<b>Changing your permalink structure later breaks links</b>

<b>Changing your permalink structure later breaks links</b>

A permalink is the web address of a single post, like yoursite.com/my-first-recipe. WordPress lets you change the pattern in Settings, but doing it after you've published is risky.

Why it matters: every old address suddenly leads nowhere. Anyone who bookmarked or linked to you hits a "page not found," and Google drops those pages until it re-learns the new addresses.

What to do:
— Pick "Post name" structure on day one (Settings, then Permalinks). It's the cleanest for readers and search engines.
— If you must change it later, set up redirects (a redirect quietly forwards an old address to the new one) using a plugin like Redirection.

<i>In plain words:</i> choose your address format before publishing, because changing it later sends visitors to dead ends.