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How do I change WP Permalink structure and safely redirect?

by Chris-
9 replies
I was just reading

Category in Permalinks Considered Harmful » Otto on WordPress

and see that the Permalink format I am using (/%postname%/, which was recommended by a course I did years ago), is slowing down my website (I've got 284 posts so far, and expect to build it to around 2000 in total) So, as per the advice on the link above, I want to change the Permalink format to the recommended /%year%/%postname%/.

But, of course, I don't want any problems with the links (external and internal) that already exist . . . I've created a few hundred back-links, and the site-structure is such that there are a lot of links from one post to another.

So, if, as soon as I change the permalink structure, I use permanant redirects (in .htaccess, using my cPanel to create redirects) to redirect the original URL to the new URL, will that be the best solution, handling links from outside, and internal links too without losing any SEO value? Or is there any better way?

I've heard of redirect plugins, but read that every plugin you use slows down the site performance so I am guessing that redirects in .htaccess would be better than adding a redirection plugin, right?

thanks for any info on this.

Chris
#change #permalink #redirect #safely #structure
  • Profile picture of the author CyberSEO
    You don't need to do anything. WP will automatically do a 301 redirect for all your old URL's, so they will be soon re-indexed by Google.

    Simple change your permalink format to /%year%/%postname%/ and try to open any old blog.com/postname/ link in the browsers to see what I mean.
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    • Profile picture of the author Chris-
      Originally Posted by CyberSEO View Post

      You don't need to do anything. WP will automatically do a 301 redirect for all your old URL's, so they will be soon re-indexed by Google.

      Simple change your permalink format to /%year%/%postname%/ and try to open any old blog.com/postname/ link in the browsers to see what I mean.
      Wow, that certainly makes it easier

      thanks!!

      Chris
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  • Profile picture of the author awenc
    Definitely make SURE wordpress is automatically doing it for you or you are going to lose your backlinks. If wordpress is NOT automatically doing it, use 301 redirects in your .htaccess file
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    • Profile picture of the author Chris-
      Originally Posted by awenc View Post

      Definitely make SURE wordpress is automatically doing it for you or you are going to lose your backlinks. If wordpress is NOT automatically doing it, use 301 redirects in your .htaccess file
      Yes

      Chris
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  • Profile picture of the author dv8domainsDotCom
    Hi Chris; if you read further down in comments the author seems to indicate the issue has been and/or will be addressed (possibly in WP 3.3, it's hard to interpret his meaning based on the context of the conversation).
    He links to the code repository Changeset 18541 which highlights some of the changes made to the WP core that handle permalink redirect specifically.
    Without having a site big enough to be affected, I can't really comment on it's effectiveness, but he mentions back-porting the code to older installations; should you choose to try something like this, PLEASE PLEASE back-up your files. It might be easier to update to latest version and see if it helps.
    Even though you could 301, in the short-term it is my belief that you will probably lose 'some' ranking, temporarily (which could still be painful) and I'm not really sure about long-term effects.

    (his Original Post is from April 9, 2010 ; surely this problem has been addressed in the last 16 months )
    *cheers* my friend,
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    • Profile picture of the author Chris-
      Originally Posted by dv8domainsDotCom View Post

      Hi Chris; if you read further down in comments the author seems to indicate the issue has been and/or will be addressed (possibly in WP 3.3, it's hard to interpret his meaning based on the context of the conversation).
      He links to the code repository Changeset 18541 which highlights some of the changes made to the WP core that handle permalink redirect specifically.
      Without having a site big enough to be affected, I can't really comment on it's effectiveness, but he mentions back-porting the code to older installations; should you choose to try something like this, PLEASE PLEASE back-up your files. It might be easier to update to latest version and see if it helps.
      Even though you could 301, in the short-term it is my belief that you will probably lose 'some' ranking, temporarily (which could still be painful) and I'm not really sure about long-term effects.

      (his Original Post is from April 9, 2010 ; surely this problem has been addressed in the last 16 months )
      *cheers* my friend,
      Thanks very much for your comments. I'll make sure I've backed-up, and that I am ready to do all the redirects myself if they don't seem to be being done automatically. As you say, I'll probably lose some SEO in the short-term, but as this will speed up my site in the long-term (especially as it gets bigger) that seems like something I should do now.

      thanks

      Chris
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  • Profile picture of the author MandLoys
    Getting Google to recognize 301 redirects can take up to 3 months. I know this from experience. Only do it if you really need to, and don't do it every day And yes, what others said: WP takes care of all of these, pretty smart when it comes to permalink structures and structure changes! GL
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris-
    thanks

    Chris
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  • Profile picture of the author kayetaylor
    I am using redirection plugins in my wordpress site but i don't see any bad reaction like slows down the site performance....
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