One of the best things about creating a website is cementing your online presence with a permanent URL to your site. Whether you’re a blogger or eCommerce user, your individual posts will have their own unique URL called a permalink. A permalink is what people will use to link to your article or how you send a link to your site in an e-mail message.
As a new user, WordPress creates a default URLs for posts and pages using the asset’s unique ID number. This results in URLs like the “Default,” shown below:
These default URLs are unhelpful from a user experience (UX) and search engine optimization (SEO) perspective. Instead, most users will want to use the “Permalinks Settings,” screen (found within the “Settings,” menu) to select another option, such as post name, which will result in more readable, keyword-rich URLs.
The permalink structure gives you the ability to create a custom URL that can improve the usability and aesthetics of your links. You can choose to select your permalink from options like:
Day and name: http://mycoolblog.com/2019/04/01/sample-post/
Month and name: http://mycoolblog.com/2019/04/sample-post/
Numeric: http://mycoolblog.com/sample-post/223
Post name: http://mycoolblog.com/sample-post/
You don’t have to be familiar with coding to create a custom structure, it’s about picking a structure that reflects your site goals. Permalinks should be SEO friendly and provide value to search engines or visitors who come to your site. For example, if you’re a news site, then adding a publication date of an article to the URL structure would be essential to how visitors access content on your site. Permalink structures should be clear and easy. Don’t overcomplicate how people can access your site.
Again, this list isn’t all-inclusive. WordPress is a richly-featured platform that’s easy to learn, but requires time to master. Start here, but always be on the lookout for additional features, tools, tips, and tricks that’ll make your WordPress experience more efficient.
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