Wordpress Custom Permalinks Structure
Wordpress custom permalinks structure settings default to using the blog post ID number, not the post title. This means there’s an absence of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) of the primary keywords you’ll have ingeniously woven into your post title!
Search Engines attach greater importance to keywords in blog post titles when your site’s permalinks structure positions the post title as close as possible to your domain’s root directory. The closer something is to the root directory, the more important it’s considered by the search engine algorithm.
For example, Search Engines will rank the second example below more favourably than the first, simply because the custom permalinks structure positions the post title - and therefore the primary keyword(s) - immediately after the root directory, which is usually the domain name, e.g. yourdomain.com.
1. yourdomain.com/2008/10/28/how-to-make-money-online
2. yourdomain.com/how-to-make-money-online
However, the default permalinks structure on Wordpress looks like this:
You’ll notice that this site’s root directory is rewardrebel.com/blog but the same rule applies.
If you’re not too confident with this area of blogging, there is one simple and straightforward amendment you can implement that will greatly improve the effectiveness of the keywords in your post titles when they are indexed by the search engines.
Open your blog’s Wordpress Admin Panel and go to ‘Settings’, ‘Permalinks’; click ‘Custom Structure’ and in the box, type: /%postname%/ so that it looks like this:
I’ve noticed a number of Wordpress blogs that have retained the default permalinks structure, and I’ve wondered whether this is so because the blog author is unaware of this simple SEO edit, and how beneficial it could be.
So, I decided to show you this, because it’s so simple, and I’m good at doing ‘simple’…..
Layne | Reward Rebel
NOTE:
I apologise for having overlooked a very important point mentioned in the Comments here by Dennis Edell of Direct Sales Web Marketing.
If you customise the permalinks settings on an established blog that has pre-existing links to specific posts, those links will cease to function. Google and other search engine links will also cease to function until they index the site again.
You have now been warned!
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Thanks for dropping by.
I know I was unaware of the SEO benefits of having the post title in the permalink. Lucky for me I changed it before hand because I wanted an easy way to remember what my post link was.
I have to consider changing it all again to what you have shown here though because I am currently using the Day and Month structure but I’m beginning to question why I have it that way at all.
Great post Layne.
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RewardRebel Reply:
October 29th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Hey, thanks. Before you decide to do anything, though, consider Dennis’s point,which I’m going to add to the post.
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fragileheart Reply:
October 30th, 2008 at 6:37 am
Thanks for the heads up Layne. I care a little bit, but at the same time I’ve been overlooked by google for two PR updates already so I don’t much care anymore. lol
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RewardRebel Reply:
October 30th, 2008 at 11:00 am
OK, fine, but… think about what you’ve just written. You say you don’t have your site’s permalinks set up in the most SEO way AND that your site has been passed over for an improved PR… could these two things be related?
Just saying….
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Simple is best dear lady!
Excellent tip, and ya gotta love them screen shots
luckily I have my own little “geek squad” around me and learned of this early enough on…
If you change the permalink on an established blog, all links “out there” will no longer work until Google indexes again…this didn’t matter to me, but it might to some.
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RewardRebel Reply:
October 29th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Thanks, Dennis, that’s a good point to flag up and I’ll postscript it.
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Most welcome
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RewardRebel Reply:
October 29th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
I’ve sent u some rinky-dink-link-luv.
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Awww shucks
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Great tip for everyone to use. Every little bit of SEO helps. Would it help even more if you did /%category%/%postname%/ if your categories are keyword laden?
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RewardRebel Reply:
November 1st, 2008 at 10:27 pm
I’ve been giving your point some thought before responding, but truth is, I’m not sure whether it would improve SEO or not to structure permalinks like you suggest. Also, what would happen when a post falls within more than one category? Sorry I can’t help.
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Be very careful using the categories in the permalink…if you change the names, you’re all messed up.
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RewardRebel Reply:
November 2nd, 2008 at 1:54 am
Thanks for that, there’s a good reason I do simple…!
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Thanks! I just changed mine!
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I think it was very beneficial info.Specially i liked the concept of it with respect to keywords, as by one of the commentors out here.
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