Custom URLs
By default a record's address is built from its slug plus the slugs of its parents. A custom URL overrides that with an address you choose.
Use one when:
- You need a short, memorable address for print or a campaign.
- A page sits deep in the tree but deserves a top-level address.
- You are reorganising and want a URL to stay put even though its parent changed.
Rules: it must start with /, and it must be unique across the site. Once set, it takes precedence — links generated by the site will use the custom URL rather than the slug path.
Redirects
A redirect maps an old address to a new one. The visitor's browser is sent onward, and search engines update their index over time.
The two main kinds:
- Permanent (301) — this move is final. Search engines transfer ranking to the new address. Use this for real, lasting moves.
- Temporary (302) — the original will come back. Search engines keep the old address indexed. Use for maintenance or short campaigns.
Reaching for 302 because it feels safer is a common mistake. If the move is permanent, say so — a 302 leaves the old URL competing with the new one indefinitely.
The rule that matters
Never change a published page's URL without adding a redirect from the old one. Every existing link, bookmark, email and search result points at the old address, and they all break silently. Nobody reports it; traffic just quietly drops.
Avoiding chains
If A redirects to B and later B redirects to C, visitors from A take two hops. After a few reorganisations these chains get long and slow, and eventually break. When you add a redirect, check whether anything already points at the address you are moving, and repoint it at the final destination.