How to Create Static URLs in Wordpress

Because WordPress is primarily a blogging system, its default URL structure is dynamic, giving each post name a number only. Such a URL will not work well for Search Engine Optimization purposes, so you should go into the WordPress settings and change the URL structure to use "pretty permalinks." WordPress offers a few presets that include either the post name or post ID plus other information such as the month or the day a post was published. Choose one and save it to give your site static URLs.

Instructions

1. Log in to the WordPress dashboard at the following address:

   http://yourdomain.com/wp-admin/

   Substitute the name of your own domain in place of "yourdomain.com."

2. Navigate to "Settings" in the left-hand menu and then click on the "Permalinks" link when it appears in the menu. Doing this will bring you to the "Permalinks" sub-panel, where you can change your website's permalink structure.

3. Click the radio button next to the permalink structure you want to use. Options include the default, day and name, month and name, numeric and then a custom structure. From an SEO point of view, go with the shortest permalink structure to avoid having very long URLs, especially if you plan on having many sub-pages and sub-categories.

4. Click the "number of tags are available" link to check out structure tags you can use in the "Custom Structure" field. Use these tags if you want a structure different from one of the presets. You must always include at least "post_id" or "postname" structure tags in custom structures. Format custom structures like this:

   /%post_id%/%day%/

Tips & Warnings

• You cannot use regular file paths or URLs in your custom structures. Something like this is not valid and will not work: /post/path/foldername/

References

• WordPress Codex: Using Permalinks