Wildcard Pattern Redirects - Swift Redirects
Wildcard redirects let you fix many URLs at once with a single rule. Use placeholders to catch any text in the "Redirect From" path and send visitors to the right destination—no coding required.
How it works
- * matches "anything" across one or more path segments.
- $1, $2, … reuse what the wildcard captured (first match is $1, second is $2, etc.).
- Rules work on the path part of the URL (everything after your domain).
Example:
From: /blog/* → To: /blogs/news
Any URL that starts with /blog/… will go to /blogs/news.
Common recipes (copy & use)
Move an entire folder
From: /old-collection/*
To: /collections/new-collection
Use when every page under /old-collection/ should point to one place.
Preserve the article/product slug
From: /blog/*
To: /blogs/news/$1
/blog/how-to-grow → /blogs/news/how-to-grow
Rename a folder and keep sub-paths
From: /pages/*/*
To: /info/$1/$2
/pages/help/shipping → /info/help/shipping
Collapse many product URLs into one
From: /products/*
To: /collections/all
Great when products were deleted.
Move brand pages and keep the brand name
From: /brand/*
To: /collections/$1
/brand/nike → /collections/nike
Fix a wrong top-level path
From: /blog/*
To: /blogs/$1
/blog/tips/bfcm → /blogs/tips/bfcm
Legacy PHP to Shopify
From: /*.php
To: /
/index.php → / (or send to the right modern page)
Tips & best practices
- Use 301 (permanent) for moved content—best for SEO.
- One rule beats many: create a wildcard instead of dozens of single redirects.
- Order matters: keep specific rules above broad ones (if your app supports rule priority).
- Avoid loops: don't redirect /a/* → /a/$1.
- Test first: try a few example URLs to confirm they land correctly.
- Query strings: If you need to keep UTM or query parameters, ensure your rule or app setting preserves them.
Quick starter table
| Goal | Redirect From | Redirect To | Result Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move blog to new handle | /blog/* | /blogs/news/$1 | /blog/sale → /blogs/news/sale |
| Merge all brand pages | /brands/* | /collections/$1 | /brands/adidas → /collections/adidas |
| Retire a folder | /outlet/* | /collections/sale | /outlet/jackets → /collections/sale |
| Keep deep paths | /help/*/* | /support/$1/$2 | /help/shipping/rates → /support/shipping/rates |
| Clean up PHP | /*.php | / | /about.php → / |
FAQs
Will this pass SEO value?
Yes. use 301. Search engines transfer most ranking signals from the old URL to the new one.
Does * include slashes?
Yes. It captures across path segments. Use multiple wildcards if you want to map each segment to $1, $2, etc.
Can I keep the captured text?
Yes—use $1, $2 in your "Redirect To" field to re-insert what the * matched.
What about trailing slashes?
Treat /path and /path/ consistently. If both exist, add a rule that covers the variant you receive traffic on or set a canonical preference site-wide.