WordPress is a popular platform for creating websites and blogs, but sometimes it adds dates to your URLs automatically. These dates can make your URLs longer and less user-friendly. In this article, we’ll provide a step-by-step guide on how to remove the date from WordPress URLs. We’ll explain each step in plain and simple English to make it easy for anyone to follow. Let’s get started!
20 How to Remove the Date From WordPress URLs
Why Remove Dates from WordPress URLs
Definition 1: URL
A URL is the web address that you type into your browser’s address bar to access a specific webpage. It usually starts with “http://” or “https://” and includes the website’s domain name.
Definition 2: WordPress
WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) that allows you to create and manage websites and blogs without needing to code from scratch.
Definition 3: Date in WordPress URLs
When you publish a new post in WordPress, it often includes the publication date in the URL. For example, if you publish a post on September 30, 2023, the URL might look like this: “https://yourwebsite.com/2023/09/30/post-title.”
Explanation:
WordPress automatically adds dates to URLs to help organize your content chronologically. However, in some cases, you might want to remove the date to make your URLs shorter and more user-friendly.
Benefits of Removing Dates from URLs
Definition 4: User-Friendly URLs
User-friendly URLs are easy to read and remember. They typically contain words or keywords related to the content of the page, making it easier for visitors to understand what the page is about.
Definition 5: SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
SEO refers to the process of improving a website’s visibility in search engines like Google. Removing dates from URLs can improve SEO by making URLs cleaner and more focused on keywords.
Explanation:
Removing dates from WordPress URLs can benefit your website by making the URLs more user-friendly and improving SEO. User-friendly URLs are easier for visitors to remember, and they can also help search engines better understand your content.
Step-by-Step Guide to Remove Dates from WordPress URLs
Now, let’s walk through the steps to remove dates from WordPress URLs.
Step 1: Log in to Your WordPress Dashboard
Definition 6: Dashboard
The WordPress dashboard is the control center of your website. It’s where you can manage your content, settings, and plugins.
Step 2: Go to “Settings” and Select “Permalinks”
Definition 7: Permalinks
Permalinks are the permanent URLs for your posts and pages in WordPress. They define the structure of your website’s URLs.
Step 3: Choose a Custom Structure
Definition 8: Custom Structure
A custom structure allows you to define how your URLs should be formatted. You can choose which elements, such as categories or post names, appear in your URLs.
Step 4: Remove the Date Tag
Definition 9: Date Tag
In the custom structure field, you may see a tag like “%year%” or “%monthnum%.” Removing this tag will prevent WordPress from including the date in your URLs.
Step 5: Save Changes
Explanation:
By following these steps, you can customize your permalink structure to exclude the date and create cleaner URLs for your WordPress site.
Common Issues and Solutions
Definition 10: Issues
Issues are problems or challenges you might encounter while trying to remove dates from WordPress URLs.
Definition 11: Solutions
Solutions are the steps or actions you can take to address and resolve the issues.
Issue 1: 404 Errors
Definition 12: 404 Errors
A 404 error occurs when a webpage is not found. Removing dates from URLs can sometimes lead to 404 errors if not done correctly.
Solution 1: Set Up Redirects
To fix 404 errors, you can set up redirects to ensure that old URLs with dates redirect to the new ones without dates.
Issue 2: Broken Links
Definition 13: Broken Links
Broken links are links on your website that no longer work. Removing dates from URLs can break existing links.
Solution 2: Update Internal Links
To avoid broken links, you’ll need to update any internal links that point to pages with the old date-based URLs.
Issue 3: SEO Impact
Solution 3: Update Sitemaps
Updating your website’s sitemap can help search engines discover and index your new, date-free URLs.
20 How to Remove the Date From WordPress URLs
Now, let’s explore 20 methods to achieve this.
Method 1: Change Permalink Settings
- Explanation: Go to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Settings > Permalinks, and select a permalink structure without the date.
- Benefits: This is a simple built-in option that doesn’t require technical knowledge.
Method 2: Use a Plugin
- Explanation: Install a plugin like “Simple URLs” or “Yoast SEO” to customize your permalinks, including removing dates.
- Benefits: Easy and user-friendly, even for beginners.
Method 3: Modify Theme Functions
- Explanation: Edit your theme’s functions.php file to remove dates from URLs using code snippets.
- Benefits: Customizable, but requires some coding knowledge.
Method 4: Use a Custom Post Type
- Explanation: Create a custom post type without dates, and move your content there.
- Benefits: Effective if you have a lot of dated content.
Method 5: Rewrite Rules
- Explanation: Modify your site’s .htaccess file or use a plugin to rewrite URLs without dates.
- Benefits: Offers flexibility but requires technical skills.
Method 6: Redirects
- Explanation: Set up redirects from dated URLs to new ones without dates.
- Benefits: Helps maintain SEO and user experience, but can be time-consuming for large sites.
Method 7: Custom Taxonomies
- Explanation: Create custom taxonomies for your content, eliminating the need for dates in URLs.
- Benefits: Useful for organizing content, but may require coding.
Method 8: Disable Date Display
- Explanation: Use CSS or a plugin to hide dates on your posts without changing the URLs.
- Benefits: Maintains URLs while removing date visibility.
Method 9: Content Silos
- Explanation: Organize your content into silos or categories without dates.
- Benefits: Enhances content organization and SEO.
Method 10: Third-party Services
- Explanation: Utilize services like the Wayback Machine to archive dated content and serve dateless URLs.
- Benefits: Preserves historical content while offering dateless URLs.
Method 11: Child Themes
- Explanation: Create a child theme and override parent theme functions to modify permalinks.
- Benefits: Maintains theme updates while customizing URLs.
Method 12: Database Query
- Explanation: Run a database query to remove dates from existing URLs.
- Benefits: Effective for large sites, but requires technical expertise.
Method 13: Use Post Types
- Explanation: Separate posts with dates from those without by using different post types.
- Benefits: Allows for content differentiation.
Method 14: Content Duplication
- Explanation: Create dateless copies of your content and redirect dated URLs to them.
- Benefits: Avoids losing traffic while transitioning.
Method 15: Category Base Removal
- Explanation: Remove category bases from URLs to simplify and remove date references.
- Benefits: Enhances URL cleanliness.
Method 16: Edit Old Posts
- Explanation: Manually remove dates from old posts by editing each one.
- Benefits: Gives full control, but can be time-consuming.
Method 17: Content Rewriting
- Explanation: Rewrite old content to make it evergreen, then update the URLs.
- Benefits: Ensures content remains relevant.
Method 18: Use Custom Fields
- Explanation: Use custom fields to add dates to content without displaying them in URLs.
- Benefits: Allows for date tracking without affecting URLs.
Method 19: CDN Rewriting
- Explanation: If using a Content Delivery Network (CDN), set up URL rewriting to remove dates.
- Benefits: Speeds up your site while maintaining clean URLs.
Method 20: Hire a Developer
- Explanation: If all else fails, consider hiring a developer to implement a custom solution.
- Benefits: Ensures a tailored solution but comes at a cost.
Conclusion:
Removing dates from WordPress URLs can enhance the user experience and improve SEO. By following our step-by-step guide and addressing common issues, you can successfully make your website’s URLs cleaner and more accessible. Remember that while removing dates can be beneficial, it’s essential to plan and execute the process carefully to avoid any negative impacts on your site’s traffic and ranking.
In conclusion, simplifying your WordPress URLs is a small but effective way to enhance your website’s overall performance and user-friendliness.
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