{"id":8348,"date":"2022-12-22T11:21:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-22T19:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/?p=8348"},"modified":"2026-04-23T15:57:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T22:57:26","slug":"what-is-permalink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/what-is-permalink\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Permalink? How to Make SEO-Friendly Permalinks on Your Blog (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-start-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"new to blogging\">new to blogging<\/a>, a natural question to ask is: <strong>what is a permalink?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Short answer: it\u2019s the permanent URL of a specific blog post or page on your site. Long answer: it\u2019s one of the single most important SEO decisions you\u2019ll make, because permalinks are designed to never change. Fixing a bad one after it\u2019s ranking is a real pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let me show you exactly what I mean.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-55861002\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My blog homepage is located at: &nbsp;<em>https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A&nbsp;permalink example from my blog would be:&nbsp; <em>https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/<span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">what-is-permalink\/<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this guide, I\u2019ll walk you through what a permalink actually is, the difference between permalinks, URLs, and slugs (yes, there is one), how to set SEO-friendly permalinks in WordPress, and the mistakes I\u2019d warn any new blogger about before they hit publish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"what-is-permalink\"><\/a>What is a Permalink? (Definition)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\"><strong>A permalink (short for \u201cpermanent link\u201d) is the full URL of a specific blog post or page that should remain unchanged once the content is published.<\/strong> Permalinks are designed to be SEO-friendly, human-readable, and reliable, both for people who want to share your content and for search engines that need to index it.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s what a permalink looks like in the address bar of your browser when you\u2019re reading a post:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1008\" height=\"368\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/What-is-a-Permalink-Blog-URL-Example-and-Screenshot-of-SEO-Friendly-Permalink.jpg\" alt=\"Example of a permalink in a browser URL bar\" class=\"wp-image-8349\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/What-is-a-Permalink-Blog-URL-Example-and-Screenshot-of-SEO-Friendly-Permalink.jpg 1008w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/What-is-a-Permalink-Blog-URL-Example-and-Screenshot-of-SEO-Friendly-Permalink-300x110.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/What-is-a-Permalink-Blog-URL-Example-and-Screenshot-of-SEO-Friendly-Permalink-768x280.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1008px) 100vw, 1008px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Example of a permalink in a URL<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In that example, \u201cryrob.com\u201d is the domain name and \u201cwhat-is-permalink\u201d is the permalink. Combined, they make the full <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/what-is-a-url\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"URL\">URL<\/a> for the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"permalink-vs-url-vs-slug\"><\/a>Permalink vs URL vs Slug: A Quick Clarifier<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People use these three terms interchangeably, but they mean slightly different things. Let me settle it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>URL<\/strong> \u2014 the full web address, including the protocol, domain, and path. Example: <code>https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/what-is-permalink\/<\/code>. More on this in my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/what-is-a-url\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"complete guide on URLs\">complete guide on URLs<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Permalink<\/strong> \u2014 the specific URL of an individual post or page, designed to stay permanent. Every permalink is a URL; not every URL is a permalink (your homepage URL isn\u2019t a \u201cpermalink\u201d in the strict sense).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Slug<\/strong> \u2014 just the last chunk of the permalink, the part after your domain. In <code>ryrob.com\/what-is-permalink\/<\/code>, the slug is <code>what-is-permalink<\/code>. When you edit a permalink in WordPress, you\u2019re really just editing the slug.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For day-to-day blogging work, the three are basically the same thing. But when you see developers or SEO tools use \u201cslug,\u201d they specifically mean that last editable chunk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"why-unchanged\"><\/a>Why Permalinks Should (Almost) Never Change<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Once a post or page is published, its permalink shouldn\u2019t change except in rare cases. That\u2019s because any incoming link from another website will suddenly be pointing to a missing URL, which hurts your SEO and reader experience.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Changing a permalink without a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/what-is-301-redirect\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"301 redirect\">301 redirect<\/a> creates what\u2019s called a <strong>broken link<\/strong>. When someone clicks through from Google or another site, they hit a 404 error page instead of your content. That\u2019s a bad experience for readers, and Google picks up on it quickly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Backlinks lose their authority.<\/strong> Every external link pointing to the old permalink now points to a broken page. All that SEO value you earned evaporates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bounce rate spikes.<\/strong> Visitors hit a 404 and leave immediately.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rankings drop.<\/strong> Google stops sending traffic to pages that 404, and too many broken URLs can devalue your whole site.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you <em>do<\/em> need to change a permalink (you made a typo, the original slug wasn\u2019t keyword-optimized, or you\u2019re consolidating two posts), it\u2019s absolutely critical to set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one. That tells search engines the page has permanently moved, preserving 90\u201399% of the SEO authority. My <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/what-is-301-redirect\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"complete guide to 301 redirects\">complete guide to 301 redirects<\/a> walks through exactly how to set one up in 2 minutes, using the free Redirection plugin by John Godley. That\u2019s what I recommend in 2026; the older \u201cQuick Page\/Post Redirect\u201d plugin I used to recommend has been abandoned.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1778\" height=\"648\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/How-to-Change-Permalink-in-WordPress.png\" alt=\"How to change a permalink in WordPress with a 301 redirect plugin\" class=\"wp-image-8350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/How-to-Change-Permalink-in-WordPress.png 1778w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/How-to-Change-Permalink-in-WordPress-300x109.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/How-to-Change-Permalink-in-WordPress-768x280.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/How-to-Change-Permalink-in-WordPress-1024x373.png 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1778px) 100vw, 1778px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Setting up a 301 redirect when changing a permalink<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"wordpress-structures\"><\/a>WordPress Permalink Structure Options<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019re running WordPress (which I recommend to pretty much every blogger), you have full control over the default permalink structure for every post on your site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Go to <strong>Settings \u2192 Permalinks<\/strong> in your WordPress dashboard:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"642\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/What-is-a-Permalink-and-How-to-Make-SEO-Friendly-Permalinks-in-WordPress.png\" alt=\"WordPress permalink settings menu\" class=\"wp-image-8351\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/What-is-a-Permalink-and-How-to-Make-SEO-Friendly-Permalinks-in-WordPress.png 642w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/What-is-a-Permalink-and-How-to-Make-SEO-Friendly-Permalinks-in-WordPress-282x300.png 282w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 642px) 100vw, 642px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Finding the WordPress permalink settings<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019ll see a clear warning at the top: <em>\u201cWARNING: Changing your permalinks settings can seriously impact your search engine visibility. It should almost never be done on a live website.\u201d<\/em> That\u2019s there for a reason. See the previous section.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"438\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/How-to-Make-SEO-Friendly-Permalink-Structure-for-Your-Blog-in-WordPress.jpg\" alt=\"The WordPress permalink structure options screen\" class=\"wp-image-8352\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/How-to-Make-SEO-Friendly-Permalink-Structure-for-Your-Blog-in-WordPress.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/How-to-Make-SEO-Friendly-Permalink-Structure-for-Your-Blog-in-WordPress-300x146.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/How-to-Make-SEO-Friendly-Permalink-Structure-for-Your-Blog-in-WordPress-768x374.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are the six options WordPress offers, and what I recommend for each:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Plain<\/strong> \u2014 <code>?p=123<\/code>. The default on fresh WordPress installs. Zero SEO value. Never use this.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Day and name<\/strong> \u2014 <code>\/2026\/04\/23\/sample-post\/<\/code>. Includes the full publish date. Fine for news sites, terrible for blogs with evergreen content; every post looks stale the year after publishing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Month and name<\/strong> \u2014 <code>\/2026\/04\/sample-post\/<\/code>. Same problem as \u201cDay and name,\u201d slightly shorter.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Numeric<\/strong> \u2014 <code>\/archives\/123<\/code>. No keyword, no readability. Skip.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Post name<\/strong> \u2014 <code>\/sample-post\/<\/code>. The winner for 95% of blogs. Short, keyword-forward, evergreen. This is what I use on ryrob.com and what I recommend to every new blogger.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Custom Structure<\/strong> \u2014 lets you mix and match. Advanced users only. If you\u2019re not sure, go Post name.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>My recommendation: choose \u201cPost name\u201d and don\u2019t look back.<\/strong> It\u2019s the cleanest, most SEO-friendly option, and it\u2019s what the vast majority of high-ranking blogs use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"seo-friendly\"><\/a>How to Write SEO-Friendly Permalinks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Picking \u201cPost name\u201d is step one. Step two is actually writing good permalinks for every post you publish. Here\u2019s my five-rule checklist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Include Your Target Keyword<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before you even write a permalink, do <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/keyword-research\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"proper keyword research\">proper keyword research<\/a> and decide what you want the post to rank for. That keyword goes in the permalink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are real examples from my own blog showing how SEO-friendly titles translate into SEO-friendly permalinks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-start-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"How to Start a Blog\">How to Start a Blog<\/a> \u2192 <em>ryrob.com\/<span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">how-start-blog\/<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/make-money-blogging\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"How to Make Money Blogging\">How to Make Money Blogging<\/a> \u2192 <em>ryrob.com\/<span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">make-money-blogging\/<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blog-post-ideas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"101 Best Blog Post Ideas\">101 Best Blog Post Ideas<\/a> \u2192 <em>ryrob.com\/<span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">blog-post-ideas\/<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blog-niche\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"How to Pick a Blog Niche\">How to Pick a Blog Niche<\/a> \u2192 <em>ryrob.com\/<span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">blog-niche\/<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Keep It Short and Punchy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aim for 3\u20135 meaningful words in the slug. WordPress will auto-generate a permalink from your full post title, but that\u2019s almost never the right answer. If your title is \u201c15 Ways to Start a Blog in 2026 (for Beginners),\u201d WordPress will propose <code>\/15-ways-to-start-a-blog-in-2026-for-beginners\/<\/code>. Way too long. Trim it down to <code>\/start-a-blog\/<\/code> or <code>\/how-start-blog\/<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Drop the Stop Words<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most permalinks don\u2019t need <em>the<\/em>, <em>a<\/em>, <em>of<\/em>, <em>and<\/em>, <em>for<\/em>, <em>to<\/em>, <em>with<\/em>, or similar stop words. Dropping them tightens the permalink and sharpens the keyword signal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s why my permalink for \u201cHow to Start a Blog\u201d is <code>\/how-start-blog\/<\/code>, not <code>\/how-to-start-a-blog\/<\/code>. Both rank for the same search term, and the shorter one reads cleaner and saves characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Don\u2019t chop so aggressively that the permalink stops making sense, though. <code>\/start-blog\/<\/code> is fine. <code>\/blog\/<\/code> is too thin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Use Hyphens, Not Underscores<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Google treats hyphens (<code>-<\/code>) as word separators and underscores (<code>_<\/code>) as connectors. So <code>\/how-start-blog\/<\/code> reads as three words to Google, while <code>\/how_start_blog\/<\/code> reads as one unrecognizable word. WordPress defaults to hyphens (good), but if you\u2019re migrating from another platform, double-check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Always Lowercase<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Permalinks should be entirely lowercase. Some servers treat <code>\/How-Start-Blog\/<\/code> and <code>\/how-start-blog\/<\/code> as two different pages, which creates duplicate-content issues in Google. Keep it lowercase, always.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\"><strong>Use My Free Keyword Research Tool<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"950\" height=\"508\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Free-Keyword-Research-Tool-AI-Powered-SEO-Keyword-Research-and-Ideas.jpg\" alt=\"Free AI-powered keyword research tool for SEO ideas\" class=\"wp-image-17468\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Free-Keyword-Research-Tool-AI-Powered-SEO-Keyword-Research-and-Ideas.jpg 950w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Free-Keyword-Research-Tool-AI-Powered-SEO-Keyword-Research-and-Ideas-300x160.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Free-Keyword-Research-Tool-AI-Powered-SEO-Keyword-Research-and-Ideas-768x411.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">Try my <em>free<\/em> AI-Powered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/keyword-tool\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"Keyword Tool\">Keyword Tool<\/a> to get dozens of research-backed ideas for keywords &amp; topics to write about on your blog today.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"text-center\"><a class=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/keyword-tool\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"follow\" title=\"Get Keyword Ideas\">Get Keyword Ideas<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And if you want a head start on writing a clean slug, I built a <a href=\"https:\/\/rightblogger.com\/tool\/permalink\/?via=ryrob\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">free permalink generator tool<\/a> inside RightBlogger that spits out SEO-friendly permalink suggestions based on your post title or target keyword. It\u2019s one of the 80+ AI tools I\u2019ve built for bloggers who want to move faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"how-to-change\"><\/a>How to Change a Permalink (Without Breaking SEO)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The cleanest way to change a permalink is <em>before<\/em> you hit publish. Once the post is live and Google starts sending traffic, changing the slug gets much more complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Changing a Permalink on a Draft (The Easy Way)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the Gutenberg editor, open the post sidebar and click on the \u201cPermalink\u201d section. You\u2019ll see an editable URL slug field:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1687\" height=\"857\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/How-to-Change-a-Permalink-in-WordPress-Gutenberg-Editor-Screenshot.png\" alt=\"How to change a permalink in the WordPress Gutenberg editor sidebar\" class=\"wp-image-14050\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/How-to-Change-a-Permalink-in-WordPress-Gutenberg-Editor-Screenshot.png 1687w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/How-to-Change-a-Permalink-in-WordPress-Gutenberg-Editor-Screenshot-300x152.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/How-to-Change-a-Permalink-in-WordPress-Gutenberg-Editor-Screenshot-1024x520.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/How-to-Change-a-Permalink-in-WordPress-Gutenberg-Editor-Screenshot-768x390.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/How-to-Change-a-Permalink-in-WordPress-Gutenberg-Editor-Screenshot-1536x780.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1687px) 100vw, 1687px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Edit the slug to whatever clean, keyword-rich version you want. Save the draft. Done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019re still using the Classic editor, the permalink field sits right below the post title:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"892\" height=\"188\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-23-at-10.19.43-AM.png\" alt=\"How to change a permalink in the WordPress Classic editor\" class=\"wp-image-14049\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-23-at-10.19.43-AM.png 892w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-23-at-10.19.43-AM-300x63.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-23-at-10.19.43-AM-768x162.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 892px) 100vw, 892px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Changing a Permalink on a Published Post (The Careful Way)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s where you need to be careful. Changing the permalink on a live, indexed post will 404 every external backlink pointing to the old URL, unless you set up a 301 redirect at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The three-step process:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Install a redirect plugin.<\/strong> I use the free <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/redirection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Redirection plugin<\/a> by John Godley (2M+ installs, the 2026 standard). If you\u2019re on Rank Math, Yoast Premium, or AIOSEO Pro, they all have a built-in redirect manager \u2014 no extra plugin needed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Change the permalink.<\/strong> Edit the post, update the slug, save.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Set up the 301 redirect.<\/strong> Source URL = the old permalink, Target URL = the new permalink, Status code = 301. My <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/what-is-301-redirect\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"complete guide to 301 redirects\">complete guide to 301 redirects<\/a> walks through each step.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Redirection plugin actually automates step 3 for you \u2014 it watches for permalink changes on your site and offers to create the 301 redirect automatically. That\u2019s worth its weight in gold for any blogger who tweaks slugs after publishing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"mistakes\"><\/a>7 Common Permalink Mistakes to Avoid<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Leaving WordPress on the default \u201cPlain\u201d permalink structure.<\/strong> <code>?p=123<\/code> is zero-SEO. Switch to Post name before you publish a single post.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Including the year or date in the permalink.<\/strong> <code>\/2024\/my-post\/<\/code> looks stale the moment 2025 hits. Keep dates out of slugs and put any year modifiers in the post title instead.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Accepting the auto-generated slug without editing it.<\/strong> WordPress will pull every word from your post title into the slug. 90% of the time you need to trim it down.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Changing a live permalink without a 301 redirect.<\/strong> Instantly breaks every backlink pointing to the old URL. Always pair the change with a redirect.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stuffing the permalink with keywords.<\/strong> <code>\/blog-best-blog-tips-for-blogging\/<\/code> reads as spam to both humans and Google.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Using special characters.<\/strong> Apostrophes, ampersands, and other special characters get URL-encoded into ugly <code>%27<\/code> and <code>%26<\/code> strings. Stick to letters, numbers, and hyphens.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inconsistent category \/ tag permalinks.<\/strong> If you switch from including <code>\/category\/<\/code> in your URL path to not including it (or vice versa), every category URL breaks. Pick a structure and commit.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"faq\"><\/a>Permalink Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Common permalink questions I get from readers. If yours isn\u2019t here, ask in the comments below.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"lightweight-accordion\"><details><summary class=\"lightweight-accordion-title\"><span>What is a permalink example?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"lightweight-accordion-body\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A permalink is simply a permanent URL. A permalink example would be: <em>https:\/\/www.website.com\/<span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">this-is-a-permalink-example\/<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notice how the URL slug uses all lowercase letters with <a href=\"https:\/\/titlecapitalize.com\/replace-space-with-hyphen\/\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" rel=\"external noopener noreferrer\">hyphens instead of spaces<\/a>. That\u2019s the standard format for an SEO-friendly permalink.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"lightweight-accordion\"><details><summary class=\"lightweight-accordion-title\"><span>How do I create a permalink?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"lightweight-accordion-body\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How you create a permalink depends on your content management system. If you\u2019re on WordPress (which I recommend, and which powers 43%+ of websites in 2026), permalinks are enabled by default. Here\u2019s how to set yours up on the most common platforms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>WordPress:<\/strong> Navigate to <strong>Settings \u2192 Permalinks<\/strong> and pick \u201cPost name\u201d as your default structure. Each post\u2019s slug is then editable per-post in the sidebar when editing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Wix:<\/strong> Permalink options live under the <a href=\"https:\/\/support.wix.com\/en\/article\/wix-editor-changing-your-page-url\" rel=\"nofollow external noopener noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">SEO basics<\/a> menu when editing a page.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Squarespace:<\/strong> Permalinks are called <a href=\"https:\/\/support.squarespace.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/205814578-URL-slugs\" rel=\"nofollow external noopener noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">slugs<\/a> and are editable in the page settings.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ghost:<\/strong> Every post has a URL slug field in the publish sidebar \u2014 edit before publishing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Webflow:<\/strong> Slugs live under each page\u2019s Settings \u2192 Slug field.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"lightweight-accordion\"><details><summary class=\"lightweight-accordion-title\"><span>Why is a permalink important?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"lightweight-accordion-body\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Permalinks matter for three reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>SEO:<\/strong> your permalink is one of Google\u2019s strongest signals about what the page is about. A keyword in the permalink helps you rank for that keyword.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Shareability:<\/strong> a clean, readable permalink is easier to remember, type, and share than <code>?p=341<\/code>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Trust:<\/strong> users who see <code>\/about-me\/<\/code> in a URL know what to expect before they click. That\u2019s a small trust signal that adds up across a site.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"lightweight-accordion\"><details><summary class=\"lightweight-accordion-title\"><span>Can I change a permalink after I publish?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"lightweight-accordion-body\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, but carefully. Changing a live permalink without a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/what-is-301-redirect\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"301 redirect\">301 redirect<\/a> will break every backlink pointing to the old URL and kill its rankings. If you must change a published permalink, set up a 301 from the old URL to the new one as part of the change \u2014 you\u2019ll keep 90\u201399% of the SEO value.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"lightweight-accordion\"><details><summary class=\"lightweight-accordion-title\"><span>What\u2019s the difference between a permalink and a URL?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"lightweight-accordion-body\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A URL is any web address; a permalink is specifically the permanent URL of an individual post or page. Every permalink is a URL, but not every URL is a permalink (your homepage URL, for example, isn\u2019t typically called a permalink). For the full breakdown, see my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/what-is-a-url\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"complete guide to URLs\">complete guide to URLs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"lightweight-accordion\"><details><summary class=\"lightweight-accordion-title\"><span>Should I include dates in my permalinks?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"lightweight-accordion-body\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. Year-dated permalinks (<code>\/2024\/my-post\/<\/code>) look stale the moment the year changes, and they make refreshes harder. Use \u201cPost name\u201d as your structure and put year modifiers in the post title or SEO title instead, where they\u2019re trivially easy to update.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"final-thoughts\"><\/a>Final Thoughts on Permalinks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Permalinks are one of those foundational SEO decisions that look boring on the surface and compound enormously over the life of a blog. Get them right from day one and every post you ever publish inherits a clean, SEO-friendly URL structure. Get them wrong and you\u2019ll be cleaning up bad slugs and broken redirects for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The five-minute checklist: switch WordPress to \u201cPost name,\u201d always edit the auto-generated slug before publishing, keep it short and keyword-forward, lowercase with hyphens, no dates. That\u2019s it. Do those five things and your permalinks will never hold your rankings back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019re still setting up your blog and haven\u2019t configured permalinks yet, check out my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-start-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"complete guide on how to start a blog\">complete guide on how to start a blog<\/a> \u2014 I walk through the full WordPress setup including the permalink settings. And if you ever need to move a post to a new URL, my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/what-is-301-redirect\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"guide to 301 redirects\">guide to 301 redirects<\/a> will show you how to do it without losing your SEO.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you\u2019re new to blogging, a natural question to ask is: what is a permalink? Short answer: it\u2019s the permanent URL of a specific blog post or page on your site. Long answer: it\u2019s one of the single most important SEO decisions you\u2019ll make, because permalinks are designed to never change. Fixing a bad one <\/p>\n<div><a title=\"Continue Reading\" class=\"ryrob-button read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/what-is-permalink\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"follow\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"what is a permalink","_yoast_wpseo_title":"What is a Permalink? The 2026 Guide to SEO-Friendly Blog URLs","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"A permalink is the permanent URL of a blog post or page. Here\u2019s what permalinks are, how to write SEO-friendly ones, and how to change them safely without breaking your Google rankings.","_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"-1","landing_page":"0","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[967],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogging"],"acf":{"page_style_options":"","footer_style":"default","inject_into_head_tag":"","table_of_content":"<strong>What is a Permalink?<\/strong><ol><li><strong><a href=\"#what-is-permalink\">What is a Permalink? (Definition)<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"#permalink-vs-url-vs-slug\">Permalink vs URL vs Slug<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"#why-unchanged\">Why Permalinks Should (Almost) Never Change<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"#wordpress-structures\">WordPress Permalink Structure Options<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"#seo-friendly\">How to Write SEO-Friendly Permalinks<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"#how-to-change\">How to Change a Permalink (Without Breaking SEO)<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"#mistakes\">7 Common Permalink Mistakes to Avoid<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"#faq\">Permalink FAQ<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"#final-thoughts\">Final Thoughts<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ol>","additional_authors":null,"main_title_heading":"What is a Permalink?","secondary_title_heading":"How to Make SEO-Friendly Permalinks on Your Blog (2026)","post_icon":14051,"first_paragraph":"When you\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-start-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">new to blogging<\/a>, a <strong>permalink<\/strong> sounds more technical than it actually is. In plain English: it\u2019s the permanent URL of a specific blog post or page. And getting your permalinks right is one of the highest-leverage SEO moves you can make on a new blog, because they\u2019re almost impossible to fix later without losing rankings. Here\u2019s everything you need to know, with real examples from my own blog."},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What is a Permalink? The 2026 Guide to SEO-Friendly Blog URLs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A permalink is the permanent URL of a blog post or page. Here\u2019s what permalinks are, how to write SEO-friendly ones, and how to change them safely without breaking your Google rankings.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/what-is-permalink\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is a Permalink? The 2026 Guide to SEO-Friendly Blog URLs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A permalink is the permanent URL of a blog post or page. Here\u2019s what permalinks are, how to write SEO-friendly ones, and how to change them safely without breaking your Google rankings.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/what-is-permalink\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"RyRob.com: A Blog by Ryan Robinson | How Start &amp; Grow an Online Business\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/therealryanrobinson\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/therealryanrobinson\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-12-22T19:21:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-23T22:57:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/What-is-a-Permalink-and-How-to-Make-SEO-Friendly-Permalinks.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"562\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ryan Robinson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@theryanrobinson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@theryanrobinson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ryan Robinson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ryrob.com\\\/what-is-permalink\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ryrob.com\\\/what-is-permalink\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ryan Robinson\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ryrob.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/be7b7e9312cc36f39def32143464aae8\"},\"headline\":\"What is a Permalink? 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Founder. Author. I'm Ryan Robinson. I got my start as a blogger, now I make videos, write books, and build startups. Co-Founder at RightBlogger. Join me here to learn how to start a blog and build a purpose-connected online business. Be sure to take my free marketing tools for a spin... especially my wildly popular free keyword research tool &amp; AI article writer. They rule. Somehow, I also find time to write for publications like Fast Company, Forbes, Entrepreneur, The Next Web, Business Insider, and more. Let\u2019s chat on LinkedIn and YouTube about marketing, business, and the beauty of it all.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ryrob.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/therealryanrobinson\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ryrob.com\\\/author\\\/ryan-robinson\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is a Permalink? The 2026 Guide to SEO-Friendly Blog URLs","description":"A permalink is the permanent URL of a blog post or page. 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