Perplexed and Bursty Guide to Removing Categories in WordPress URLs

WordPress is an incredibly popular platform used for building websites, blogs, and online stores. It boasts a vast array of features, with one of the most notable being its ability to organize content with categories and tags. These tools aid visitors in navigating a website and locating the content they seek. However, the default category structure may not always be suitable, and you might need to remove the category from the URL. Here, we shall demonstrate how to remove categories from WordPress URLs.

Why should you remove categories from WordPress URLs?

Before we proceed with the step-by-step process of removing categories from WordPress URLs, let’s briefly examine a few reasons why you might want to do so.

• The category structure is not always necessary or relevant, particularly with small websites that have few categories. Removing categories can enhance the overall readability and aesthetics of a website.
• Including categories in the URL can lead to duplicate content, which can interfere with search engine optimization (SEO). By removing categories, each piece of content will have a unique URL that can boost your website’s ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs).
• URLs with categories can also make your website more vulnerable to hackers and spammers. By eliminating categories from URLs, you can reduce the risk of such threats.

With those reasons in mind, let’s proceed to the steps.

Step-by-step guide to removing categories from WordPress URLs

Step 1: Update your permalink settings

The first step entails updating your permalink settings. Go to the WordPress dashboard, click on the Settings tab, and choose Permalinks. WordPress uses the “Day and Name” option by default, which includes the date, post name, and category. Choose a different permalink structure, such as the “Post name” option.

Step 2: Install a plugin

After updating the permalink settings, you need a plugin to eliminate categories from the URL. The FV Top Level Categories plugin is a popular option. Click on Plugins on the WordPress dashboard, select Add New, and search for the plugin by name. Finally, click on Install and Activate.

Step 3: Configure the plugin

Once installed and activated, configure the plugin to remove categories from the URL. Click on the Settings tab in the WordPress dashboard, choose FV Top Level Categories, and check “strip the category base” option. Save changes by clicking on the button.

Step 4: Check your website

After following the above steps, check your website to ensure successful removal of categories from URLs. Look at the URL of a post or page, which should now display only the post name. If the category still appears, you may need to clear your cache or download a different plugin.

Conclusion

Eliminating categories from WordPress URLs is a simple and effective way to enhance website usability and security. By executing the above procedure, you can remove categories from your URL and elevate your website’s search engine ranking. Remember to test your website after each change to confirm that everything is working correctly!