Remove Dates From Permalink

How do you you remove the dates from your permalink structure without ruining all the hard earned links you have developed?

Glad you asked… It really is very simple… (Note I tried the various plugins first but had issues… In the end this solution is faster for the visitor, quicker to implement, and simpler.)

Assuming your current permalink structure is /%year%/%monthnum%/%day%/%postname%/

  1. First change your permalink structure to /%postname%/
  2. Create a .htaccess file (or modify an existing file)
  3. Add this line above any other WordPress declarations: RedirectMatch 301 /dddd/dd/dd/(.*) /$1
  4. Make sure the .htaccess file is in the root of your blog

Here is an example .htaccess file direct from one of my blogs…
RedirectMatch 301 /dddd/dd/dd/(.*) /$1

# BEGIN WordPress

RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]

# END WordPress

By 301 redirecting you are telling the search engines that the content has moved to a new location. While there is typically some drop off during the transition, your blog will come back stronger for making the change.

As an example of the effectiveness…
Here is an old url: http://www.golfballdriver.com/2008/03/18/michelle-wie-and-robin-lopez-at-charity-auction-pic/
which now redirects to the new url: http://www.golfballdriver.com/michelle-wie-and-robin-lopez-at-charity-auction-pic/

Originally posted 2009-02-02 12:30:17. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts
  • linkPermalink Structure without Dates The structure behind WordPress is generous enough to allow for built in SEO advantages which come with building pages that static web page building and other blogging software cannot afford you. By using WordPress, you already have an advantage over bloggers, but only as long as you are willing to......
  • popularity5 Tips for Popular Blog Posts The internet may be a fast paced environment, but there are some blog strategies that remain the name even when it becomes harder and harder for average bloggers to keep up. Here is a reminder of some of the tips that don't change when it comes to blogging. When posting,......
  • Wordpress Backup OptionsWordpress Backup Wordpress Backup is an essential plugin for all Wordpress blog administrators by the Blog Traffic Exchange. It performs regular backups of your upload (images) current theme, and plugin directories. Backup files are available for download and optionally emailed to a specified email. Don't get caught without a recent backup of......
  • thesisTips for Writing a Successful Blog One of the biggest keys when it comes to keeping a successful blog is to provide content that is perceived to be exceptional. The following five tips are designed to ensure that the blog posts that you write are getting read, and also that they are encouraging your readers to......
  • peopleSEO Tips for Bloggers on WordPress There are several million WordPress blogs that you can find on the internet, but unfortunately the majority of them are not properly optimized for search engines. This article is going to touch on some SEO tips for bloggers using WordPress to host their blog, because with the right tips it......
Blog Traffic Exchange Related Websites
  • blog traffic exchangeProfessional Blogging Roundup - Trust Issues and More Less categories this week, but the quality of the links is still top-notch. Take a break from your festivities to glance through a few of these posts: Corporate Miami Examiner asks As a leader, should you be blogging? Business and Leadership says low trust for corporate blogs. Network World wonders......
  • number-3.jpgFavorite Blog Wednesday - Simply Well Done. The third personal finance site in my series "Favorite Blog Wednesday" is The Simple Dollar, written by a guy named Trent. First off, I have to comment that while I do not know how Trent comes up with so many smart posts, I sure do appreciate it. There is nothing......
  • blog traffic exchangeAmazing Trackback Tips For Successful Blogging! In blogging Trackback is an approach worn to relate posts on different blogs and, in a superior intellect, it allows blogs to “reveal” readers. An example! Just as a clean example of how Trackback plant: If you have just posted a paragraph discussing Admiral Byrd's minute Antarctic expedition and then......
  • blog traffic exchangeProfessional Blogging Roundup - Blogging Tips and Resources Good morning and welcome to another Sunday edition of Buildify's weekly roundup. From general blogging tips to articles on very specific topics there's a lot going on. We hope they help you with your blog. Corporate Daily Breeze writes Tech Talk: Business blogs are a good start. The Economist says......
  • blog traffic exchangeSunday Roundup: Blogging Tips and Resources Good morning Sunday readers! Are you looking for some blogging tips to help out your blog or thinking of starting one? Check out our quick guide below to some great places for ideas and resources. General: Marketing 2.0 asks Corporate Blogger: Angel or Demon? For a humorous look at Thoughts......
Online Stores If you liked this article, vote for it on del.icio.us and stumbleupon.



Categories:

Blog Tips



Tags:

, , , , ,


5 comments ↓
#1 Brad Hart @ A DoFollow Blog on 12.11.08 at 11:09 am

I have long been a proponent of using /%category%/%post-slug%/ for your permalink it not only adds a searchable keyword if you did your categories right, but only using the post slug can often times cause plugin errors with some of the more popular plugins.

I also recommend leaving the htaccess file alone unless you really know what you are doing. I also find it easier to use the redirection plugin since often times you will want or need to optimize a post slug or a lot of post slugs depending on the age of your blog. Even if it isn’t that old removing the trash words that get stuck in by default is a good SEO practice.

#2 kevin on 12.11.08 at 11:27 am

I tend to use more than one category and so I end up with a lot of posts in the categories with that start with letter earlier in the alphabet.

I have never had any toruble with just using the post slug.

#3 MLR on 05.21.09 at 7:43 pm

Currently I use:
/%year%/%monthnum%/%postname%/

I think I want to change it to:
/%postID%/%postname%/

What would the htaccess look like for that? And would that be just as good for SEO as your improvement?

#4 Levon on 03.20.10 at 3:01 pm

If I want to use:
/%postID%/%postname%/

What would the .htaccess code be?

#5 John on 07.13.10 at 12:58 pm

I’m new to redirects, and wasn’t able to get it to work with the example above until I reliezed that the “dddd” and “dd” need to be regular expressions.

Here’s what I used and it worked

RedirectMatch 301 /[0-9]{4}/[0-9]{2}/([^/]+)/ /$1/

Leave a Comment