Nayan Dhumal
Permalinks are the permanent web addresses of your WordPress posts and pages. Choosing a clean structure, such as yourdomain.com/post-name/, makes your links easy to read and share. This guide explains each permalink option, which one to pick for a blog and how to change it without breaking links.
A new WordPress site may use addresses like yourdomain.com/?p=123. They work, but they tell readers nothing. A link like yourdomain.com/how-to-start-a-blog/ tells them exactly what they will find.
The best time to set your permalinks is before you publish. Changing them later is possible, but it needs care.
Key takeaways
- Permalinks are the permanent URLs of your posts and pages.
- Set them under Settings, then Permalinks.
- Post name is the simplest, most readable choice for most blogs.
- Google recommends readable words and hyphens between words.
- Changing the structure on an existing site changes every URL, so you need redirects.
- You can edit a single post’s slug in the editor, but redirect the old URL if it was already live.
What a permalink is
WordPress explains that the URL to each post “should be permanent and never change”, which is where the name permalink comes from.
Each permalink has two parts: the structure (for example, whether it includes the date) and the slug (the part that identifies the post, such as how-to-start-a-blog).
The permalink options in WordPress
Go to Settings, then Permalinks. WordPress lists these common settings:
| Option | Example | Good for a blog? |
|---|---|---|
| Plain | yourdomain.com/?p=123 | No, tells readers nothing |
| Day and name | yourdomain.com/2026/11/07/sample-post/ | Only for news sites |
| Month and name | yourdomain.com/2026/11/sample-post/ | Only for news sites |
| Numeric | yourdomain.com/archives/123 | No |
| Post name | yourdomain.com/sample-post/ | Yes, the usual choice |
| Custom structure | Your own pattern using tags | Advanced use only |
There are also optional fields for the category base and tag base, which change the word “category” or “tag” in those archive URLs. Most bloggers leave them as they are.
Which permalink structure to choose
For most blogs, choose Post name. It gives short, readable URLs that do not show a date, so evergreen guides do not look old next year.
Google’s URL guidance supports this approach: “When possible, use readable words rather than long ID numbers in your URLs.” Google also recommends “using hyphens (-) instead of underscores (_) to separate words.” WordPress uses hyphens in slugs by default.
How to set your permalinks on a new site
- Go to Settings, then Permalinks.
- Select Post name.
- Click Save Changes at the bottom of the screen.
- Open a post to check the new address works.
WordPress notes that if your .htaccess file cannot be updated automatically, you will see a message asking you to update it yourself. If that happens, ask your host for help or copy the rules shown into the file.
Pro tip
Keep slugs short. When you publish a post, WordPress creates the slug from the title, which can be long. Edit it in the post settings to the main phrase, such as how-to-change-permalinks-wordpress, before you publish.
How to change a single post’s slug
- Open the post in the editor.
- In the post settings sidebar, find the URL or Slug field.
- Edit it to a short, descriptive phrase using hyphens.
- Update the post.
If the post was already published and indexed, add a redirect from the old URL to the new one. Otherwise, visitors and Google will find an error page.
Changing permalinks on an existing site
Changing the structure on a live site changes the address of every post at once. Links from other sites, social media and Google’s index still point to the old addresses.
If you must change it:
- Take a full backup first.
- Make a list of your current post URLs, for example from your sitemap.
- Change the structure and save.
- Set up redirects from the old pattern to the new one. Many SEO plugins, including Rank Math, have a redirections feature.
- Test several old URLs to make sure they reach the right posts.
- Resubmit your sitemap in Search Console.
Important
Do not change your permalink structure on an established site just to remove a date or a category. Without redirects, every old link breaks. If your current structure works, it is usually safer to leave it.
I have seen what happens when old URLs break. On this blog, many old addresses showed up as errors in Search Console until I redirected them to the matching new posts. My guide on why a blog is not showing on Google explains how I found and fixed them.
Do keywords in the URL matter?
Google’s starter guide suggests including “words in the URL that may be useful for users.” A short, descriptive slug helps readers understand the link before they click. SEO plugins such as Rank Math also check whether your focus keyword appears in the URL.
Keep it natural. A slug like /what-is-a-focus-keyword/ is clear. A slug stuffed with every keyword variation is not.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best permalink structure for a blog?
Post name is the most common choice. It gives short, readable URLs such as yourdomain.com/post-name/.
Will changing permalinks hurt my SEO?
It can, if old URLs break. On an existing site, always redirect old URLs to new ones and check them afterwards.
Should I include the date in my URLs?
Only for news sites. Dates make evergreen guides look outdated and make URLs longer.
Should I use hyphens or underscores in URLs?
Hyphens. Google recommends hyphens to separate words because they clearly mark word boundaries.
Can I change the slug of one post?
Yes, in the post settings. If the post was already live, redirect the old URL to the new one.