Before I start my explanation of permalinks, I want to show you two examples so you can refer to them as necessary:
An example of a blog’s main URL (which shows all the posts for a given period of time:
https://www.bloggingbasics101.comAn example of a permalink:
https://www.bloggingbasics101.com/what-is-a-permalink/
A permalink is the link to an individual blog post. These are important because if you ever need to link to an exact blog entry (e.g., as part of a carnival), you use the permalink as your link. It’s poor blog etiquette not to use the permalink.
If you don’t use the permalink, you’ll just be linking to your main blog page. The problem with that is that, as you post new blog entries, the newest entry appears at the top of your main blog page and the other entries are pushed down on the page.
The entry your readers are looking for may be down at the bottom of the page or already in the archives; your reader has no idea where to find the entry! If they click over to your site expecting to see a specific post related to a carnival and they see a different post, they may not take the time to find the “real” post they’re looking for.
You can find the permalink link under any blog entry. However, not all blog hosts/designs handle permalinks the same way.
- Typepad blogs: There’s a link that actually says Permalink under the entry.
- Blogger: The link varies. It’s usually the time stamp of the post or the actual post title.
- Other blogs have other links; many times the permalink is the title of a given post.
One way to figure out which link is the permalink of a post (if it’s not obvious) is to put your curser over each link under or above a post. As you hover over a link a little box should come up that says permalink. If it doesn’t, that link probably isn’t your permalink and you should move on to the next link.
Once you find the permalink, click on it and you’ll be taken to a page with just that blog entry on it. Snazzy, huh? Now, to link to that page you just need to copy the URL in the address bar and use it where ever you were inserting your link (e.g., a Mr. Linky or a blog contest).
The easier way
As you might have noticed, I’ve been suggesting people to use WordPress. You probably already know that you can build a blog or make a website with it. In case you are planning to start a blog/website with WordPress (or you already have), then just log in to your WordPress dashboard and look for:
Settings -> Permalinks and use “Post name” – this should be the most user and search engine friendly way of dealing with permalinks. See the picture below:
This post has been updated March 15, 2022.
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I am so new to this link system. How many back links is considered good for your site. I have noticed that blogger doesn’t let you post back links in the href format.
Also is having links posted to thousands similarblogs
E.g. wordpress. is that considered negative?
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Thanks for this nice article. I also used a CMS site and wanted to know more about permalinks.
Thanks again
Thanks for clearifying the buzz word in weblogs. I’ve been stuck to this word many a times. Now its clear now.
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I have clients that are very new with blogging and this has been a big help, I’ll be forwarding this site to them.
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thanks for the information mate..
i was searhing for what a permalink actually is and got a great answer from your website..
thanks for guiding me towards the right path..
Was looking for a way to leave a comment and only found Reply to leave a comment…. Not overly interested in this subject, just wanted to point out how poorly Google presents current information, as per dated material…
How often have you looked for something only to find out it is dated 3 and 4 years or more back… In the year 2012, I would prefer not to find material from 2008.
Mike, thanks for taking the time to comment. I understand what you’re saying, but I do think there are some evergreen topics (such as explaining permalinks to beginning bloggers) that are relevant regardless of date.
also stumbled into some Q and found your post very interesting and you definitely answered some concerns I had, so thank you so much. I started my new blog, and I’m searching for different seo technics to improve ranking. Here is my blog:
http://audrosu.blogspot.ro
Great post!
Hello World…
Agreed. I was looking up some sites that explained the basic basics of permalinks and this post came up nearly on top, and I think Google’s engine made the right call. The basic definition and purpose of a permalink now are exactly what they were 5 years ago – if a site explains a timeless concept well, there’s no reason it should be penalized and pushed down in results.
Thank you, Grant. I appreciate it!
I have to agree with Melanie because here I am reading and understanding for the first time what a permalink is. Since I don’t have a blog I guess I won’t be clicking on one all that soon but there may be other uses of a permalink. It would be great to hear a couple of other uses for a permanent link. I’m a newbie author and am now becoming a more avid reader; I guess I do things bassackwards, but at least I didn’t start blogging before becoming a reader lol. Now I picked up new terminology… an “evergreen topic.” I like that one. Keep the good advice coming Melanie.
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