Permalink
A permalink is the permanent URL that points to a specific web page or blog post and is not meant to change. The word is short for “permanent link.” Its purpose is to give each piece of content one stable address that people can bookmark, share, and link to for years.
Why Permalinks Matter
A stable permalink protects your links, rankings, and traffic. When a URL stays fixed, every bookmark, shared post, and inbound link keeps working. Change it, and all those references break unless you set up a redirect.
Search engines rely on the permalink as the canonical address for a page. Google indexes content by URL, so a consistent permalink helps it credit the right page for rankings. A clean, descriptive permalink like /blog/permalink also reads better in search results than /?p=482, which can lift click-through rate.
Permalinks matter most during changes. Site migrations, CMS switches, and redesigns often alter URLs. If the permalink changes without a 301 redirect, the page loses its accumulated ranking signals and returns a 404 for anyone using the old link.
Permalink vs URL vs Slug
These three terms are related but distinct. A URL is any web address. A permalink is a URL meant to stay permanent for one specific piece of content. A URL slug is only the readable segment inside that permalink.
| Term | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| URL | Any web address, permanent or not | example.com/search?q=shoes |
| Permalink | The permanent URL for one page | example.com/blog/permalink |
| Slug | The editable word segment | permalink |
Every permalink is a URL, but not every URL is a permalink. A search results page or a filtered product listing has a URL, yet it is not the permanent home of a single piece of content. To break any address into its parts, paste it into linkutm’s URL parser.
Permalink Structures in WordPress
WordPress offers several permalink formats, set under Settings then Permalinks. The choice controls how every post URL is built:
- Post name:
/sample-post/. The recommended default. Short, readable, keyword-friendly. - Day and name:
/2026/07/07/sample-post/. Adds the date, which can make content look dated. - Month and name:
/2026/07/sample-post/. Shorter date version. - Numeric:
/archives/123. Uses the post ID, not readable. - Plain:
/?p=123. The unstyled default, worst for SEO and users. - Custom structure: Build your own using tags like
/%category%/%postname%/.
Most SEO guidance, including advice from Yoast, points to the “Post name” structure for new sites because it produces the cleanest URLs.
Permalink Best Practices
Set the permalink structure before you publish, then leave it alone. Follow these rules:
- Pick a structure early. Choose “Post name” (or a short custom pattern) at launch, before you have indexed content.
- Keep permalinks short and descriptive. Include the target keyword, drop filler words.
- Never change a live permalink without a 301 redirect. A redirect passes most ranking signals to the new URL and stops 404 errors.
- Avoid dates and volatile IDs in the structure so content does not look stale over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a permalink?
A permalink is the permanent URL assigned to a specific web page or blog post. The name is short for “permanent link.” It gives content one fixed address so links, bookmarks, and shares keep pointing to the same place over time.
What is the difference between a permalink and a URL?
A URL is any web address, while a permalink is a URL built to stay permanent for one piece of content. Every permalink is a URL, but many URLs, like search or filter pages, are not permalinks. The permalink is the stable, canonical home of a single page.
Can you change a permalink after publishing?
Yes, but you should add a 301 redirect from the old permalink to the new one. Without it, existing links break and return a 404, and the page can lose its search rankings. Change permalinks only when necessary.
What is the best permalink structure for SEO?
The “Post name” structure, which produces short URLs like /sample-post/, is the standard recommendation. It is readable, keyword-friendly, and avoids dates that make content look old. WordPress and SEO tools like Yoast both point to it for new sites.
To inspect the permalink and slug of any link, run it through the free URL parser at linkutm.