The WordPress platform is renowned for its SEO capabilities, but have you ever wanted to get the most out of your website by removing the category base from your URLs? We understand how daunting the process can appear to be, so we’ve compiled a step-by-step guide to help you remove the base from your WordPress URLs for a more streamlined website experience.
1. Understanding the remove category WordPress URL Structure
is key to optimizing your website for SEO. With all the different types of WordPress pages, posts, categories and tags available, it’s important to know how to create a search engine friendly URL structure.
All WordPress URLs have some elements in common. For instance, all WordPress URLs begin with the protocol and domain name part, such as https://example.com. After the domain name, different WordPress pages will have different components in the URL. Here’s an overview of the most common URL structure elements you might encounter:
- Example.com: the main website address
- /blog/: blog page
- /category/: category page for a blog post
- /post-name/: a unique page or post name
- /post-id/: a unique page or post ID
- /tag/: tag page
- /?s=query: the search results page
These elements work together to create a hierarchical structure, so that search engines are able to easily determine what type of content you are offering and how it fits into the larger picture of the website. Such structure not only helps search engine bots to index your website more effectively, but also improves the user experience by offering clearer guidance on the website structure.
2. Remove the Category Base from WordPress URLs
If you’re familiar with WordPress, chances are you’ve come across Category URLs of the kind example.com/blog/category/wordpress/. These extensions are known as ‘Category Bases’, and are highly likely to make your post URLs more cumbersome and slower to process.
Fortunately, there is a way out. By using a built-in WordPress feature, you can quickly and easily remove the default ‘category’ base of your WordPress URLs. Here’s how you can do it:
- Go to Settings > Permalinks.
- Under Optional, look for Category base
- In the field next to it, enter none or click Reset to defaults.
- Save your settings.
That’s it. Once you’ve followed the steps mentioned above, everything should be working as expected. You can now visit some of your posts and check that the previous category base (“/category/”) has been removed. By doing this, you’ll make sure posts on your site look clean, professional, and are more SEO-friendly.
3. Advantages of Removing the Category Base
The removal of the category base from your permalink structure has a few advantages that should not be overlooked. Firstly, it allows for a much cleaner approach to URLs that is easier on the eyes. No longer will readers be exposed to an unsightly string of words after the domain name. Instead, they’ll encounter a concise URL that clearly indicates what the page is about.
Removing the category base also helps with SEO. This is because it enables more descriptive URLs to be used. The more descriptive the URL, the higher the chances of it being featured prominently in search engine results, due to the increased relevance to the searched terms. Furthermore, by creating simpler URLs that are easily understood by both search engines and readers, there is less of a chance of duplicate content being created and penalized by search engines.
4. Top Tips for Improving WordPress URLs Without a Category Base
Customize Your Permalinks
The first step in making your WordPress URLs even more SEO-friendly is customizing your permalinks. With the options available in WordPress, you can include the post name and post ID after a predetermined slug. This is great for SEO as it helps you rank for the post title and the keyword itself.
Rewrite Your Slug
Once you’ve customized your permalink settings, you can further optimize your URLs by rewriting the slug. This refers to the text you’ll include between the domain and the post name. Here are some tips on writing efficient slugs:
- Keep the slug to minimum characters
- Remove any irrelevant words
- Be descriptive about the content
- Replace spaces with dashes
- Include keywords so that it helps you rank
So, rewrite your slug with the necessary words and relevant keywords. By doing so, you’ll have an optimized URL that is easy for visitors to navigate but also good for SEO. You’ve taken the first step on a journey towards a tidier, more streamlined WordPress site. Removing the category base from your Wordpress URLs is a small but significant step that can help you unlock the power of a well-built site. With the cleaner URLs and improved navigation users will be able to find the information they need quickly and effortlessly.
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