How should you choose a permalink structure?

Choose a permalink structure based on your content type and long-term maintenance needs: general blogs and company websites can prioritize “Post name”; news websites that need to organize content by date can consider including the year, month, and day; stores should plan clear product URLs before launch. The shared principle is to keep URLs consistent, short, and descriptive, and avoid unnecessary changes. Existing websites should not switch simply because another format looks better; they also need to assess the risks of broken links and fluctuations in search traffic.

First decide whether your content needs dates, then choose a URL format

Neil Patel’s 2024 article recommends using post names for WordPress websites because URLs that lack descriptive information make it harder for readers and search engines to understand a page. Mack Chan’s tutorial also recommends this format for general blogs and company websites, but offers different advice for news outlets: include the year, month, and day to make content easier to organize.

• Post name: For example, /sample-post focuses on the content’s topic and suits websites that do not need to organize URLs by date.
• Date and post name: For example, /2021/06/04/sample-post makes the date part of the structure; whether to use it should depend on your content organization needs.
• Numbers or sequential IDs only: For example, /?p=123 makes it difficult to tell what the content is about from the URL alone, so it should not be the first choice simply because it is easy to set up.

“Post name” is therefore an option worth considering first, not the only answer that every website must follow.

Custom structures should serve a purpose, not be packed with parameters

Custom URLs can include information such as categories, authors, or dates, but more parameters also mean longer URLs. When choosing a structure, first ask: does this level genuinely help with identification and management? yesharris’s 2024 article emphasizes short, meaningful, logical structures and notes that they also help with subsequent analysis and management.

URL slugs should briefly describe the page’s main subject rather than consist of hard-to-decipher strings. You can also look at how others in your industry structure their URLs, but the aim is to understand industry needs, not to assume a competitor’s format is automatically the best solution.

Set the structure for a new store first to reduce page-by-page changes

For stores that have not yet launched, Semrush’s 2023 article recommends planning permalinks in advance, such as /shop/product-name or /store/product-name, so future URLs follow an established structure and require fewer page-by-page changes. This advice has a clear condition: address the structure before launch, rather than encouraging stores already in operation to adopt a new format directly.

Existing websites should assess the costs of changing first

Once URLs have appeared on social media, partner websites, or other external pages, changing the structure may prevent those links from reaching the content. Mack Chan specifically highlights the risks for websites that have been operating for roughly three to ten years, but this is an example, not an age threshold.

The author also cautions that even with 301 redirects, there is no guarantee that search rankings will remain entirely unaffected. If the only issue with an existing structure is its appearance, advice for new websites should not be applied directly. First establish whether the change is necessary, how old links will connect to the new URLs, and whether you can absorb the potential traffic impact, then decide whether to make the change.