WordPress Tips
arnold on Sep 20, 2018
Sometimes you will create a page on a website and then want that page to be the homepage of your website. This guide will show you how to make that change in just a couple clicks. I will also show you a couple other common beginner URL questions that I get frequently.
How Do I Change The URL of the page in WordPress?
The first thing you need to know about WordPress URL’s is that by default the title you give your WordPress Page is what is going to show up in your URL. This is good for SEO and if this isn’t the default then read this article.
The Image below shows the page title and then ensuing URL.
Sometimes you might create and publish your page and then decide you want a better URL. For example you might create a page called “/Coffee-Shop-Menu” but later decide that you want to call It “/Jim’s-Fort-Collins-Coffee-Menu.” To change the URL you need to simply click EDIT (you can see the edit in the image above) and then change the URL in the text box that pops up:
Once you do that you will see your new URL. But you need to click UPDATE in order for this change to work.
After that Click VIEW PAGE at the top-center of your WordPress Dashboard and you will be able to see the page with your new URL.
Should I change the URL’s On My Website?
It is also very important to note that if your website has been around for a while you should probably not change your URL’s unless you have a very good reason to. If you need to change any URL’s on your page then you should consult with an SEO expert for guidance on how to do it properly.
The reason for this has to do with user experience and SEO. If other websites and social media properties are linking to a page on your website and that page no longer exists, then visitors to your website will be sent to a page with an error (A 404). Expanding on that, incoming links to your website are good for your SEO efforts as each one essentially acts as a +1 for your website. If those links go to a 404 error page then they are no longer vouching for your content and you could possibly get some of your more popular pages delisted overnight.
So only change URL’s on sites over 6 months if you have a really good reason for it or some good help.
How Do I Change The Home Page On My WordPress Website?
The homepage of your website can be one of two things. If your website is a blog then it can be a series of blog posts starting with the oldest first working back to the original. If your website is a typical website then your homepage is going to be any page from your website.
If you want set your homepage as a blog then follow these steps:
First go to Settings on your left navigation and click Reading.
Once you do this you can set your homepage to show “your latest posts.” and your homepage will show all your posts in reverse order.
How To Change Which Page Is My Home Page In WordPress?
Alternatively if you want to change your homepage you can change it in the “static page” section below. In the image below it is the page called “home” but I can change my home page to my “test-page as well. You can make any page on your website your homepage (even your contact page but that probably wouldn’t make much sense).
After I click the SAVE CHANGES button my home page will switch to my Test Page. When it shows in the browser it will drop the “home-page url and just show as thedigitalmarketingprofessor.com instead of thedigitalmarketingprofessor.com/test-page.
