How to Remove Dates from URLs in WordPress Using .htaccess

Discover the simple steps to remove date segments from your WordPress URLs using .htaccess for cleaner, SEO-friendly links. --- This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/71361470/ asked by the user 'Sebastian' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/3923134/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/71368610/ provided by the user 'Sebastian' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/3923134/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions. Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: WordPress: Redirect Removing date from url using .htaccess Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l... The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license. If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com. --- Removing Dates from URLs in WordPress Using .htaccess In the world of WordPress, URLs play a crucial role not only for navigation but also for search engine optimization (SEO). One common issue WordPress users face involves the default date structure in URLs, which can clutter links and affect user experience. If you've been frustrated with URLs that look like this: https://www.example.de/2022/03/03/her... And you want to convert it to a cleaner format like this: https://www.example.de/here-is-the-ar... you're in the right place! This blog will guide you through the process of removing dates from your URLs using .htaccess. Let's dive into the solution! Understanding the Problem When WordPress generates posts, it often includes the date of publication in the URL by default. This can lead to long, complex URLs that some users find unappealing. More importantly, these URLs may not be as SEO-friendly as simpler alternatives. One of the frequent errors encountered during this process is misconfiguration in the .htaccess file, which can lead to endless redirects or dead links, as highlighted by the user experiencing a redirect issue on the "day" path: [[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]] To solve this, we need to adjust our rewrite rules in the .htaccess file. The Solution: Edit the .htaccess File Here’s the corrected .htaccess code to remove the dates from your WordPress URLs effectively: [[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]] Breakdown of the Code RewriteEngine on: This command enables the rewriting engine, allowing you to use rewrite rules in your .htaccess file. RewriteBase /: This sets the base directory for the redirect rules. RewriteRule ^([0-9]+)/([0-9]+)/([0-9]+)/(.*)$ /$4 [R=301,NC,L]: This rule captures the date segments (year, month, day) and redirects to the fourth segment of the URL, effectively stripping the date out. ([0-9]+) captures the year, month, and day as groups. /(.*)$ captures the rest of the URL, allowing us to keep it intact. R=301 indicates a permanent redirect to inform search engines. NC makes the rule case-insensitive. L signifies this is the last rule to be processed if matched. Category and Tag Rules: These lines ensure that any category and tag paths are rewritten as needed without the date structure. Final Steps Once you've updated your .htaccess file with the code provided, check the following: Test Your URLs: Open your browser and navigate to your old URLs. They should redirect correctly to the new format we’ve established. Check for Errors: If you encounter any redirect loops, double-check your .htaccess file for typos or misconfigurations. Conclusion By following this guide, you can effectively remove dates from your WordPress URLs, resulting in shorter, cleaner, and more SEO-friendly links. Not only does this enhance user experience, but it also contributes positively to your website’s search engine ranking. Remember, maintaining a clean URL structure is beneficial for both you and your audience! If you have any further questions or issues, feel free to leave a comment below!