When you move a website from Dreamweaver HTML to WordPress, your page names will change.  Visitors who have bookmarks saved will get a 404 not found error when they visit the old addresses.  Your website will lose some authority if links from high ranking websites no longer lead to a valid page on your website.

What is the answer?  You need to add 301 redirects to your website.  A redirect will tell the browser that the “contact.html” page is now “contact”.  There are several places you can add these redirects.  One is in the hidden .htaccess file on your server.  You need edit access on the server and you must be very careful not to disturb other settings in .htaccess.

An easier method is using WordPress plugins for the redirection.  When you have multiple developers working on a website at different times, this helps them all see what has been done for the redirects.  My favorite plugin for this is Simple 301 Redirects by Scott Nellé.  Installing this plugin adds an entry under “Settings”, “301 Redirects” in the WordPress Dashboard.  The old path and new path are entered side by side and displayed in an easy to read table.

Take the time to add your new page addresses through 301 redirects.  It will make life easier for your users, enhance your SEO and make your website upgrade smoother.