How do I change the permalinks in my WordPress website?

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What is a Permalink?

Permalinks are, simply put, the web addresses for specific pages and posts on your website. Getting your permalinks right can improve your SEO and also give your blog a more professional finish. A permalink is the address which takes your reader to a particular page on your website. Think of your web address as your street, and the permalink is the house; it’s more specific.

It’s called a permalink, because it is a permanent link to a particular page or post. That is, once the permalink is in place, you shouldn’t be changing it, or you could end up with broken links and a website which your reader can’t navigate.

Why should I change the permalinks on my WordPress website?

There are several reasons why you should consider changing the permalinks on your WordPress website, but the top two reasons are:

• Permalinks which include your focus keywords improve your SEO,
• Adjusted permalinks look nicer.

How to amend your blog’s permalinks

Step 1

On your WordPress Dashboard, hover over ‘Settings’ in the left hand menu and click on ‘Permalinks’ from the sub menu which pops up.

Step 2

Select your desired permalink layout. My personal favourite is ‘Post name.’ This permalink gives you a simple link looking something like this: https://beginwithwp.com/how-do-i-change-my-permalinks-in-wordpress/. I think you’ll agree that this looks so much better than https://beginwithwp.com/?p=1199. Also, the first type of permalink is great for SEO because you can include your focus keywords on in your permalink title.

Having the main web address followed by my post name (which incidentally is also the page name if someone is accessing a page on my site rather than a post), for my permalinks is just personal preference. You can also select options which include factors such as the day, month, archive, category, year, author, and timing of post publication. It really is up to you.

At the bottom of the common settings, WordPress even has space for you to create your own custom structure for your permalinks. This can be fun and exciting, allowing you to put your own stamp on your website even further. However, I would recommend keeping your permalink simple. Remembering a link which is just a URL plus a post name is a lot easier for your reader than one laden with numbers and excessive information.

Step 3

Once you’ve selected your desired permalink option, click ‘Save Changes’ at the bottom of the page.

And that’s it! Your permalinks are now set to however you’d like them, plus you’ve hopefully improved your SEO if you’ve now got your focus keywords included in your permalink!

What if I want to change my permalinks later on?

If you want to change your permalinks later on, simply use this guide again. If you change your permalinks using this method, you are much less likely to end up with broken links and navigation issues for your reader than if you try and change the permalinks of individual pages and posts manually.

Just remember: when you make big changes to your site, clear your cache in order for your changes to go live. Publishing changes and not clearing your cache afterwards can lead to conflicting information for your website, leading to a poor user experience for your reader.