Step 1: Log in to Your WordPress Dashboard
To begin, log in to your WordPress website by visiting the admin login page (typically www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin) and entering your login credentials.
Step 2: Access the Permalinks Settings
Once you’re logged in, you’ll be directed to the WordPress dashboard. On the left-hand side, navigate to “Settings” and click on “Permalinks.” This will take you to the Permalinks settings page.
Step 3: Choose a Permalink Structure
On the Permalinks settings page, you’ll see various options for setting up your permalink structure. WordPress offers several predefined structures, such as Plain, Day and Name, Month and Name, Numeric, Post Name, and more.
You can also create a custom permalink structure by using a combination of placeholders or tags. For example, you can include the post name and category in the permalink by selecting the “Custom Structure” option and entering “/%category%/%postname%/”.
Step 4: Customize Permalink Settings (Optional)
If you choose the “Custom Structure” option, you have the flexibility to customize your permalink settings further. WordPress provides a list of tags that you can use to build your custom permalink structure. Some commonly used tags include:
%year%: The year of the post’s publication.
%monthnum%: The numeric value of the post’s publication month.
%day%: The day of the post’s publication.
%postname%: The slug (URL-friendly version) of the post’s title.
%category%: The slug of the post’s primary category.
%author%: The author’s username.
You can use any combination of these tags to create your desired permalink structure. Ensure that you include a forward slash (“/”) between each tag to separate them properly.
Step 5: Save Changes
Once you have selected or customized your preferred permalink structure, scroll down to the bottom of the Permalinks settings page and click the “Save Changes” button. This will save your permalink settings.
Step 6: Test Your Permalinks
After saving your permalink settings, it’s essential to test them to ensure they’re working correctly. Visit your website’s front-end and click on various posts or pages to verify that the URLs are displaying as expected.
Make sure the permalinks are user-friendly and descriptive, as they play a vital role in search engine optimization (SEO) and the overall usability of your website.
By choosing an appropriate permalink structure, you can ensure that your website URLs are clean, meaningful, and easy to navigate.