How to Change the Default URL in Yoast SEO for WordPress

When you're working with WordPress and the Yoast SEO plugin, you might find the need to customize the default URL to better fit your website's branding or specific SEO strategies. This guide will walk you through the process of changing the default URL within the Yoast SEO settings.

Understanding the Default URL in Yoast SEO

The default URL in Yoast SEO is set to automatically generate URLs based on the title of your content or the post name. This is particularly helpful for SEO purposes, as it generates clean, descriptive URLs that can attract and retain more visitors. However, in some cases, you might want to tailor these URLs more closely to your personal preferences or brand identity.

Changing the Default URL in Yoast SEO

To change the default URL in the Yoast SEO plugin, you need to visit the plugin's settings page. Follow these steps:

Log into your WordPress dashboard.

Navigate to SEO > General Settings within the Yoast SEO menu.

Locate the Canonical URL field in the settings section. This is where you can input your desired default URL.

Enter the new URL you intend to use.

Click Save Changes to apply your new settings.

After saving your changes, the Yoast SEO plugin will start using the URL you've entered as the default for your entire WordPress site.

How to Update Your Pages URL on WordPress

For a more granular control over your content's URL, you might need to directly adjust the URL of individual pages or posts. Here’s how to do it:

Go to the Posts or Pages menu in your WordPress dashboard.

Select the post or page you wish to update.

When editing the post, locate the Slugs field (this is where the URL's slug is displayed and editable).

Replace the existing slug with your preferred URL string.

Click the Update button to save your changes.

Note that your site's permalink structure must support custom slugs in order to see this option. If you do not see the option to edit slugs, your site may be using the default structure which appends the page ID to the URL.

Changing the URL on Yoast SEO

For more detailed control over your URLs within Yoast SEO, follow these steps to change and improve your slug:

Go to the post-editing screen for the specific post you want to update.

Search for the post you wish to adjust.

Click on the Quick Edit button (or if you're using the WordPress admin toolbar, it might be an icon like a wand).

Within the Quick Edit window, locate the (URL) field, which is often next to the title field.

Change the slug to your desired URL string.

Click Update to apply your changes.

These steps ensure that your content URL is customized to better align with your broader SEO and branding goals.

Conclusion

Modifying the default URL in Yoast SEO and adjusting individual content URLs can greatly enhance the SEO visibility and user experience of your WordPress site. Whether you're aiming to improve your canonical URL or customizing individual post slugs, following these steps will help you achieve the desired results.

By understanding how to leverage these URL customization options, you can better control the SEO impact of your content and improve your website's overall performance.