What are Permalinks?
Permalinks are the URLs used to access individual posts, pages, categories, and other content on your website. These links remain the same (permanent) even if you update or edit the content. They’re the permanent URLs that visitors and search engines use to find your content. In WordPress, permalinks are the permanent URLs (web addresses) that direct people to your posts, pages, categories, and other content. These links play a key role in how users navigate your site, and they also affect how your site is indexed by search engines like Google.
Why are Permalinks Important?
- SEO Powerhouse: Search engines love clean, descriptive URLs. Good permalinks help them understand what your page is about, improving your search engine rankings.
- User-Friendliness: Clear permalinks are easy for visitors to read and remember. This improves user experience and encourages them to share your content.
- Brand Consistency: Consistent permalinks create a professional look and feel for your website.
How to Change Permalinks in WordPress
WordPress offers flexibility in how you structure your permalinks. You can adjust the settings globally for all posts and pages or customize them for individual posts or pages. Let’s walk through how to do both.
Changing Permalink Structure for the Entire Site
To set your default permalink structure for all posts and pages, follow these steps:
- Log in to your WordPress Dashboard: Go to
www.yourwebsite.com/wp-admin
and log in with your credentials. - Navigate to Permalink Settings:
- On the left-hand sidebar, hover over Settings and then click on Permalinks.
- Choose a Permalink Structure:
- WordPress offers several predefined permalink structures. Here are the common options:
- Plain:
www.yourwebsite.com/?p=123
- Day and name:
www.yourwebsite.com/2024/12/23/sample-post/
- Month and name:
www.yourwebsite.com/2024/12/sample-post/
- Post name:
www.yourwebsite.com/sample-post/
(this is one of the most popular choices) - Custom Structure: You can create your own structure using tags like
%year%
,%monthnum%
,%day%
, and%postname%
.
- Plain:
- WordPress offers several predefined permalink structures. Here are the common options:
- Select Your Preferred Structure:
- For most blogs, Post name is the most SEO-friendly and simple structure. It results in URLs like
www.yourwebsite.com/sample-post/
, which are easy to read and remember.
- For most blogs, Post name is the most SEO-friendly and simple structure. It results in URLs like
- Save Changes:
- After selecting your preferred structure, scroll down and click Save Changes to apply your new permalink settings.
Now, all new posts and pages will follow this new permalink structure.
Changing Permalinks for Individual Posts or Pages
If you want to change the permalink for a specific post or page (for example, if you want a more descriptive URL), you can do so easily. Here’s how:
- Edit the Post/Page:
- In your WordPress dashboard, go to Posts or Pages and find the one you want to edit.
- Click on the title of the post or page to open the editor.
- Change the Permalink:
- When you’re in the editor, just below the title, you’ll see the Permalink field with the URL for that post/page.
- Click the Edit button next to the permalink to make changes.
- For example, if your post is titled “How to Make a Cake,” you might want the permalink to be
www.yourwebsite.com/how-to-make-a-cake
instead of the default one.
- Save the Changes:
- Once you’ve edited the permalink, click OK to confirm and then update or publish the post/page to save the changes.
Step 3: Changing Permalinks for Categories and Tags
You can also customize permalinks for categories and tags (which organize your posts) in WordPress. Here’s how to change them:
- Go to the Settings:
- From the WordPress dashboard, hover over Settings and then click on Permalinks.
- Category and Tag Base:
- Scroll down to the Optional section, where you can change the base for category and tag URLs.
- Category base: This will change the URL structure for your categories. For example, you could set it to
/topics/
so your category URLs look likewww.yourwebsite.com/topics/recipes/
. - Tag base: This will change the URL structure for tags. For example, you could set it to
/labels/
to make tag URLs look likewww.yourwebsite.com/labels/desserts/
.
- Category base: This will change the URL structure for your categories. For example, you could set it to
- Scroll down to the Optional section, where you can change the base for category and tag URLs.
- Save Changes:
- After making your changes, click Save Changes to update the permalink structure for categories and tags.
Tips for Creating SEO-Friendly Permalinks
Here are a few tips to make sure your permalinks are optimized for both search engines and users:
- Keep It Short and Descriptive: Choose short, meaningful words for your URL. For example,
www.yourwebsite.com/easy-pasta-recipes
is better thanwww.yourwebsite.com/12345
. - Use Hyphens, Not Underscores: WordPress automatically uses hyphens (
-
) to separate words in the URL. Avoid underscores (_
) because search engines may not recognize them as word separators. - Avoid Stop Words: Words like “and,” “or,” “the,” and “a” are considered stop words and can be removed from your permalink to make it cleaner and shorter.
- Use Keywords: Include relevant keywords in the permalink to help search engines understand what the page is about.
Remember, you can change permalinks globally in the Permalink Settings, or customize them for individual posts, pages, categories, and tags. Make sure to choose a structure that suits your site’s goals and provides a better user experience!