Create Google Friendly URLs

Both humans and search engines prefer to deal with readable URLs. And, so should your WordPress blog. Further, never allow WordPress to stick your blog with notoriously long post slugs.

Optimize Your Permalink Structure

Even though WordPress is a dynamic website where posts are created on the fly off of a database of posts, your blog should be using a Permalink Structure that mimic static websites. Therefore, not only should your URLs be readable, but you should also implement an URL naming scheme that mimics the directory structure of static websites.

Go to the permalink options, check custom, type in /post/%postname%/ and save. This is contrary to what most SEOs would recommend, but is better since your posts now appear to be filed in the post directory. Best of all, your posts will never be confused with your blog pages. Parenting of your blog pages, likewise will automatically mimic a static directory structure. As all your related pages are filed under its parent page, so will your posts likewise be all filed under the post directory.

Your categories should all start with /category, or perhaps /cat, which is selected under optional in the permalink options of your blog. All your category pages will now appear to be filed only in the category directory.

Your archive pages will automatically appear to be filed in directories that are named after the year that the post was published in, such as 2007, 2008, etc.

Next, super big URLs should be avoided. So, you want to be able to edit your slug for each post and page before they are published. In WordPress version 2.5, this is a real snap, but in older versions of WordPress you will probably have to first save the post status of your work as being private rather than as a draft. Your default WordPress slug will come directly from the title of your post. But, you should trim out all unnecessary words. Delete all words less than four (4) digits long. And, your slug should contain no more than four different words. Your slugs should be as small as possible, while still keeping it both distinctive and meaningful.

Google Friendly URLs

Now, all your WordPress URLs will be readable, organized, logical, more manageable, and above all else Google Friendly.

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