404 Solution

FAQ

How is this different from Redirection plugin?

Redirection requires you to manually create redirect rules for each broken URL. 404 Solution automatically finds the best matching page using intelligent algorithms.

Example: If a visitor tries /prodcut/awesome-item (typo), Redirection won’t do anything unless you manually created that specific redirect. 404 Solution automatically finds /product/awesome-item and redirects them there.

Use Redirection when: You need complete manual control over every redirect.
Use 404 Solution when: You want automatic intelligent redirects that understand typos and URL variations.

How is this different from 404 to 301?

404 to 301 redirects ALL 404 errors to your homepage (or one specific page). 404 Solution finds the actual page the visitor was looking for.

Example: A visitor tries to access /category/electronics which doesn’t exist. 404 to 301 sends them to your homepage where they’re lost. 404 Solution finds /shop/electronics and redirects them there.

404 to 301 is simpler but provides a worse user experience. 404 Solution is smarter and keeps visitors engaged.

Will this slow down my site?

No, 404 Solution is highly optimized and has minimal performance impact for most sites. The plugin uses:
* N-gram indexing for fast URL matching
* Performance optimizations for large sites (10,000+ pages)
* Efficient database queries with proper caching

Important: For very high-traffic sites with thousands of simultaneous users, disable “Create automatic redirects” and don’t use the shortcode to ensure optimal performance.

Does it work with WooCommerce?

Yes! 404 Solution is specifically optimized for WooCommerce and handles:
* Products and product variations
* Product categories and tags
* Custom product URLs
* Shop pages and archives

When products are renamed or URLs change, 404 Solution automatically redirects old URLs to the new product pages.

How does the intelligent matching work?

404 Solution uses multiple algorithms to find the best match:

1. Spell-checking – Uses Levenshtein distance to find pages with similar spelling
2. N-gram similarity – Compares character sequences to find similar URLs
3. Word matching – Identifies pages with similar words in the URL
4. URL structure – Considers the structure and length of URLs

These algorithms work together to find the most likely page the visitor intended to reach.

Will it redirect existing pages by mistake?

No. 404 Solution ONLY processes actual 404 errors (pages that don’t exist). It will never redirect an existing page.

If you’re experiencing unexpected redirects, check:
1. Did the page exist when the redirect was created?
2. Are other plugins causing conflicts?
3. Enable debug logging (Options page) to see exactly what’s happening

How long does it take for 404 URLs to start showing up?

Immediately! As long as “Capture incoming 404 URLs” is enabled, 404 errors appear in the captured list as soon as a visitor hits a 404 page.

Will this plugin handle permalink changes?

Yes! 404 Solution records the page/post ID number and looks up the most current permalink before redirecting. This means:
* If you change your permalink structure, redirects automatically update
* If you rename a page, redirects point to the new URL
* No manual updates needed when URLs change

Can I redirect all 404s to a specific page?

Yes. Go to 404 Solution → Options → Redirect all unhandled 404s to and select your preferred page. This is useful for:
* Custom 404 pages with special messaging
* Fallback pages when no good match is found
* Temporary catch-all during site migrations

How do I manage log files and disk usage?

Log cleanup is automatic! Configure it under Options → General Settings → Maximum log disk usage. You can:
* Set maximum log size (as low as 1MB)
* Auto-delete old entries when limit is reached
* Manually clear logs anytime from the Logs page

What does “captured 404 URLs to be processed” mean?

This just means visitors tried to access pages that don’t exist – completely normal! You can:

Option 1: Ignore the message by adjusting Options → General Settings → Admin notification level

Option 2: Process them by going to Captured 404 URLs page and either:
* Let automatic redirects handle them
* Create manual redirects to specific pages
* Mark them to ignore

Can I exclude certain URLs from being processed?

Yes! Go to Options → Advanced Settings → Files and Folders Ignore Strings and add the paths you want to ignore. Common exclusions:
* /wp-admin/* – Admin pages
* /wp-content/* – Media files
* *.jpg, *.png – Image files
* /feed/* – RSS feeds

How do I see IP addresses in the logs?

Enable “Log raw IPs” in the settings. Note: For GDPR compliance, consider using hashed IPs instead of raw IP addresses.

Does this work with custom post types?

Yes! 404 Solution supports ALL custom post types including:
* WooCommerce products
* Events (The Events Calendar, Event Espresso)
* Portfolios
* Team members
* Custom content types

Can I use regular expressions for redirects?

Yes! 404 Solution supports regex patterns for advanced redirect rules. This is useful for:
* Redirecting multiple similar URLs with one rule
* Pattern-based matching
* Complex URL transformations

Is this GDPR compliant?

Yes. 404 Solution includes GDPR-friendly features:
* Option to hash IP addresses before storage
* Automatic log cleanup/retention limits
* No external data transmission
* Full control over what data is logged

What kind of support is available?

404 Solution is actively maintained with:
* WordPress.org support forum (free community support)
* Regular updates and bug fixes
* Debug logging to troubleshoot issues
* Comprehensive documentation

For urgent issues, enable debug logging and post in the support forum with details.

Have you written any other programs?

Check out AJ Experience for other useful tools and resources.