How To Change permalinks in WordPress?

Changing permalinks in WordPress is a straightforward process. Permalinks are the URLs of your posts and pages. You can customize them to be more SEO-friendly or match your site’s structure better. Here’s how to change them:

1. Access the Permalinks Settings

• Log in to your WordPress dashboard.

• On the left sidebar, go to Settings > Permalinks.

2. Choose a Permalink Structure

• You’ll see several common settings for your permalink structure:
  • Plain: Default URL structure, not SEO-friendly (e.g., https://yoursite.com/?p=123).
  • Day and name: Includes the date and post name (e.g., https://yoursite.com/2024/08/26/sample-post/).
  • Month and name: Includes the month and post name (e.g., https://yoursite.com/2024/08/sample-post/).
  • Numeric: Uses the post ID (e.g., https://yoursite.com/archives/123).
  • Post name: Uses the post name only (e.g., https://yoursite.com/sample-post/). This is the most SEO-friendly and commonly used structure.
  • Custom Structure: Allows you to create a custom URL structure using tags like %postname%, %category%, etc.

3. Set a Custom Permalink Structure (Optional)

• If you prefer a custom structure, select Custom Structure and enter the desired tags.
• Common tags include:
  • %postname%: The name of the post.
  • %category%: The category slug.
  • %year%, %monthnum%, %day%: The date the post was published.
• Example custom structure: /%category%/%postname%/ (e.g., https://yoursite.com/news/sample-post/).

4. Save Changes  

• Once you’ve chosen your desired permalink structure, scroll down and click the Save Changes button.
• WordPress will automatically update all your existing URLs to match the new structure.

5. Check for Broken Links (Optional but Recommended)

• After changing permalinks, it’s a good idea to check your site for broken links.
• You can use a plugin like Redirection to set up 301 redirects from the old URLs to the new ones, ensuring that visitors and search engines are directed to the correct pages.

That’s it! Your site’s URLs will now follow the new permalink structure.