Creating SEO friendly URL’s using Wordpress

30. Apr, 2008 4 Comments

It’s time to create some SEO friendly URL’s! Woo Hoo!

Lately, I have noticed quite a few blogs/sites that are not taking advantage of the permalink feature in Wordpress. With how competitive it’s getting to be out there SEO wise, every little bit helps.

Lets take this post I am writing right now as an example – the URL that displays to all users and the search engine is:

Permalink: http://www.jrfarr.com/creating-seo-friendly-urls-using-wordpress/

Now some of the site’s I have seen are looking more like this:

Permalink: http://www.thisiswhackjack.com/?p=17

You can see that URL is not getting the advantage it can from a keyword targeting standpoint because the URL structure is not properly structured.

AH! My URL’s look like that… What can I do to FIX THIS!?

Luckily for anyone new to Wordpress with the most current download or anyone who has upgraded to version 2.5 or 2.5.1, wordpress now displays the permalink structure as you input the title of the post. Plus you can even edit it right o the spot! Sweet!

Click the image to view larger if you can’t see it well enough.

Now, for anyone using an older version of Wordpress, don’t worry you can still change your non SEO friendly URL ways! Sweet!

The following is an example of how to change your permalink structure in Wordpress version 2.0. I believe all of the version’s leading up to 2.5 are pretty similar to this version. If you go back even further then that, then dude you need to update your Wordpress version ASAP! No I am kidding, let me know and I’ll see what I can do to help.

Ok so here we go…

Login into your dashboard, and click the options tab. Then click the permalink tab.

Click the options Tab

Under the “Common Options” you can see that its most likely set to “Default”

Common Options - Its Set to Default

Select the “Date and Named Based”

Select Date and Named Based

Now if you select the “Custom, Specify Below” you can create a custom structure…

Choose a Custom Structure

I usually choose this option and delete the date information and just leave the “postname”

This is a great URL structure for any of your sites to have. If your current site is not using a strategic URL structure then you need to make sure you start doing it.

Hopefully anyone reading this post found this helpful and now on your URL’s are full of SEO friendly goodness! Now give yourself a pat on the back!

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