When Should You Use the Custom Permalink in WordPress?
1.0 Introduction
Choosing the right permalink structure in WordPress may feel like a small decision, but it actually plays a big role in how people and search engines understand your website. A clear and meaningful URL makes your content easier to find, easier to share, and easier for visitors to trust. WordPress gives you many permalink options, and one of the most useful is the custom permalink. But when is it the right choice for your website?
2.0 What Is a Custom Permalink?
A custom permalink is a URL that you design based on what makes sense for your content. Instead of using a random string like (?p=123) you can create something clear, such as:
- /blog/how-to-start-robotics/
- /category/ai-technology/
- /services/web-development/
This makes your links easier to read and remember.
Note: ?p=123 is the default format used for a post when no permalink structure is set. p stands for post, 123 is post ID in the WordPress database.
3.0 When Should You Use a Custom Permalink?
3.1 When You Want Clean and User-Friendly URLs
People prefer links that make sense at a glance. A user is more likely to click on:
yourwebsite.com/ai-robotics-guide/ than yourwebsite.com/?p=57
Clean URLs feel more professional and help visitors trust your website.
3.2 When SEO Matters to You
Search engines look at your URL to understand your topic. A good custom permalink gives Google a hint about your content.
For example:
yourwebsite.com/robotics/ai-training/ tells Google and users exactly what the page is about.
This makes custom permalinks very useful for blogs, business websites, online stores, and any site that depends on search visibility.
3.3 When You Have Different Types of Content
Think of your website like a big folder with many smaller folders inside it. Each folder has a different purpose, for example a blog section, a products section, a portfolio section, a services section. If your URLs are messy or all look the same, visitors won’t immediately understand where they are on the website. Custom permalinks fix this problem.
3.3.1 Example: Portfolio Section
If you are showing your work or projects, a good URL would be:
/portfolio/project-name/
This tells people:
- They are in the portfolio section
- They are viewing a specific project
If you used a default link like /?p=123, nobody knows what that is.
3.3.2 Why this helps your website
- It keeps everything organized.
Your content doesn’t feel messy. Each section has a “home” in your URL structure. - Users understand where they are.
They can see the category or section in the URL. This improves navigation and user experience. - Search engines understand your website better
Google sees clear structure and can group your content correctly.
3.4 When You Want Your Website to Look Consistent
Imagine your website is about online learning. You have multiple lessons and courses. You want every URL to follow a consistent pattern so visitors can immediately tell what kind of page they are on.
3.4.1 Example URL
- /learn/robotics-basics/ → a single lesson
- /learn/ai-for-kids/ → another lesson
- /courses/robotics-bundle/ → a full course
- /courses/ai-masterclass/ → another full course
3.4.2 Why this help
- Predictable structure
Visitors instantly know that URLs starting with /learn/ are lessons, and /courses/ are courses. - Professional look
All pages in the same section have the same “style,” so the website feels organized and clean. - Easy to manage
If you add new lessons or courses, you just follow the same URL pattern. No confusion.
3.5 When You’re Planning for Long-Term Growth
Imagine your website is like a house you’re building. If you plan the rooms and layout carefully from the start, it’s easy to add new rooms later. If you don’t plan, you’ll have to tear down walls to make changes which is a lot of work. A custom permalink is like the layout plan for your website’s URLs. Setting it up correctly from the beginning makes your website scalable and avoids problems later.
3.5.1 Why it matters
- Avoid broken links
If you change URL structures after your website grows, all old links (from Google, other sites, or emails) might stop working. - Protect your SEO
Search engines index your URLs. If URLs change frequently, you risk losing your rankings unless you create proper redirects. - Save time and effort
By planning a clean URL structure early, you won’t have to redo hundreds of links later.
4.0 When You Might Want to Avoid Custom Permalinks
If your website is brand new, very small, or you’re unsure how you want your content organized, you can stick with a simple structure like %postname%. You can always adjust later once your site becomes more stable.
5.0 Conclusion
Using a custom permalink in WordPress is a smart way to make your URLs cleaner and easier to understand for both visitors and search engines. It not only helps improve SEO and navigation but also gives your website a more professional and polished look. Taking the time to set up your permalinks correctly from the start will make managing your site easier and create a better experience for your audience.