows you to activate up to three websites, while the $49 Elementor Pro plan only allows you to activate a single site. For that reason, you’re getting a little bit more value for your money if you want to use it on multiple sites.

Thrive Architect is a page builder plugin from Thrive Themes that offers a speedy inline editing experience that can rival Elementor’s. The interface also looks a lot like Elementor’s interface, so you’ll feel right at home (Elementor came first, in case you’re wondering).

Like other Thrive Themes tools, Thrive Architect has a conversion-first focus with built-in elements to help you create email opt-in forms and drive actions. With other plugins from the same developer, you’ll also be able to create email opt-in popups (Thrive Leads) and A/B test your designs (Thrive Optimize).

However, one thing Thrive Architect does not have is a theme builder. The developer does offer a separate theme builder called Thrive Theme Builder. However, you’ll only be able to build individual pieces of content with Thrive Architect.

👉 Thrive Architect review

Key Features

• Visual, drag-and-drop editor
• Inline text editing
• Responsive design controls
• Conversion-focused elements, including lead gen forms that integrate with popular email marketing services
• 269+ pre-built templates
• Dynamic content support

Pricing

Thrive Architect only comes in a premium version. Plans start at $67 for use on a single site, which makes it more expensive than Elementor Pro. Additionally, there’s no unlimited license like Elementor Pro offers, which is a bummer.

You can also get it as part of the Thrive Themes membership, which gets you access to all of the developer’s products for $19 per month (billed annually). The membership includes Thrive Optimize, which lets you A/B test your Thrive Architect designs, as well as Thrive Theme Builder and Thrive Leads.

Oxygen is a WordPress website builder that makes an excellent Elementor alternative if you’re specifically looking for an alternative to Elementor Theme Builder. However, because it’s a full website builder rather than just a page builder, it’s not a good alternative if you’re looking to design individual pieces of content.

Still, for full website building, Oxygen really excels thanks to its clean code and deep support for dynamic content. For custom/dynamic content sites, I don’t think you’ll find a more flexible builder.

It also has a pricing structure that offers a lot of value with lifetime updates and unlimited site usage.

Key Features

• Full WordPress website builder
• Visual, drag-and-drop interface
• Clean code (especially for a WordPress builder)
• Global color controls
• Deep dynamic data support (more than Elementor or any other tool on this list), including repeaters and loops built with dynamic content
• WooCommerce support
• Gutenberg block builder that lets you create reusable blocks using the drag-and-drop editor

Pricing

Oxygen only comes in a premium version, but it has a pretty generous pricing structure. Plans start at just $99, but that includes lifetime updates and use on unlimited personal or client websites.

From a value perspective, that’s pretty dang impressive, especially if you’re building lots of websites.

Visual Composer is completely separate from the plugin you might’ve used to know as Visual Composer a few years ago (now, that plugin is called WPBakery Page Builder and is next on our list).

The new Visual Composer shares a lot of similarities with Elementor. There’s a free version that you can use to build content for individual posts/pages. Then, there’s a premium version that adds full theme building support, including support for dynamic content.

It also comes with a cloud-based element hub that lets you download new content elements to use in your designs. The upside of this hub is that you have access to lots of different design elements.

👉 Visual Composer vs Beaver Builder

Key Features

• Visual drag-and-drop interface
• 30+ design elements (free) or 200+ design elements (pro)
• Full theme builder
• WooCommerce theme builder support
• Support for dynamic content (e.g. custom fields)
• Popup builder

Pricing

Visual Composer has a limited free version that can be a suitable alternative to Elementor’s free version.

Pro plans start at a similar price point to Elementor Pro — $49 for use on a single site. However, the 1,000-site license is quite a bit more expensive than Elementor Pro’s equivalent license at $349.

WPBakery is the most popular WordPress page builder plugin sold through Envato’s CodeCanyon marketplace, where it’s been purchased a whopping 395,732+ times with a solid 4.64-star rating on over 10,800 reviews.

It’s commonly bundled with themes at ThemeForest, which is part of the reason behind its popularity.

One downside is that it’s only a page builder. So if you’re looking for an alternative to the Elementor Pro theme builder, this one is not a good choice. Instead, you’ll want to look at one of the other tools. But if you just want an alternative for the Elementor page builder, it’s a popular option.

This plugin used to be known as Visual Composer until the developer rebranded it to launch the completely separate Visual Composer plugin (see above).

Key Features

• Includes both backend and frontend (visual) interfaces
• Huge library of third-party integrations via official or third-party add-ons
• Large template library
• Responsive design controls

Pricing

WPBakery Page Builder only comes in a premium version. It costs $64 for use on a single site and lifetime updates (standard Envato licensing). This makes it a bit more expensive than Elementor Pro, especially if you need to use it on multiple websites.

Which Is the Best Elementor Alternative for You?

Now for the important question — which is the best Elementor alternative for your needs?

Obviously, that’s going to depend on what you’re using the alternative for.

First off, if you’re looking for the best free Elementor alternative, then I would recommend starting with Brizy. While there are some other plugins on this list that offer free versions, Brizy’s free version is the closest to offering the same level of flexibility that Elementor’s free version offers. With the premium version, Brizy can also offer a number of features that you get with Elementor Pro.

Then, if you’re willing to pay, here are my recommendations based on where I see the strong points of some of the best options:

• Divi – one of the few builders to rival Elementor in terms of built-in design/style options and useful features such as copying and pasting styles.
• Oxygen – an excellent alternative to Elementor Theme Builder that offers clean code and great support for dynamic content. More targeted towards developers/advanced users than casual users, though.
• Beaver Builder – an all-around solid alternative that offers unlimited usage on all its premium plans. However, you need the premium version to make it a viable Elementor alternative.
• Thrive Architect – has a really nice and speedy inline editing experience that can rival Elementor.

Still have any questions about the best Elementor alternative for your needs? Ask us in the comments!

Updating your WordPress site’s links can be a simple task in theory. However, if you get the process wrong, visitors could end up at a different, unintended page, or even worse — a broken link. This has plenty of impact on your search engine rankings, traffic numbers, and overall authority.

WordPress provides numerous easy-to-use plugins to redirect URLs for those who are unfamiliar with the process. This can help you to make sure you’re redirecting your URLs correctly.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to successfully redirect a WordPress URL, as well as the main types of URL redirects and when to use which one.

However, let’s first discuss what a URL redirect is and how it works!

What Is a URL Redirect

URL redirection (also referred to as URL forwarding) is a way to make a web page accessible under multiple URL addresses.

When the browser performs a URL redirect, a page with a different URL will be opened in place of the original one.

There are several ways to redirect a URL, and each has its own purposes — let’s see the three most common types.

1. 301 Redirects

For starters, a 301 redirect is permanent, taking place on both the browser and server side. It’s the most common and powerful redirect because it passes on the ‘link juice’ of an existing URL.

As a result, search engines are more likely to recognize and index this type of redirect, making this the preferred method in most situations.

2. 302 Redirects

In contrast, a 302 redirect is temporary and should only be used if you plan to move back to the original URL in the future.

For example, let’s say you are redesigning your website. While you are updating your website, you can use a 302 redirect to direct users to a different domain for a short time.

3. Meta Refresh

Web browsers also have a meta refresh functionality, which lets you redirect a URL to a new page without updating the server.

You can set the amount of time it takes for the redirect to happen, but by doing so, you also run the risk of making your visitors wait to get to their next page destination, thus potentially creating a poor user experience.

While there are other types of redirects you could use, these three are the ones you will see the most often — especially 301 redirects.

Why Use a URL Redirect

You may wonder why you would ever need to use a URL redirect on your own website.

We’ve touched on some reasons in the previous section, although there are others too, such as:

• Preventing broken links – Broken links occur when the destination page has been moved or deleted or something such as a firewall is blocking access to your website. When users follow a broken link, they see a 404 error message in the browser. According to SEO specialist Bruce Clay, redirects are the most SEO-friendly way to fix broken links.
• Linking multiple domains – If you manage multiple websites, you can use a redirect to link them to the same destination without affecting your SEO. Redirects help search engines see which page is the canonical source when multiple pages display the same information. This is also great for avoiding duplicate content penalties.
• Protecting your privacy – Using the power of HTTPS, you can secure your website from hostile attacks such as phishing or malware distribution. Doing so requires you to redirect users and search engines to the HTTPS page, or resource with a server-side 301 HTTP redirect.

No matter what reason you have for redirecting users to a new page, it’s essential that you take the time to link it properly. An incorrect redirect can lead your visitors to the home page instead of the intended one, result in excessive redirects, and more.

How to Redirect a URL in WordPress (2 Methods)

There are two main techniques to redirect a URL in WordPress — you can either use a plugin or edit the .htaccess file.

Let’s start with a classic WordPress approach.

1. Use a WordPress Plugin

Redirect plugins can ensure that broken links lead to a relevant page on your site. This way, if a visitor happens to click a broken link, they will be redirected to the new page, which improves your website’s credibility and prevents your search rankings from dropping.

While there are plenty of great plugins to choose from, such as 301 Redirects, I recommend the Redirection plugin.

Redirection is remarkable for many reasons — not only has it been around for over a decade, but it also lets first-time users create and manage redirects without any prior knowledge of the Apache or Nginx web servers.

As Redirection provides complete support for regular expressions, you can enable redirect patterns to match any amount of URLs and redirect all of them to a target URL. You can also watch for changes in post or page permalinks, then automatically create a redirect to a new URL.

Once you’ve installed and activated the plugin, click the Tools > Redirection menu in your WordPress admin area, and run through the setup wizard steps.

When you’re done, head to the Redirects tab on the same admin page. This shows a list of current redirects. To add a fresh redirect, click the Add New button.

You’ll then see a bunch of fields pop up, including:

• Source URL – This is the URL you’re redirecting from. For example, if you’re redirecting from https://myexample.com/old-post, your source URL will be /old-post.
• Query Parameters – You can match parameters exactly (the default option) or ignore all parameters. With the latter, /old-post would match /my-old-post?query=1.
• Target URL – This is the URL you’re redirecting to. For example, if you’re redirecting from https://myexample.com/old-post to https://myexample.com/new-post, your target URL will be /new-post.
• Group – This lets you organize your redirects into categories.

Clicking on the gear icon will provide some additional options for matching redirects. Once these fields are filled in, click Add Redirect and the plugin will create the redirection rule.

2. Edit Your .htaccess File

The ‘hypertext access’ file — otherwise known as .htaccess — is a distributed server configuration file, which permits you to set server configurations for a particular directory. It’s used by the server when a request is made to a directory.

While it’s not as simple as installing a plugin, this powerful approach lets you set up pages, directories, and URL redirects. Before you begin, you’ll need the following skills and tools:

• A suitable FTP client, such as Cyberduck or FileZilla
• Access to your website’s server, usually named www or public_html
• The requisite skills to use FTP

First, you need to fire up your FTP client and access your WordPress site’s root directory. Scan the directory for the .htaccess file, then open it using your standard text editor.

Once .htaccess is open, place your cursor at the end of the file and enter the redirection rules depending on your needs.

To redirect a single page to another page, add the following rule:

Redirect 301 /old-page.html http://www.example.com/new-page.html

To redirect an entire domain name to another domain, enter the following code:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(?:www.)oldsite.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^ http://newsite.com%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

This snippet sends visitors from a page at the old address to the same page at the new one — for example, from www.oldsite.com/post to www.newsite.com/post. Don’t forget to change the placeholders to your own domains and pages.

When you’re done, save your changes, and test out your new redirects!

Conclusion

In this tutorial, I showed you how to redirect a URL in WordPress using two methods, respectively:

• Install a redirect plugin.
• Edit your .htaccess file.

Redirecting URLs is not an everyday task but still fairly common. As such, getting it right means users will have a seamless experience on your site and your search engine rankings won’t be dropping for things like broken links or duplicate content.

Do you have any further questions relating to URL redirection? Feel free to reach out in the comments section below!