View source for SpongeBob Wiki:Redirects

'''Redirects''' are used to forward the user from one page on the wiki to another page.

== Main redirects ==
We use redirects to connect logical search phrases to helpful places. They don't cost us anything, so they're highly-encouraged. There are a few exceptions, but unless one redirects to a place to where someone ''wouldn't'' want to go, there's no downside to having them. In such a case where a phrase could have multiple meanings, a disambiguation page is used.

For example, let's take a look at the search phrase "battle for bikini bottom". Without a proper redirect, users are taken to [https://spongebobwiki.org/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&search=battle+for+bikini+bottom&go=Go this results page]. MediaWiki's built-in search is not great, and redirects allow us to make up for that by applying a human touch to point users in the right direction. If there's even a small chance that a redirect will help someone, it's not useless.

=== Unnecessary redirects ===
Due to MediaWiki's search irregularities, a proper-capitalization redirect and all-lowercase redirect may exist for each topic (for example, [[SpongeBob Meets The Strangler]] and [[Spongebob meets the strangler]]). Deleting redirects provides no real benefit, so they should only be tagged for deletion in the rare cases where (1) they are completely nonsensical or (2) they are too general. '''There is no need to delete alternate name, conjectural, or spelling-mistake redirects unless they are specifically too silly or too general.'''

==== Examples ====
(1) We don't need the redirect '''Episode with the magic conch''' because it's too silly.

(2) We don't want the redirect '''Episode with plankton''' because we're not positive what page the user is looking for (you might say "[[Plankton!]]", but maybe they're actually trying to find "[[Plankton's Army]]"), so the search page is the best place for them to be.

== Other types of redirects ==
=== Non-mainspace redirects ===
Template, Category, and File redirects are discouraged. In the rare case that one of these types of pages is moved, it is necessary to update all links to the new name and delete the redirect page.

=== Smart apostrophe/quote redirects ===
Due to certain devices using smart quotes and apostrophes by default (“...” and ‘...’), searching a title that uses regular quotes and apostrophes won't direct those users to that page unless they use the correct type, so creation of smart apostrophe/quote redirects (for example, [[The Algae’s Always Greener|The Algae'''’'''s Always Greener]] for [[The Algae's Always Greener|The Algae<b>'</b>s Always Greener]]) is encouraged.

== Linking to redirects ==
Linking to redirect pages is discouraged, so always try to link to the actual page name and use the piped link formatting to correct the name if necessary.

== External links ==
*[[mww:Help:Redirects|MediaWiki's help page on redirects]]

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[[Category:Writing guidelines]]