Wordpress

Best URL Permalink Structure for your WordPress Blog

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One of the best features of using wordpress is that its very SEO friendly, if you have a SEO friendly theme for your blog its a winner with the search engines.

Google loves Wordpess for its ability to create a custom keyword rich URL structure. Choosing the right permalink structure is a very important step that will affect your ranking.

If you have a new blog it is important for your to structure your wordpress permalink structure. A good permalink structure will help Google index your blog posts faster. Changing your permalink structure after you’ve written hundreds of posts is painful, when they’ve been indexed and can cause you to lose search engine ranking and traffic.

Wordpress comes with a default permalink structure but you also has the options to choose your own permalink structures for your blog urls.

The default structure for Wordpress is :

www.yourdomain.com/?p10

where 10 is the post number, this type of permalink does not give any indication what the post is all about and is not SEO friendly. The search spider will not understand the content of your blog post and will not be able to index your blog easyly. You can make your permalink structure friendly from your admin panel in Wordpress.

On the permalink settings page – Wordpress admin > Options > Permalinks
you ll see other permalink structures for your blog : date & name based, numeric and custom.

Use the date & name based stucture only if the date of your blog post is important to the context of your blog. I’ve seen a lot of blogs and bloggers recommend using “/category/postname” structure /%category%/%postname%/ , this is a good option but if you want to reorganise your categories and posts it would be painful to redirect your blog post to new categories.

I recommend you to use /%postname%/ as your permalink structure for all your blog posts.

I would recommend you to pick the above permalink structure before starting a blog and sticking with it. Don’t keep changing your permalink structure as it will impact your indexed posts and your ranking on search engines. If you need to change your permalink structure and are prepared to see a temporary hit in search engine rankings – use the below mentioned plugins
1 ) Permalink Migration Plugin
2 ) Permalink Redirection Plugin

both the above plugins work well. I’ve tested them for my blog.

You can change the permalink structure anytime with both these plugins without worrying about 301 redirects and 404 error pages. These plugin will automatically change your old url structure to the new url structure that you specify.

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52 comments

Ricardo @ NurtureYourWealth March 14, 2009 - 7:57 pm
Thanks for the links to the plugins, they will certainly help if someone needs to change. Ricardos last blog post..Nurture Your Wealth’s Vision & Mission
search engine optimization May 14, 2009 - 12:37 pm
i don't really know much about permalinks but will now need to learn what they are search engine optimizations last blog post..Review Of The Email Messenger “Mostly Known” As AWEBER
denologis March 14, 2009 - 11:22 pm
thanks! this tips is quite useful. :) denologiss last blog post..Is Playstation better than Plurk?
Splendid Kid March 15, 2009 - 12:56 am
I used to have .php at the end of my blog post url :) Splendid Kids last blog post..How To Make Money With CPA Offers, Revealed
Ann @ Work From Home March 19, 2009 - 3:28 pm
That is the worst thing you can do, always have keywords in your url slugs. Anns last blog post..Freelance Work From Home - 16 Freelance Sites
Enzyte March 15, 2009 - 4:33 am
Nice tip on the permalink structure, I was not very confident of changing the permalink structure for my blog...but I ve just download the plugins and tested the posts, the plugins work well in redirecting the blog URLS ! Thank you for sharing the useful info!
clickktdotcom March 15, 2009 - 7:58 am
That cool plugin. It will help very much for SEO. Thanks!
Brian D. Hawkins March 15, 2009 - 9:13 am
I just started using /%category%/%postname%/ on my new blog but didn't consider what would happen if I change the categories later. I just use on my other /%postname%/ blogs. Using custom structures can play havoc on some themes so test everything right away. Look to make sure images and links display properly in search, tags, categories etc.. Brian D. Hawkinss last blog post..Quick Tip - Blog Commenting Technique
ZK@Internet Marketing Blog March 15, 2009 - 9:37 am
If you download the 2 plugins mentioned above you won't have any issue when you change your permalink setting even if you have launched the blog and all your blog posts are indexed by Google ZKs last blog post..Best URL Permalink Structure for your Wordpress Blog
YS@CigArest March 15, 2009 - 11:54 am
Honestly, I can't think of anything else to say here, ZK. You are right on money. Use /%postname%/. Period. Yan
Shanker Bakshi March 15, 2009 - 3:35 pm
Once i changed my Permalink structure and i know how painful it is to remove bad URLs notified by Google Webtoolmaster report. Its better you must fix it before writing your first post, its a tedious exercise if you change your permalink later on.
ZK@Internet Marketing Blog March 15, 2009 - 4:11 pm
The permalink plugins mentioned in the post will change the blog post URL structure even after you've written the posts. ZKs last blog post..Best URL Permalink Structure for your Wordpress Blog
shanker Bakshi March 16, 2009 - 10:36 am
still suggest -You one should fix up permalink initially and avoid changing it later on. shanker Bakshis last blog post..The Ethical Bribe to Increase Twitter Followers
ZK@Internet Marketing Blog March 16, 2009 - 11:55 am
Yes, thats the best solution to all permalink problems, but not everyone know how to get set up your permalink structure when they first start a blog. I did not know of it :) ZKs last blog post..Best URL Permalink Structure for your Wordpress Blog
Dennis Edell March 15, 2009 - 5:28 pm
I have mine set as you do ZK, but got the plugins jst in case, thanks. They have to be used in tandem though? Dennis Edells last blog post..Do You Charge For Blog Reviews?
ZK March 15, 2009 - 5:43 pm
If you ve downloaded and activated both plugins it should work well, I recently changed my permalink structure from /month/samplepost/ to customise structure /%postname%/....my internal page links point to the correct post without me having to manually change them. I ve also checked my posts appearing on Google, they are redirected to the new URL structure. Activate both the permalink related plugins mentioned in the post.
coolwebdeveloper March 15, 2009 - 10:09 pm
nicely done article. These plugin links will be helpful. coolwebdevelopers last blog post..Top navigation Horizontal Menu appears below the content when using Nice Menus with Zen layout - Drupal
Ann @ Work From Home March 15, 2009 - 11:25 pm
Great post Zk, and I agree all my blogs are set this way. The WP default is horrible no SEO at all not to mention the fact that url's with symbols are no good. Anns last blog post..Work From Home Jobs and Staying Productive and Disciplined
Brad Callen March 16, 2009 - 1:31 am
You're right shankar you should fix it initially for your blog otherwise it will affect you page rank. So it is beneficially if you will fix it initially
Brad Callen March 16, 2009 - 2:27 am
I think also affect the URL to make it more relative to you post content because after fix code URL show that post tittle after main domain
Electrical Test Equipment March 16, 2009 - 2:36 am
The search spider will not understand the content of your blog post and will not be able to index your blog easyly. You can make your permalink structure friendly from your admin panel in Wordpress.
Ben Pei@Make Money Online March 16, 2009 - 6:19 am
Yup exactly what I used to. Better for SE to pick up your post.. Ben Peis last blog post..Taking A Closer Look At How Pros Make Money Online
Karl Hadwen March 16, 2009 - 7:26 am
I couldn't live without permalinks tbh, great post for people who have wordpress blogs. Karl Hadwens last blog post..Time for a Change
don resdi@Jersey Shore Memories March 16, 2009 - 8:31 am
ZK, Some very sound advice - I do of course think this suggestion is quite a good one, considering we both are in agreement about using /%postname%/ as the best URL choice! : ) don resdis last blog post..Sadly Gone
Ganesh - Online Bull March 16, 2009 - 9:39 am
Although, I use the /%postname%/ permalink for all of my main blogs, I like the /%postname%.html permalink. It is really good from an SEO point of view. Because, making the URL of a post (which is an HTML page) end like "best-wordpress-blogs/" is kind of different because the "/" denotes a directory whereas ending it like "best-wordpress-blogs.html" tells the search engines that the post is an HTML document. Just my opinion. Thanks for the link to the plugin. :D Ganesh - Online Bulls last blog post..An Insider’s Guide to CPA Marketing Profits
ZK@Internet Marketing Blog March 16, 2009 - 1:49 pm
Hi Ganesh, Technically you are right but I am not sure if it will make a difference in the search ranking, however I will dig deep into this and put up a blog post or answer it here..Thanks for your valuable feedback on this post :) ZKs last blog post..Best URL Permalink Structure for your Wordpress Blog
pet medication March 16, 2009 - 11:31 pm
This post and comments are techically correct on issues and solutions pertaining to permalink structure for blogs....nice one pet medications last blog post..Could Using Frontline on Cat Cause Their Skin to Itch?
pet medication March 16, 2009 - 11:32 pm
nice tips for wordpress. i will definitely use these tips when i will use wordpress........ pet medications last blog post..Could Using Frontline on Cat Cause Their Skin to Itch?
clear credit card debt March 19, 2009 - 12:25 am
Great post with a useful information. Very good ideas and I will try these ideas when I will use wordpress. Thanks for the informative post. This post provide the Best URL Permalink Structure for your Wordpress Blog...............
telephone answering March 19, 2009 - 10:09 am
Just started a Wordpress blog. SEO right up there in the reasons why. Thanks for the tip.
jons Gifts shop March 19, 2009 - 11:07 am
I want to change my wordpress blog permalink structure to %postname% instead of the default ?p=25 but I don't want to harm my feedburner feed, trackbacks, links, and google index. I have read that I could use Permalink Redirect plugin to do this, but will it hurt my blog? My blog is "young" so I only have about 50 post. I just don't want to do any harm, but I also want to have a more SEO friendly permalink structure. Help! jons Gifts shops last blog post..Tips to choose the perfect gift for any occasion
ZK@Internet Marketing Blog March 19, 2009 - 6:19 pm
It has nothing to do with your feedburner feeds and will not affect your blog in anyway. ZKs last blog post..Wordpress Affiliate Theme for Affiliate Marketers
Beach House Rentals March 20, 2009 - 3:56 am
Awesome idea for seo!!@!!
Desktop Security Software June 27, 2009 - 1:08 am
It works well
Data Recovery March 25, 2009 - 8:03 pm
I downloaded the plugins and i am using it now really good tip Thanks a lot
kitchen taps March 27, 2009 - 6:38 am
Excellent tips for structuring url permalink.
SEO India March 28, 2009 - 5:45 am
The permalink plugins are great I really appreciate you sharing this information, Thanks
Cycling Jerseys March 31, 2009 - 7:47 am
Tips are very helpful and definitely they gonna help all the people out there. Its an awesome idea for seo..
Jeff Paul Internet Millions April 8, 2009 - 10:25 pm
Hi! I enjoyed reading your posts. I felt that your research techniques must be really cool. I’m running a small website and doing internet marketing, so I’m going through a lot of posts.
Chevy trucks April 10, 2009 - 12:26 am
yea this is the best structure and i also use the same and recommend to my frds too ... /%postname%/ i read about using this permalink structure on some blog few months back and now the results are showing good.
Dan April 16, 2009 - 8:04 pm
Good advice here and glad I ran across it. I am currently using /%postname%/ but was thinking of changing to /%category%/%postname%/ to organize my blog better for future updates. I'm think I'll stay pat for now... Dans last blog post..Adams Insight Driver Review
John Beck Property Vault May 29, 2009 - 8:14 pm
Your post is awesome and I am going to add it on my website because recently I have started a small business of internet marketing. This post will help me in expanding my knowledge about Internet Marketing.
Make Money on the Internet June 8, 2009 - 8:38 pm
I enjoyed reading your post. Internet marketing is growing very fast in the IT industry. Internet marketing is now becoming a part-time business for many individuals.
V.C June 12, 2009 - 6:42 pm
It might be a good idea to leave a unique number in your permalinks. I often have posts with the same name and it can be troublesome unless you leave in date or post_id information. I currently use: /%category%/%post_id/%postname%
CatalinNichita@top best antivirus June 26, 2009 - 4:08 pm
You should try All in one SEO pack for wordpress. .-= CatalinNichita@top best antivirus´s last blog ..Spam Agent =-.
Antivirus Firewall Software June 27, 2009 - 1:04 am
Thanks for this information....its important for search marketing purpose
Antivirus Firewall Software June 27, 2009 - 1:01 am
Thanks for the tip
Engagement Rings June 27, 2009 - 1:09 am
We use it and it works well. Thanks
Spyware Blockers June 27, 2009 - 1:12 am
I am a regular reader. I appreciate all of your hard work. Thanks
jason July 27, 2009 - 6:44 pm
cool stuff man!
Paolo@Giochi September 5, 2009 - 7:12 am
Thank you for the tip. I always use /%category%/%postname%/ structure, it's the first thing i change everytime when I set up a new Blog.
Techkol November 9, 2010 - 5:07 am
hay i'm using http://www.techkol.com/%year%month%Postname/ ,but i'm going to change it to as u told..thanks

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