Changing permalinks

  • permalinks
  • url-slug
  • seo
  • site-editing

When you create a page or post, WordPress builds a permalink (URL) from the title. You can change the editable part of that URL — the slug — anytime before or after publish.

What is a URL slug?

The slug is the unique last segment of a page address. In yoursite.com/services, services is the slug.

Keep slugs short, lowercase, and hyphenated when you need more than one word (for example, summer-events).

Edit the slug in the editor

  1. Open the page or post in the block editor.
  2. In the sidebar, open Page (or Post) settings — not the selected block.
  3. Find Permalink (sometimes labeled URL).
  4. Click the slug field and type your new value.
  5. Use only lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens.
  6. Click Update or Publish.

After you save, the permalink preview updates to match the new slug.

Tips

  • Prefer meaningful words over IDs (/about instead of /page-id-42).
  • If you change a published URL, set up a redirect from the old path so bookmarks and search results still work — see Redirection.
  • Sitewide permalink structure (Settings → Permalinks) is separate from editing one page’s slug. If URLs look broken after a move or plugin change, see Refreshing permalinks.