Retired content handling

Disabled Content Redirects

This component helps you decide where visitors should go when a product, category, information page or supported CMS page is disabled and a meaningful replacement exists.

Try it on your storeThree steps to check this feature

1Choose a disabled product or category with a genuine replacement; do not redirect unrelated items.
2Create a relevant permanent or temporary redirect using the supported settings and save.
3Open the old public URL in a private browser window; follow the destination.

What confirms it works

A customer lands on the intended replacement without a 404 or loop. If the content is gone permanently without an alternative, a 404/410 can be appropriate.

Remember: Do not confuse a redirect with a canonical hint. Frontend verification guide →

Use when relevant

Best rule

Redirect disabled content only to the closest useful replacement. A proper not-found response is better than sending users to an unrelated page.

When should I use a redirect?

Situation	Recommended action
Old product permanently replaced by a newer version	301 to the replacement product.
Old category merged into another category	301 to the new category.
Temporary campaign/content pause where the original URL will return	Consider 302 if a temporary redirect is genuinely required.
Deleted item with no related replacement	Do not force an unrelated redirect; a normal 404/410-style outcome can be more honest.

301 vs 302

301 — Permanent

Use when the old page is permanently gone and the replacement should become the long-term destination.

302 — Temporary

Use when the old URL is expected to return and you only need a temporary alternate destination.

Recommended workflow

Find the disabled content record.
Choose the most relevant live replacement.
Use 301 if the change is permanent.
Save and test the old public URL in a private/incognito browser window.
Confirm the destination is the real final SEO URL for that store/language.

Good redirect: discontinued “Laptop Model A” → “Laptop Model B” or the specific laptop category if there is no replacement product.

Bad redirect: every disabled product → homepage. That frustrates visitors and creates weak search signals.

How is this different from Broken Link Manager?

Disabled Content Redirects is proactive: you already know a catalog/content item is disabled and can choose a replacement.
Broken Link Manager is reactive: it records genuine missing URLs requested by visitors/crawlers and helps you decide what to do.

How is this different from Canonical?

A redirect moves the browser/search engine to another URL. A canonical tag keeps the page accessible but says which similar URL is preferred. Do not use canonical as a substitute for a permanent content move.

Recommended settings

Use 301 for permanent replacements.
Choose a destination with matching user intent.
Test the old public URL after saving.
Review redirects when catalog structure changes again.
Do not create redirect chains if you can point directly to the final page.

Save notices

Current Suite builds use the normal OpenCart 4 alert area at the top of the page for save/action success and errors. The page does not need to reload simply to show a message.

Troubleshooting

Old URL still does not redirect: confirm the content is actually disabled and the rule is saved for the correct content item/context.
Redirect lands on the wrong store/language URL: check the chosen destination and current SEO URL configuration.
Redirect loops: make sure the destination does not redirect back to the original URL.
Several old URLs point to an old intermediate URL: update them to the final destination to reduce redirect chains.