Can MyKinsta redirects match a URL's query string?

Definition: MyKinsta's Redirects tool cannot use a URL query string as the condition for a redirect. Kinsta separately documents that a path redirect can automatically carry an incoming UTM parameter or other text at the end of the URL into the destination.

Key facts

• Kinsta's redirect rules documentation, updated 18 February 2026, says that MyKinsta Redirects cannot redirect query strings and directs cases involving URLs with query strings to Kinsta Support.
• RFC 3986 defines a URI as a sequence containing scheme, authority, path, query, and fragment components.
• RFC 3986 says that the query component is marked by ? and ends at # or at the end of the URI.
• Kinsta says its Redirect from field supports regular expressions and that redirects are checked in the order in which they are added.
• RFC 9110 describes redirects that provide a different URI through the Location header field, including status codes 301 and 302.

What can a MyKinsta rule match?

Kinsta's documentation describes the Redirect from value as a path pattern. The tool applies regular expressions automatically, so the page recommends adding ^ at the beginning of each from path when the match should start at the beginning of the path. It also says that the field supports regular expressions, that matching is case-sensitive by default, and that rules are checked in the order they were added.

The query string is a different URI component. RFC 3986's generic syntax places an optional query after the path:

URI = scheme ":" hier-part [ "?" query ] [ "#" fragment ]

The standard says the path ends at the first ? or #, while the query component starts at ?. Kinsta's page therefore gives two relevant statements: its regular-expression field handles the redirect source pattern, and its redirect tool cannot redirect by arguments. A rule can match a path such as /blogpost; the documented query-string limitation prevents using utm_content=buffer or another argument as the rule's selection condition.

Does a rule preserve incoming parameters?

Yes, the Kinsta documentation gives a separate preservation example. It says a normal path redirect automatically redirects UTM parameters or anything at the end of the URL. Its example is:

https://wpdev.ink/blogpost/?utm_content=buffer
https://wpdev.ink/newblogpost/?utm_content=buffer

In this example, the source path changes from /blogpost/ to /newblogpost/, and utm_content=buffer appears on the destination. This is forwarding observed in Kinsta's example, rather than a query-based match condition. The page does not document a rule syntax for selecting one parameter name or value.

RFC 9110 describes the protocol relationship: a redirect can provide a different URI through the Location header, and a user agent may automatically redirect its request to that URI. When it follows the redirect, the target URI is replaced with the URI referenced by the Location value. RFC 9110 also states that the hierarchical path and optional query identify the target resource within the origin server's namespace.

How should a redirect be configured and checked?

Kinsta places redirect creation at Sites > sitename > Redirects, followed by Add redirect rule. The page describes 301 as the status for content moved permanently and 302 as the status for content found or moved temporarily. A path rule can therefore be reviewed separately from the query behavior shown in the example above.

Kinsta recommends clearing the cache after adding or removing redirects. Its documentation also provides a free HTTP status and redirect checker for reviewing response headers, client-side errors, and redirect chains. Those checks can confirm whether the response points to the expected destination and whether the incoming parameter appears there.

Related terms

• URL parameters
• HTTP redirects
• How do I keep campaign parameters through redirects?

FAQ

Can you create a MyKinsta rule for ?utm_source=newsletter?

No. Kinsta documents query strings as unsupported redirect criteria in the MyKinsta Redirects tool and says to contact Support for URLs that contain query strings.

Will a path redirect keep an incoming UTM parameter?

Kinsta's example shows /blogpost/?utm_content=buffer redirected to /newblogpost/?utm_content=buffer. Test the actual response because the documentation gives that example without a general list of every parameter-handling case.

Does ^/blogpost match only the exact URL?

No. Kinsta says the tool applies regular expressions automatically and recommends ^ at the start of a from path. Its documentation separately explains that $ marks the end of the string when an exact ending is required.

Sources

1. Kinsta, "Redirects", 18 February 2026
2. Internet Engineering Task Force, "RFC 3986: URI Generic Syntax", January 2005
3. Internet Engineering Task Force, "RFC 9110: HTTP Semantics", June 2022

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