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For most new WordPress sites, open Settings → Permalinks, choose Post name, and click Save Changes. WordPress will use each page or post’s readable slug, such as /how-to-set-up-permalinks/, instead of an opaque numeric address. If the site already has published content, do not switch casually: map the old addresses, create permanent redirects, update references, and test the results before changing the setting.
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What a permalink is and why the setting matters
A permalink is the durable URL WordPress assigns to a post, page, category archive, or other public resource. WordPress describes permalinks as a way to create URL structures that are easy for people and search engines to understand and share. The address is also the link other sites bookmark, quote, or send to readers, so changing it has consequences beyond the WordPress editor.
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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →An SEO-friendly permalink is not a guaranteed ranking signal or a shortcut to higher positions. Its practical value is clarity: a reader can infer what a page covers, and a crawler can interpret the site’s organization without decoding a long identifier. Google Search Central similarly recommends a simple structure, logical organization, descriptive words rather than long ID numbers, and language that matches the intended audience.
WordPress calls these readable addresses “Pretty Permalinks.” They are produced by rewrite rules that translate a human-readable path into the underlying WordPress query. The dashboard setting chooses the pattern; the web server must also be configured to support the rewrites.
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Set up a recommended structure on a new site
- Sign in to the WordPress dashboard.
- Open Settings → Permalinks.
- Review the available choices: Plain, Day and name, Month and name, Numeric, Post name, and Custom structure.
- For a typical blog, publication, portfolio, or business site whose content should remain useful over time, select Post name.
- Click Save Changes, even if the selected option appears unchanged. Saving refreshes WordPress’s rewrite rules and is the normal way to apply or refresh permalink changes.
With Post name selected, a post titled “How to Set Up Permalinks” can use a path such as /how-to-set-up-permalinks/. The slug is editable in the post or page editor before publication, so remove unnecessary words and keep the wording descriptive for the page’s actual subject.
Why saving matters
WordPress’s developer documentation specifically calls for refreshing permalinks in the administration area after rewrite changes. Clicking Save Changes writes the current rules again; it is useful after a migration, a server change, or a situation where WordPress links suddenly return 404 errors. You do not need to select a different structure first.
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Compare the built-in permalink choices
There is no universal best pattern. Choose the shortest structure that communicates information readers genuinely need and that your team can keep stable.
| Structure | Typical shape | When it fits | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain | /?p=123 |
Temporary development work or a site where readable paths are not required. | Uses an ID rather than descriptive words, so the subject is not apparent from the address. |
| Day and name | /2026/10/15/article-title/ |
News or diary-style archives where the exact publication date is part of the content’s identity. | Longer URLs; the date can look misleading when an old article is substantially rewritten. |
| Month and name | /2026/10/article-title/ |
Time-based archives that need a month and year but not a day. | Still longer than Post name and can become stale-looking after major updates. |
| Numeric | /archives/123 |
A site that deliberately exposes archive IDs. | Does not describe the subject in words and offers little context to a reader. |
| Post name | /article-title/ |
Most evergreen blogs, service sites, documentation collections, and business sites. | Requires careful slug editing and uniqueness; it does not express a category hierarchy. |
| Custom structure | For example, /%category%/%postname%/ |
A deliberate information architecture where a stable taxonomy belongs in every URL. | Category edits can change addresses, and posts assigned to multiple categories create management questions. |
Post name: the practical default
Post name is usually the simplest choice for a new site. It produces compact, descriptive paths and avoids embedding a date that may become irrelevant. It works particularly well for tutorials, product documentation, evergreen guides, service pages, and articles that may be updated without becoming a different piece of news.
Day and name or Month and name: use dates deliberately
Date-based structures make sense when readers need to distinguish editions or follow a chronological archive. A breaking-news report, daily journal, or dated announcement may benefit from the date in its address. Before choosing one, decide whether the date will remain meaningful after an update. A 2024 date in a heavily revised guide can suggest that the information is old even when the content is current.
Category plus post name: hierarchy with a maintenance cost
A pattern such as /%category%/%postname%/ can communicate a site’s taxonomy. It is appropriate only when categories are stable, meaningful labels rather than temporary editorial tags. If a post moves from one category to another, its URL may change. A post assigned to several categories also raises the question of which category should be canonical in the address. Those changes require redirects and link updates, so the added hierarchy should solve a real reader problem.
Custom structures and structure tags
WordPress supports tags including %year%, %monthnum%, %day%, %postname%, and %category%. Combine them only to express an intentional information architecture. A custom pattern is not automatically more search-friendly than Post name; every additional component increases length and the number of things that can change later.
Make individual slugs clear before publishing
The global structure controls the pattern, while the slug supplies the page-specific words. Treat the slug as a durable label, not as a place to put every keyword variation.
- Use words that accurately describe the page’s subject.
- Keep the path readable when spoken or copied.
- Remove dates, categories, or other qualifiers that readers do not need unless they are genuinely part of the page’s identity.
- Match the language to the audience the page serves.
- Check the final address before publication and avoid changing it after other people may have linked to it.
For example, a guide about setting up WordPress permalinks can use /how-to-set-up-permalinks/. A vague path such as /page-123/ gives neither a reader nor a crawler useful context. The descriptive path does not promise a ranking increase; it simply makes the destination understandable.
Choose a structure before publishing substantial content
WordPress calls these URLs “permanent” for a reason. Decide the pattern while the site is new, before search engines, newsletters, social posts, partners, and internal pages have accumulated links. Record the decision in your site’s editorial or development documentation so future editors do not change it to solve a short-term naming preference.
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- Ask whether time is part of the subject. If not, start with Post name.
- Ask whether taxonomy must appear in every address. If categories are likely to change or posts have several categories, leave the category out.
- Ask whether the team can preserve the pattern. A theoretically elegant custom structure is a poor choice if editors will reorganize categories every few months.
- Ask whether the server supports rewrites. Clean paths require compatible Apache or Nginx configuration.
Change permalinks safely on an established site
Changing the setting on a site with published pages is a URL migration. The safe process preserves the old destinations while the new structure becomes canonical.
- Inventory important URLs. Export or list published posts, pages, category archives, high-traffic destinations, campaign links, and URLs used by other sites. Include variations that differ by date, category, or trailing path if they have been shared.
- Design the destination pattern. Decide the new structure and the final slug for every important resource before switching the global setting.
- Build an old-to-new map. Each old URL should point to its exact corresponding new URL, not merely to the home page or a generic category. Keep the map so it can be audited after launch.
- Implement permanent redirects. Use server-level rules or a maintained redirect solution that issues a permanent redirect from each old address to its new destination. WordPress training documentation recommends redirecting old links when changing an established structure.
- Update site-owned references. Change internal links, XML sitemaps, canonical references, navigation, feeds where applicable, and any campaign links your organization controls.
- Switch the setting. In Settings → Permalinks, choose the new pattern and click Save Changes. Saving refreshes the rewrite rules.
- Test representative URLs. Check old addresses, new addresses, posts, pages, archives, pagination, media links, and any custom post types. Confirm both the HTTP status and the final destination.
- Monitor and repair. Review server logs and your site’s error reports for missed redirects or 404 responses, then add specific mappings rather than repeatedly changing the global pattern.
A redirect is not a substitute for updating links you control. Keeping internal links pointed directly at the final address reduces unnecessary hops and makes future maintenance easier.
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What to update after a permalink change
Internal links
Search the site for old paths in menus, related-content modules, footers, body copy, author pages, and structured content. Replace them with the final URLs. A redirect protects visitors who use an old bookmark, but direct internal links keep the site’s own navigation consistent.
XML sitemaps
Regenerate or refresh the XML sitemap so it lists the new canonical addresses. Remove obsolete paths unless they are intentionally retained for another reason.
Canonical references
Inspect canonical link elements and any platform-generated canonical settings. They should identify the final URL, not the pre-migration address or a redirected variant.
External and campaign links
Update links in newsletters, advertisements, social profiles, documentation, QR-code destinations, and other campaigns when you control them. For links you cannot change, keep the corresponding permanent redirect in place.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshoot Pretty Permalink 404 errors
If the home page works but a post or page using a Pretty Permalink returns a 404, start with rewrite rules rather than changing the URL pattern repeatedly.
- Refresh WordPress rules. Open Settings → Permalinks and click Save Changes. No option change is required.
- Check the exact address. Confirm the post is published, the slug is spelled correctly, and the requested path matches the current permalink.
- Verify server rewrite support. Clean URLs depend on the host’s Apache or Nginx configuration. Ask the hosting provider to confirm that the required rewrite module or equivalent rule set is enabled for the site.
- Check file and directory permissions. Incorrect permissions can prevent WordPress or the web server from reading or applying rewrite configuration. Have the host verify them rather than changing permissions blindly.
- Review conflicting rules. A manually edited server rule, migration setting, or security layer may intercept the path before WordPress receives it. The host should inspect the active configuration and error logs.
- Test again with a known URL. Use a recently published post and a page whose address you can confirm in the editor. Record the status code and destination for each test.
If the problem remains, provide the host with the affected URL, the selected permalink pattern, the result of saving the Permalinks screen, and the relevant server error. Repeatedly toggling between structures can obscure the original configuration problem and may create additional URL changes.
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Server compatibility and hosting requirements
WordPress can display the permalink choices even when the server is not correctly prepared to resolve them. Apache and Nginx need rewrite configuration that sends clean paths to WordPress. The exact implementation depends on the server and hosting environment, so the authoritative fix is to have the provider verify the site’s active virtual-host configuration, rewrite support, and permissions.
This requirement is separate from the SEO decision. Post name remains a clear URL pattern, but it cannot compensate for a server that returns 404 responses for rewritten paths. Establish rewrite support before migrating a live site, and test on a staging copy when the hosting setup allows it.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Changing a live structure for cosmetic reasons. A shorter-looking pattern can still create broken links and redirect work.
- Assuming a date is harmless. Date components can make substantially updated content appear old and lengthen every URL.
- Putting unstable categories in every path. Taxonomy reorganizations then become URL migrations.
- Forgetting to click Save Changes. The visible selection is not enough to refresh rewrite rules.
- Redirecting everything to the home page. Each old URL should lead to its closest corresponding new resource.
- Updating only the sitemap. Internal links, canonicals, campaign URLs, and external references also need attention.
- Promising a ranking boost. Readable URLs improve understanding and sharing; the documented guidance does not provide a universal ranking statistic.
- Ignoring server configuration. A 404 caused by missing Apache or Nginx rewrites will not be solved by inventing another permalink pattern.
A practical maintenance checklist
- Keep the global permalink structure documented and restrict casual changes.
- Review every new slug for accuracy and readability before publication.
- When merging, renaming, or moving content, decide whether the old URL needs a permanent redirect.
- After a migration, test both redirected legacy URLs and direct new URLs, recording status codes and final destinations.
- Keep sitemaps, canonical references, and internal links aligned with the final addresses.
- When a Pretty Permalink fails, refresh the Permalinks screen first, then have the host inspect rewrite support and permissions.
Recommended decision for most WordPress sites
For a new general-purpose site, choose Post name, edit each slug to use concise descriptive language, and click Save Changes. Choose a date-based structure only when publication time is meaningful to readers. Add categories to URLs only when the taxonomy is stable enough to justify the migration risk. On an established site, treat any change as a redirect project: inventory old URLs, map destinations, implement permanent redirects, update every reference you control, and test before and after the switch.
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