# Permalink A permalink is a permanent URL for a page or post, meant not to change. Search engines treat the URL as the page’s identity. Here is how to set, read and fix permalinks on a small site without losing traffic. Updated 2026-09-14 · Source: https://porteur.ai/glossary/permalink ## What a permalink means for a small site Your permalink is the address people bookmark, share and cite. Search engines also use it to identify the page. If you change it, you need a redirect from the old URL to the new one. Words in the slug are a small relevance signal and mostly for readers. Keep URLs short, lowercase and hyphenated. Skip stop words like “and” or “the”. Avoid dates unless the content is tied to a date, for example a pattern like “/news/YYYY-MM-DD-release-notes”. > Rule: pick a structure once, then keep it. If you must change it, plan redirects before you publish the new URLs. ## WordPress permalink settings WordPress calls URL formats “permalinks”. You will find the setting under Settings, Permalinks. Common patterns include Post name and Date and name. - Use Post name for most sites: “/pricing”, “/blog/how-to-choose-a-plan”. It is readable and short. - Use Date and name only if posts are time sensitive and you keep dates visible to readers. - Avoid long category chains in the URL unless categories are few and stable. Example fixed page: “yourproduct.com/guides/getting-started”, not “yourproduct.com/YYYY/MM/DD/how-to-get-started-with-yourproduct-guide/”. ## How to read and measure permalinks - Scan your main navigation and top posts. Are the URLs short, lowercase, hyphenated and stable? - Check internal links. Do menu and blog links point to one clean URL, with no tracking parameters? - In Search Console, open the Pages view in the Performance report. Look for duplicate paths that suggest an old and a new URL for the same content. - Click a few old links from social or newsletters. Confirm they load the intended page and do not 404 or redirect in loops. - Keep a list of canonical URLs for core pages like “/pricing”, “/features”, “/blog/”. Use that list when you add links. ## Choosing a good permalink structure Choose a stable base for each content type. For evergreen pages, use the root where possible: “/pricing”, “/features/integrations”. For articles and guides, use one folder like “/blog/” or “/guides/”. - Slug: 3 to 6 words that match the topic, like “how-to-export-data”. - Lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens only. No underscores. - No dates in slugs unless the content is dated. If you must date, keep it consistent. - Do not stuff keywords. Write for recognition, not density. - One canonical URL per page. Avoid serving the same content at both “/post” and “/post/”. Pick one and redirect the other. ## Changing a permalink safely 1. **Map old to new** Export a list of current URLs. Add the new target for each one. Include case variants and trailing slash variants if they exist. 2. **Add 301 redirects** Create one permanent redirect from each old URL to the new canonical URL. Do not chain multiple hops if you can avoid it. 3. **Update internal links** Replace old paths in menus, footers, posts and sitemap. Link only to the new canonical URLs. 4. **Submit and test** Update your XML sitemap. Use a redirect checker to spot chains and loops. In Search Console, inspect a few changed URLs and monitor coverage. 5. **Leave redirects in place** Keep them indefinitely. People will click old links for years. > Warning: changing permalink structure sitewide can cause a traffic dip while redirects are processed. Do it once, with a complete redirect map. ## Questions ### What is a permalink? A permalink is the permanent URL for a page or post. It should not change. Search engines use it to identify the page, and readers share and bookmark it. ### How do I get a permalink? Publish the page and copy its URL from your browser or CMS. In WordPress, set your structure under Settings, Permalinks, then view the post and copy the address bar URL. ### What is a permalink vs. a URL? All permalinks are URLs, but not all URLs are good permalinks. A permalink is a clean, stable URL meant to last, not a temporary link with tracking parameters. ### What is the best WordPress permalink structure for SEO? Use Post name for most sites. It keeps URLs short and readable. Add a folder like “/blog/” if you want to separate articles from core pages. ### Will changing permalinks hurt SEO? It can if you do not add 301 redirects. With one-to-one redirects, expect some temporary shifts while search updates, then it should settle. ### What is permalink jewellery or an APA permalink? These are unrelated. Jewellery uses “permanent” as a brand idea, and APA permalinks refer to stable library links. This page covers web page URLs for sites. ## Read next - [URL slug](https://porteur.ai/glossary/url-slug): A URL slug is the last part of a URL that identifies the page. See what good slugs look like, how they affect clicks, and how to change them safely. - [Canonical URL](https://porteur.ai/glossary/canonical-url): A canonical URL names the original version of a page. Use it to handle parameters and duplicates, avoid split signals and keep the right page indexed. - [Page with redirect in Search Console: normal, until it is not](https://porteur.ai/guides/page-with-redirect): “Page with redirect” is normal after a move. Fix it only when your sitemap or internal links still hit the old URL, or you have a chain or a loop. - [301 redirect](https://porteur.ai/glossary/301-redirect): A 301 redirect is a permanent move. Use it to send users and bots to a new URL, keep signals, avoid chains, and choose 308 when methods must persist. - [Internal linking for a small site: which pages link to which](https://porteur.ai/guides/internal-linking-for-seo): Decide which pages rank. Build hubs, write clear anchors, fix orphans, and crawl your site to map links you control. - [How to fix 404 errors reported in Search Console](https://porteur.ai/guides/how-to-fix-404-errors-in-google-search-console): Decide which 404s to fix, find the ones with links or traffic, choose redirect, restore or 410, clean internal links and sitemaps, and revalidate. Run Porteur’s free check from your homepage URL to see three findings on your URLs and rivals in about thirty seconds, no connections needed. Free check: https://porteur.ai/