How to Remove the Date From URL In WordPress (Without Hurting SEO)

Do you want to safely and effectively remove the date from the URL in your WordPress website? Are you looking for a way to implement this strategy without disrupting your SEO efforts so far? Then you’re in the right place. This is a simple, straight-to-the-point guide on how to remove the date section in your WordPress site’s address.

What Causes the Issue

In many cases, the issue of having the date the post was published as part of the URL originates from the time we first install WordPress to begin an exciting blogging journey. In the euphoria of the time, and out of limited knowledge about stuff like website permalink structure, we go along with the default WordPress URL. This URL contains the date each post is published. It looks like this

https://www.yoursite.com/2024/02/27/post title

In my personal experience, my first blog had this rather long URL for all posts until the day my eyes were opened, so to speak. A closer look at a couple of blogs I visit regularly revealed to me that it was possible to have a nicer URL without the date section. So I went searching till I found, learnt and implemented it all without a hitch.

Now I’m glad to share what worked for me with you.

Are you ready? Let me show you how you can learn and implement all the tips to remove the date in your WordPress blog’s URL

6 Simple steps to follow

You must pay attention to the basic steps in this WordPress tutorial.

1. Change the Permalink Structure: Choose ‘Post Name’

Begin by changing the Permalink Structure from ‘Day and name’ to ‘Post name’.

Simply go to ‘Settings’ and then ‘Permalinks’ in your WordPress admin dashboard to tick ‘Post name’.

All the other options will be automatically unticked.

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2. Save Changes

Next, click on ‘Save Changes’.

You have effectively removed the date from your WordPress site’s URL.

But it isn’t over yet.

At this stage, if you return to click on any post in the frontend, you will be given a 404 NOT FOUND ERROR. Your site’s SEO is in a big mess if you leave things to remain like this.

Yes, this is scary. I understand. The simple solution is to go to the next stage.

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3. Implement a 301 Redirect with the Redirection plugin

In a few clicks, you can install my favourite and hugely popular REDIRECTION plugin from the WordPress plugin repository. It is free so no fears.

Make sure to go through its default setup process. It’s simple and takes just a few seconds.

4. Enter ‘source URL’ and ‘target URL’.

When you finish the setup, you will see the settings page where you must enter a SOURCE URL and a TARGET URL. Ensure you copy and paste these accurately into the SOURCE URL and TARGET URL fields.

SOURCE URL: /(\d*)/(\d*)/(\d*)/([A-Za-z0-9-*])

Don’t forget. It starts with the slash symbol / and ends with the bracket symbol )

TARGET URL: /$4

Don’t forget. This one has only 3 symbols. It starts with the slash symbol / and ends with the figure 4.

Please note that this works for the change from day and name to post name only.

Let’s continue.

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Changing from ‘Month and Name’ to ‘Post name’

SOURCE URL: /(\d*)/(\d*)/([A-Za-z0-9-*])

TARGET URL: /$3

Can you see the difference?

5. Tick Regex Only

Next, to the right side of the SOURCE URL field, click on the dropdown symbol and tick ‘Regex’.

Untick the two other options namely ‘Ignore Slash’ and ‘Ignore Case’.

Ignore everything else.

6. Add Redirect

Click on the ADD REDIRECT button just beneath the above.

Done

Congratulations. If you followed the above instructions carefully and accurately, the plugin should now redirect your visitors and you to the brand new ‘POST NAME’ URL each time you click on any post on your site.

Bonus: Yoast SEO Plugin Can Help

Now if you have a Yoast SEO installed on your website, it will almost instantly send you a notification asking you to update your site data so the change does not negatively impact your page rankings.

Clearly, this is a welcome additional tool that you can deploy to correct any SEO errors that may have happened when you remove the date part from your WordPress site’s URL.

Additional Resource

Are you looking for a more extensive tutorial on how to safely change the permalink structure in WordPress without hurting SEO? You can check out this one from WPBeginner.

WPBeginner is one of my most trusted sources of information regarding WordPress. I’m not afraid to share this secret with you because I know the guys out there know much more than I do about WordPress and must be allowed to bring salvation and hope to all beginner bloggers like you.

What Makes PTG Marketing Different

The only difference is that here at PTG Marketing, I prefer to give readers a much more simplified, no-fluff set of instructions to quickly overcome the issues we all face as bloggers.

And I trust that this approach is enough especially for those who only need straightforward tips and tricks for fixing WordPress tech problems and general blogging issues like the need to remove the date in a WordPress URL.

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Next Steps

What are the WordPress challenges you currently face as a blogger? You can learn a lot more about WordPress in this comprehensive tutorial.

Do you dream of starting an online business or marketing your small business online? Check out my post about making your online business achieve the desired results.

Finally, with PTG Marketing, you have the opportunity to learn how to blog and become an income-earning professional blogger. True, it isn’t easy but nothing else is. All you need is the passion and desire to succeed. Do you believe you’ve got what it takes? Come join us today.

Last Updated on January 16, 2026 by PTG Market