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Home » How to change a WordPress permalink?

How to change a WordPress permalink?

May 15, 2025 by TinyGrab Team Leave a Comment

Table of Contents

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  • How to Change a WordPress Permalink: A Definitive Guide
    • Understanding WordPress Permalinks: The Foundation of Your Web Address
    • Why Change Your WordPress Permalink Structure? Reasons Beyond Aesthetics
    • Step-by-Step Guide: Changing Your Permalink Structure in WordPress
    • Important Considerations Before Making the Change
    • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About WordPress Permalinks
      • 1. What happens if I don’t implement 301 redirects after changing permalinks?
      • 2. Which permalink structure is best for SEO?
      • 3. Can I change the permalink of a single post without affecting the entire site?
      • 4. How do I create a custom permalink structure with categories?
      • 5. What is the difference between a 301 redirect and a 302 redirect?
      • 6. Can I change my permalinks after my website has been established for a long time?
      • 7. How do I update internal links after changing permalinks?
      • 8. What is a slug in WordPress?
      • 9. My permalinks are not working after I changed them. What should I do?
      • 10. Can I use special characters in my permalinks?
      • 11. Will changing my permalinks affect my social media shares?
      • 12. How can I test if my 301 redirects are working correctly?

How to Change a WordPress Permalink: A Definitive Guide

Changing your WordPress permalinks is a crucial task that can significantly impact your SEO, user experience, and overall website performance. To change a WordPress permalink, navigate to Settings > Permalinks in your WordPress dashboard and select a pre-defined structure or create a custom structure using available tags; remember to save your changes and implement proper 301 redirects to maintain SEO value.

Understanding WordPress Permalinks: The Foundation of Your Web Address

Permalinks, short for permanent links, are the web addresses (URLs) used to link to your website’s individual pages, posts, and categories. They’re not just random strings of characters; they’re the cornerstone of your site’s navigation and a significant factor in how search engines understand and rank your content. A well-structured permalink is readable, descriptive, and SEO-friendly, making it easier for both users and search engines to understand what your page is about.

Why Change Your WordPress Permalink Structure? Reasons Beyond Aesthetics

While a clean and user-friendly URL is aesthetically pleasing, the benefits of optimizing your permalink structure extend far beyond appearance. Consider these compelling reasons for making a change:

  • Improved SEO: Search engines favor URLs that contain relevant keywords. Including keywords in your permalinks helps search engines understand the context of your content, leading to better rankings.
  • Enhanced User Experience: Clear and descriptive URLs make it easier for users to understand the content they’re about to access. This improves user engagement and reduces bounce rates.
  • Better Organization: A well-defined permalink structure reflects the organization of your website. This allows users and search engines to easily navigate and understand the relationship between different pieces of content.
  • Branding: Using your brand name or relevant keywords in your permalinks can contribute to brand recognition and consistency.

Step-by-Step Guide: Changing Your Permalink Structure in WordPress

Changing your permalink structure in WordPress is a relatively straightforward process, but it’s crucial to follow these steps carefully to avoid potential issues:

  1. Access the Permalinks Settings: Log in to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Settings > Permalinks. This is where you’ll find the available options for configuring your permalink structure.

  2. Choose a Permalink Structure: WordPress offers several pre-defined permalink structures:

    • Plain: /?p=123 (Not recommended – lacks readability and SEO value)
    • Day and Name: /2023/10/27/sample-post/
    • Month and Name: /2023/10/sample-post/
    • Numeric: /archives/123
    • Post Name: /sample-post/ (Highly Recommended – clean, readable, and SEO-friendly)
    • Custom Structure: Allows you to create your own structure using available tags (e.g., %postname%, %category%, %author%).

    Select the structure that best suits your needs. The “Post Name” option is generally the most recommended due to its simplicity, readability, and SEO-friendliness.

  3. Consider Custom Structures: If the pre-defined options don’t meet your requirements, you can create a custom structure. Use the available tags (listed below the options) to build your desired URL format. Common tags include:

    • %postname%: The post’s title.
    • %post_id%: The post’s ID number.
    • %category%: The post’s category.
    • %author%: The post’s author’s username.
    • %year%: The year of the post.
    • %monthnum%: The month of the post.
    • %day%: The day of the post.

    For example, a custom structure like /%category%/%postname%/ would create URLs like /blog/sample-post/.

  4. Save Your Changes: After selecting or creating your desired permalink structure, click the “Save Changes” button at the bottom of the page.

  5. Implement 301 Redirects (Critical!): This is the most crucial step. Changing your permalinks will break all existing links to your website. To avoid losing traffic and SEO value, you must implement 301 redirects from your old URLs to your new URLs. This tells search engines that the content has permanently moved to a new location.

    • Using a Plugin (Recommended): The easiest way to implement 301 redirects is to use a plugin like Redirection, Yoast SEO Premium, or Rank Math SEO. These plugins provide a user-friendly interface for creating and managing redirects.
    • Editing .htaccess (Advanced): If you’re comfortable working with code, you can manually add 301 redirects to your .htaccess file. However, this method requires technical expertise and carries the risk of breaking your website if done incorrectly. Proceed with caution if you choose this method.

Important Considerations Before Making the Change

Before you dive in and change your permalinks, keep these crucial points in mind:

  • Back Up Your Website: Always back up your entire website (files and database) before making any significant changes. This allows you to restore your site to its previous state if something goes wrong.
  • Notify Search Engines: After implementing 301 redirects, consider submitting your sitemap to Google Search Console to help search engines discover your new URLs quickly.
  • Update Internal Links: Update all internal links on your website to reflect the new permalink structure. This ensures a seamless user experience and avoids broken links.
  • Test Thoroughly: After implementing the changes and redirects, thoroughly test your website to ensure that all links are working correctly and that users are being redirected to the correct pages.
  • Don’t Change Permalinks Needlessly: Avoid changing your permalinks unless absolutely necessary. Frequent changes can negatively impact your SEO.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About WordPress Permalinks

1. What happens if I don’t implement 301 redirects after changing permalinks?

If you don’t implement 301 redirects, all your old links will become broken, leading to 404 errors. This will negatively impact your SEO, user experience, and traffic. Search engines will de-index your old URLs, and users clicking on those links will encounter error pages.

2. Which permalink structure is best for SEO?

The “Post Name” structure (/sample-post/) is generally considered the best for SEO due to its simplicity, readability, and ability to include relevant keywords. However, a well-structured custom permalink using categories or other relevant tags can also be effective.

3. Can I change the permalink of a single post without affecting the entire site?

Yes, you can change the permalink of a single post by editing the post directly in the WordPress editor. Look for the permalink field (usually located below the title) and edit it. Remember to implement a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new URL.

4. How do I create a custom permalink structure with categories?

In the Settings > Permalinks section, select “Custom Structure” and use the %category% and %postname% tags to create a structure like /%category%/%postname%/. This will create URLs that include the post’s category and title.

5. What is the difference between a 301 redirect and a 302 redirect?

A 301 redirect indicates a permanent move of a URL, while a 302 redirect indicates a temporary move. For permalink changes, you should always use 301 redirects to tell search engines that the content has permanently moved to a new location.

6. Can I change my permalinks after my website has been established for a long time?

Yes, you can, but it requires careful planning and execution. Implement 301 redirects meticulously and monitor your website’s performance closely after making the changes. It’s generally best to avoid changing permalinks on established sites unless absolutely necessary.

7. How do I update internal links after changing permalinks?

You can use a plugin like “Better Search Replace” to search for and replace all instances of your old URLs with the new URLs in your WordPress database. This will update all internal links on your website.

8. What is a slug in WordPress?

The slug is the part of the permalink that identifies a specific page or post. It’s typically based on the post title but can be customized. For example, in the permalink /example.com/blog/my-awesome-post/, “my-awesome-post” is the slug.

9. My permalinks are not working after I changed them. What should I do?

First, ensure that you have saved the changes in the Settings > Permalinks section. Then, try flushing your permalinks by re-saving the permalink settings (even if you haven’t made any changes). If that doesn’t work, check your .htaccess file to ensure that it contains the correct WordPress rewrite rules.

10. Can I use special characters in my permalinks?

It’s generally best to avoid using special characters in your permalinks. Stick to lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens. Special characters can cause encoding issues and make your URLs less readable.

11. Will changing my permalinks affect my social media shares?

Yes, changing your permalinks will break existing social media shares. You may lose share counts on social media platforms.

12. How can I test if my 301 redirects are working correctly?

You can use online tools like “Redirect Checker” or browser extensions to check if your 301 redirects are working correctly. Simply enter the old URL and verify that it redirects to the new URL. You can also manually test by clicking on old links and ensuring that you are redirected to the correct pages.

By following these steps and understanding the implications, you can confidently change your WordPress permalinks and optimize your website for better SEO and user experience. Remember, planning, caution, and meticulous execution are key to a successful permalink migration.

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