Why the Same Redirect List Needs Different CSV Layouts
A redirect rule is a behavior, not merely a pair of text values. Alongside its source and target, the system may store a 301 or 302 response, an exact or regular-expression match, an active state, or a category. Export formats encode those properties differently.
Rank Math PRO documents case-sensitive column headers, including source, destination, matching, and type. Yoast SEO Premium specifies Origin,Target,Type,Format. Redirection documents a simple source-target CSV with optional fields for regular expressions, HTTP code, and action type. The columns are not interchangeable just because their contents look similar.
Always check the currently installed plugin version and its official import instructions before processing a large file. A plugin-to-plugin import option may be preferable to manual CSV conversion when it preserves settings that CSV leaves out.
Compare Three Representations of One Simple 301
Suppose /outdated-guide/ should permanently redirect to /updated-guide/. The intended visitor experience is the same, but each target importer expects a different representation.
Illustrative Rank Math PRO CSV:
source,destination,matching,type,status
/outdated-guide/,/updated-guide/,exact,301,active
Illustrative Yoast SEO Premium CSV:
Origin,Target,Type,Format
/outdated-guide/,/updated-guide/,301,plain
Illustrative Redirection CSV rows:
/outdated-guide/,/updated-guide/
These are separate example files, not consecutive rows in one export. The Redirection example uses its simple two-column import convention rather than a header copied from another plugin. Never combine these examples into a single upload.
Preserve the Meaning of 301, 302, and Other Responses
Use 301 for a permanent move when the destination is intended to replace the source. A 302 is a temporary redirect; 307 is a temporary redirect that preserves the HTTP method. Do not change a temporary redirect to a permanent one just to make a conversion easier.
Some redirect managers also represent 410 Gone or 451 Unavailable For Legal Reasons. These are responses rather than redirects to a different page. Rank Math and Yoast document ways to represent these statuses, but Redirection’s basic CSV import documentation states that it supports redirect HTTP codes rather than error codes. Mark any unsupported rule for manual handling instead of silently turning it into a 301.
A destination column containing DELETE can also have a special administrative meaning in Rank Math’s CSV workflow. Treat it as an instruction requiring review, not as a real URL.
Exact Matching and Regular Expressions Are Not Equivalent
A plain source such as /old-page/ identifies a specific path. A regular expression can match many paths at once; for example, ^/old-category/(.*)$ can represent a family of URLs. This makes regex useful during site restructuring but increases migration risk.
Rank Math accepts a matching value such as exact or regex. Yoast uses a Format value such as plain or regex. Redirection’s extended CSV convention identifies a regex source with 1 in its regex field. Converting the label does not prove that capture groups, replacement references, case sensitivity, or matching order behave identically.
Test regex rules against representative URLs and at least one URL they must not match. For complex patterns, rebuilding the rule manually in the destination plugin can be safer than automatic translation.
Use a Controlled Conversion and Import Workflow
- Export and back up: retain the original redirect rules and the destination site’s current configuration.
- Identify the source: note which plugin and export option produced the file.
- Choose the target: confirm the destination plugin, edition, and supported import format.
- Review unsupported fields: separate regex, custom matching, inactive, error-response, and deletion rules.
- Convert the basic mapping: preserve each source, destination, and supported status without changing their meaning.
- Validate the output: review headers, delimiters, encoding, blank values, duplicates, and unexpected status codes.
- Import a sample: try a small batch on a staging environment or a safely backed-up installation.
- Verify live behavior: test old URLs, confirm the final destination and response status, then expand the import.
Run the prepared file through a WordPress Redirect CSV Validator where its format checks support your destination. A valid CSV alone does not confirm that the WordPress redirect rules will execute as intended.
Detect Conflicts That a Format Change Cannot Fix
A single source URL mapped to different destinations may produce an ambiguous or order-dependent result. A rule that redirects /a/ to /b/, while another redirects /b/ to /a/, creates a loop. A series such as /a/ to /b/ to /c/ forms a chain. Both deserve attention regardless of the CSV syntax.
Audit duplicate sources, rules that redirect to themselves, overly broad patterns, and targets that no longer exist. Consolidate a chain to its final relevant page when appropriate. Do not route every missing page to the homepage: a redirect should serve the original page’s user intent.
After importing, a Bulk HTTP Status and Redirect Checker helps inspect actual responses, while a Redirect Rule Tester can support rule-by-rule review where its available checks apply.
CSV Formatting Can Corrupt a Correct Rule
CSV values containing commas must be quoted correctly. Save a file in the encoding requested by its importer, and avoid spreadsheet changes that strip leading characters or alter URLs. Yoast’s documented CSV import requires a comma delimiter, UTF-8 encoding, Unix line endings, and one redirect per line. Rank Math’s header names are case-sensitive. Redirection documents comma-separated input, not a tab-separated file renamed to .csv.
For Yoast, Origin is not the same header as Rank Math’s lowercase source. Check the entire output with a text editor or CSV parser, not just a spreadsheet preview. Remove unintended blank rows and make sure the exported delimiter has not changed because of a regional spreadsheet setting.
What May Be Lost During a Plugin-to-Plugin Migration?
CSV conversion does not necessarily preserve groups, hit counters, import history, schedules, conditional rules, and logging options. The Redirection plugin specifically describes its JSON export as more complete than CSV because it can carry additional settings and records. Rank Math also offers direct imports from some other redirect plugins, while Yoast SEO Premium supports imports from selected redirect plugins.
If you need to preserve more than simple URL behavior, compare native import options before using a generic converter. Record any omitted attributes in a review sheet, then recreate them using features the target plugin actually provides.
Test a Migration With Real HTTP Requests
Once rules are imported, request a representative set of old URLs using a browser or an HTTP inspection utility. Check that a permanent move returns its intended 301, leads to the correct page, and does not pass through unnecessary hops. Verify that each destination is accessible and serves the right content rather than merely returning a successful status.
Include a few high-value pages, URLs with parameters, case variants, regex examples, and known edge cases. Where the site architecture has changed, update internal links so visitors and crawlers reach the new page without an extra redirect. Google’s site-move guidance recommends mapping URLs, using appropriate permanent redirects, and monitoring after launch.
Common Import Problems and Their Likely Causes
