Better Search Replace: Easily update URLs

Are there links on your website that still point to an old URL? Because of this, you are losing customers and visibility in Google. Don't worry, you don't have to update all the links manually!

With the plugin Better Search Replace Can you update the wrong URLs to the new URL with just a few clicks? In this post, I will explain how the plugin works, what benefits it offers, and how you can use it step by step on your WordPress website. This saves you time and helps you avoid mistakes!

What is „Better Search Replace“?

The WordPress plugin Better Search Replace is a free and practical tool for WordPress that allows you to easily replace URLs across your entire website. The WordPress plugin searches your database for the URL you specify and replaces it with the new value, i.e., the new URL. This saves you a lot of time and reduces the risk of missing individual links.

Example💡: Imagine there is a complete rebranding of your brand. Since the brand name is being adapted, you are also changing your website's domain. Now all URLs need to be updated to the new ones. For example:

• Menu links
• Button Links
• Image links

Instead of searching for each URL now and updating it manually, you can automate this process with Better Search Replace.

Benefits of Better Search Replace

Better Search Replace is very well-rated in the plugin repository (4.3 out of 5 stars) with over 525 reviews. With WPspace we always recommend using Better Search Replace whenever there is a change to the website domain. And so far, we have only achieved very good results. Below are the key advantages:

1. Time savingsMinimize manual effort! Instead of manually changing the URLs of every link on your website, the plugin does this (mostly) in one go. Especially for large websites or blogs with many posts, this is a huge advantage.

Note💡: For very large websites or shops, it may be necessary to perform the process in multiple steps. Otherwise, there are too many database entries for a single run.

2. Free of charge: With Better Search Replace, the paid version isn't necessary in 99 out of 100 cases. So you won't incur any costs.

3. User-friendlyEven as a WordPress beginner, you can use the plugin correctly with our step-by-step guide. It is designed to be clear, simple, and user-friendly.

4. Test Run FunctionBefore changes are actually made, you can do a dry run. Here, the result will show you how many entries are affected and will be adjusted in the actual run.

5. FlexibilityBetter Search Replace works not only with URLs, but also with all other content in your database, such as texts, image paths, or even meta descriptions.

Use cases of Better Search Replace

Generally, you don't need the Better Search Replace plugin regularly, but rather for specific use cases. Are you unsure whether you need to use Better Search Replace? In the following situations, I recommend using the plugin for your website!

1. Domain change: When you change your website's domain, all internal links must be updated. The plugin helps you replace every mention of the old URL with the new one – without having to edit each link individually.

2. SSL migrationWhen you switch from HTTP to HTTPS, all internal links must be updated. With Better Search Replace, you can change all http:// links to https://.

Note💡: Do you host your website in a reliable WordPress Hosting, is your website on HTTPS by default.

3. Correct broken linksSometimes typos creep into URLs or outdated links need to be replaced. Instead of painstakingly searching for them, you can use the plugin to systematically correct them.

TipUse a free „broken link checker“ to find all orphaned links. This way, you can replace multiple old URLs directly if necessary. For example, you can use this use.

4. Update meta descriptionsWas there a major update to the wording? Or did you insert placeholder texts into your website that now need to be replaced with real content? With Better Search Replace, you can do this in one step.

Guide for Better Search Replace

Whether you want to update a URL or your meta description, you can use this guide.

Note before you start💡: Create a current backup of your website. If anything goes wrong, you can easily restore the initial state this way.

Step 1: Installing the plugin

Go to your WordPress dashboard in Plugins > Install and search for „Better Search Replace“. Click on Install now and then onto Activate.

Step 2: Find and Replace Content

To replace the outdated URL globally across the website, fill out the form as described below (this also applies to terms):

• Search for field„Enter the URL you want to replace. For example, https://old-domain.com
  Important 💡In most cases, it is best to specify the entire URL including https://.
• Field „Replace with„: Provide the new URL, for example https://new-domain.com
• Select tables: It is best to always select all tables to ensure that the URL is updated everywhere.
  TipQuickly select all rows! To do this, click on a row and press CTRL + A (Windows) or Command + A (Mac).
• Ignore case: Check this box to achieve the best possible overall result.
• Run as a test run: Check the box for dry run before making the actual change. This allows you to see a preview of the affected entries without anything being changed. This gives you the opportunity to review your changes.

Step 3: Make changes

If the test run was successful and everything looks correct, uncheck the box next to Test run and click again on Start Find/Replace. The changes are now being made in your database.

Step 4: Review

After replacing the URLs, go to your website and check it. Focus on the following points:

• Button and menu links
• Correct images, graphics, GIFs and videos
• Accessibility of further subpages

If you have no problems here, you have successfully completed the adjustment of your URLs in the database of your website.

TipGenerally, you only need the Better Search Replace plugin very rarely. Therefore, you can now deactivate and delete it again. For the next use case, you can easily install it again.

Conclusion

Better Search Replace is an indispensable tool when it comes to quickly, for free, and reliably changing URLs or other meta descriptions on your WordPress website. Whether you are changing your domain, switching from HTTP to HTTPS, or need to correct broken links—this plugin saves you time and hassle. Thanks to the preview function, you can ensure that you don't make any unintended changes, and it is so easy to use that even WordPress beginners can use it without any problems.