The best WordPress permalink structure for most sites is Post name, which produces clean URLs like /your-post-title/. It is readable, keyword-rich, and SEO-friendly. Here is how to choose the right option under Settings > Permalinks and how to switch safely if you are already live.
The best permalink structure for SEO
Open your dashboard and go to Settings > Permalinks. WordPress gives you several built-in options:
- Plain (
?p=123): the worst choice. It exposes a numeric ID, tells search engines nothing, and is hard to read or share. Avoid it. - Post name (
/%postname%/): the recommended default for blogs and most sites. Short, clean, and keyword-rich. - Day and name (
/2026/09/06/sample-post/): good for news sites where the date signals freshness and helps organize a high volume of dated articles. - Month and name: a lighter dated option for publishers who post often but want shorter URLs than the full date.
For a typical business site, portfolio, or blog, pick Post name. Reach for a dated structure only if you publish time-sensitive news.
What the structure tags mean
The Custom Structure field lets you build a URL from structure tags. The common ones are:
%postname%- the post slug (the part you control).%category%- the post’s category slug.%year%,%monthnum%,%day%- date components.%post_id%- the numeric ID (skip this for public URLs).
You can combine them, for example /%category%/%postname%/, but every tag adds length. Including the category can also create messy URLs when posts live in multiple categories, and it breaks if you ever reorganize categories. Keep it simple unless you have a strong reason not to.
Why short, keyword-rich slugs win
The slug is where the SEO value lives. Short URLs that contain the target keyword are easier to read, easier to share, and give search engines a clear signal about the page. Drop stop words like “the” and “a,” strip filler, and keep it to a few meaningful words.
You can test how a structure renders before you commit. Use the Permalink Structure Tester to preview the exact URL a given structure and slug will produce, so you catch awkward or overlong results early.
How to set and test your structure
- Open the Permalink Structure Tester and enter your structure tags and a sample slug.
- Review the generated URL for length, readability, and keyword placement.
- Adjust the slug or drop unneeded tags until the result is clean.
- Go to Settings > Permalinks in WordPress, select Post name or paste your custom structure, and save.
The tester runs entirely in your browser, so nothing you type leaves your device.
The big warning: changing a live site
Changing the permalink structure on a live site changes every URL on the site at once. Every existing link, bookmark, and search engine result now points at a URL that returns a 404. That wipes out rankings and breaks inbound links.
If you must change it, set up 301 redirects from every old URL pattern to the new one before or immediately after you save. A 301 tells search engines the page moved permanently and passes along most of the ranking value. Test a handful of old URLs afterward to confirm they redirect cleanly.
Related tools
- Slug Generator - turn a title into a clean, keyword-rich slug.
- Rewrite Rules Explainer - understand how WordPress maps URLs to content.
- robots.txt Tester - check which URLs search engines are allowed to crawl.
Choose Post name, keep your slugs short, and never change a live structure without 301 redirects in place.