On this site (and several others that I run) there have been times that I wish I had initially set up my permalinks structure differently. When I set up permalinks they are typically set up in a %category%/%postname% structure – thinking that it would make the most sense and be the most ideal solution. However, I started running into a few problems when a post was assigned to multiple categories – thus, only displaying one category in the URL/permalink (e.g. a post might be filed under the category “WordPress Themes” and “WordPress” but would only display “WordPress” in the URL structure).
After looking around at several popular blogs, I noticed that a large majority simply use /%postname%/ for their permalink structure. In changing the permalinks here, I decided to go with this new structure as well – the only problem being the migration/transfer of all of the old links.
My concerns were that I did not want any old pages and posts to have broken links, lose their rankings, etc. After doing a little digging around I came across the free “Dean’s Permalinks Migration” plugin for WordPress. What this simple plugin does is 301 redirect (permanently redirect) all of your old posts and pages, to the new structure. Especially for those of us who aren’t developers/programmers it makes updating permalinks a snap and takes just a few minutes.
Word of Caution: When updating your permalinks be sure to weigh all of the options before deciding on a new structure as you can wreak havoc on your site or blog if you change your mind or need to update again.
Kudos goes to Dean Lee for developing this awesome free plugin!
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