Permalink structure in Wordpress

Introduction

Permalink structure controls how your website's page and post URLs look. It helps make links easy to read and remember.

You want your website links to be simple and clear for visitors.

You want to improve your website's search engine ranking with friendly URLs.

You want to include dates or categories in your post URLs for organization.

You want to change the default URL format to match your brand style.

You want to avoid long or confusing web addresses.

Syntax

Wordpress

/%postname%/ or /%year%/%monthnum%/%postname%/

Use percent signs (%) around keywords to define parts of the URL.

Common tags include %postname%, %year%, %monthnum%, %category%, and %author%.

Examples

Shows URLs with just the post title, like example.com/my-post

Wordpress

/%postname%/

Includes year and month before the post name, like example.com/2024/06/my-post

Wordpress

/%year%/%monthnum%/%postname%/

Shows the category and post name in the URL, like example.com/news/my-post

Wordpress

/%category%/%postname%/

Sample Program

This changes your website URLs to show the category and post name, making links clear and organized.

Wordpress

1. Go to WordPress Dashboard.
2. Click Settings > Permalinks.
3. Select 'Custom Structure'.
4. Enter '/%category%/%postname%/' in the field.
5. Click 'Save Changes'.

Important Notes

Changing permalink structure on a live site can break old links; use redirects if needed.

Keep URLs short and descriptive for better user experience and SEO.

Summary

Permalink structure defines how your website URLs appear.

Use tags like %postname%, %year%, and %category% to customize URLs.

Choose a structure that is clear and helps visitors understand the link content.

Practice

1. What does the %postname% tag represent in a WordPress permalink structure?

easy

A. The date the post was published

B. The slug of the post or page

C. The category of the post

D. The author of the post

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of %postname%

   The %postname% tag is used to insert the post slug, which is a URL-friendly version of the post title.

2. Step 2: Compare with other tags

   Other tags like %year% or %category% represent date or category, not the post slug.

3. Final Answer:

   The slug of the post or page -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   %postname% = post slug [OK]

Hint: Remember postname means the post's URL-friendly title [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing %postname% with %category%
• Thinking %postname% shows the date
• Assuming %postname% is the author name

2. Which of the following is a valid custom permalink structure in WordPress?

easy

A. /%day%/%month%/%slug%/

B. /post/%author%/%date%/

C. /%year%/%monthnum%/%postname%/

D. /%category%/%postid%/%title%/

Solution

1. Step 1: Check valid WordPress tags

   WordPress supports tags like %year%, %monthnum%, and %postname%. /%year%/%monthnum%/%postname%/ uses only valid tags.

2. Step 2: Identify invalid tags in other options

   Options A, B, and C use invalid tags like %date%, %title%, or %slug% which are not recognized by WordPress.

3. Final Answer:

   /%year%/%monthnum%/%postname%/ -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Valid tags only = /%year%/%monthnum%/%postname%/ [OK]

Hint: Use only official WordPress tags in permalinks [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using tags like %title% or %slug% which don't exist
• Mixing date formats incorrectly
• Forgetting trailing slash in structure

3. Given the permalink structure /%category%/%postname%/, what would be the URL for a post titled "Summer Tips" in the "Travel" category?

medium

A. /travel/summer-tips/

B. /summer-tips/travel/

C. /category/travel/summer-tips/

D. /travel/category/summer-tips/

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the structure tags

   The structure /%category%/%postname%/ means the URL starts with the category slug, then the post slug.

2. Step 2: Apply to given post and category

   Category "Travel" becomes "travel" and post "Summer Tips" becomes "summer-tips". So URL is /travel/summer-tips/.

3. Final Answer:

   /travel/summer-tips/ -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Category + postname = /travel/summer-tips/ [OK]

Hint: Category comes first, then postname in this structure [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping category and postname order
• Adding extra words like 'category' in URL
• Using capital letters in URL slugs

4. A WordPress site uses the permalink structure /%year%/%postname%/. After changing it to /%postname%/, some old links show 404 errors. What is the likely cause?

medium

A. The .htaccess file was not updated to reflect the new structure

B. The post slugs were deleted accidentally

C. The site URL was changed in settings

D. The category base was not set correctly

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand permalink changes effect

   Changing permalink structure requires updating rewrite rules in the .htaccess file for URLs to work correctly.

2. Step 2: Identify cause of 404 errors

   If .htaccess is not updated, old URLs won't redirect properly, causing 404 errors.

3. Final Answer:

   The .htaccess file was not updated to reflect the new structure -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Rewrite rules update needed = The .htaccess file was not updated to reflect the new structure [OK]

Hint: Always update .htaccess after changing permalinks [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming post slugs were deleted
• Ignoring .htaccess rewrite rules
• Confusing category base with permalink structure

5. You want your WordPress URLs to show the year, category, and post name, but avoid duplicate URLs for posts in multiple categories. Which permalink structure helps prevent duplicates?

hard

A. /%year%/%category%/%postname%/

B. /%category%/%postname%/

C. /%postname%/

D. /%year%/%postname%/

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand duplicate URL issue

   Using %category% can cause multiple URLs if a post belongs to multiple categories.

2. Step 2: Choose structure avoiding category

   Removing %category% from the URL avoids duplicates. Including %year% and %postname% keeps URLs informative.

3. Final Answer:

   /%year%/%postname%/ -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Exclude category to prevent duplicates = /%year%/%postname%/ [OK]

Hint: Avoid %category% in URLs to stop duplicates [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Including %category% causing multiple URLs
• Using only %postname% losing date info
• Ignoring SEO impact of URL clarity