While I do believe that getting that added keyword in the URL from the category is a a good SEO tactic and I will continue to use the /%category%/%postname%/ permalink structure, your point is well taken.

You can however change the category name and still maintain the category slug, which should maintain the URL.

However in the future I will caution on the pitfalls of using categories in the permalink structure and the importance of planning or choosing ones categories carefully with the future in mind if using, /%category%/%postname%/.

Thanks Stephen!

Jeff

However, if you’re just starting, be careful about using /%category%/%postname%/. Using %category% isn’t sensible, unless you are very sure that your categories won’t change.

I fell into this trap – as my blog matures, I need to tweak the categories, which would break my permalinks.

A custom wordpress permalink structure will help with search engine optimization….