how to remove WordPress category base from url

WordPress, by default, includes a category base in its URLs, which usually appears as “/category/” in the URL structure, making it look like “example.com/category/your-category-slug”. For many website owners, removing this category base can streamline URLs, potentially enhancing user experience and SEO.

Why Remove the Category Base?

1. Shorter URLs: Concise URLs are easier to share socially and aesthetically pleasing.
2. SEO Benefits: Cleaner URLs may help in search engine rankings as they bring the important keywords (the category name) closer to the domain.
3. User-Friendly: Shorter, meaningful URLs tend to be more user-friendly as they are easier to remember and interpret.

Methods to Remove the Category Base

Before making any changes, ensure you have a full backup of your WordPress site. This precaution protects you from any accidental loss occurring from direct modifications.

1. Using a Plugin

For those who prefer to avoid dealing with code, using a plugin is the easiest and safest method.

Step-by-Step:

• Plugin Search: Navigate to your WordPress dashboard, go to the ‘Plugins’ section, click ‘Add New’, and search for “Remove Category URL”, “Yoast SEO”, or “Rank Math SEO”.
• Installation and Activation: Choose a plugin, install and activate it. For example, Yoast SEO not only allows you to remove the category base but also offers a suite of SEO tools.
• Configuration: Typically, these plugins will have an option under their settings to remove the category base. For instance, in Yoast SEO, navigate to ‘SEO’ > ‘Search Appearance’ > ‘Taxonomies’ and toggle the ‘Remove the categories prefix’ option.

2. Editing .htaccess

Advanced users may opt for editing the .htaccess file. This method involves modifying the Apache server configuration and should be performed carefully.

Steps:

• Access .htaccess: Connect to your site via FTP, navigate to the root directory, and locate the .htaccess file.
• Modify .htaccess: Before editing, download a backup copy. Add the following code to the file:

  RewriteRule ^category/(.+)$ http://www.yourdomain.com/$1 [R=301,L]

  This line tells the webserver to redirect requests from “yourdomain.com/category/category-name” to “yourdomain.com/category-name”.

3. Using WordPress Functions

For a code-centric approach that doesn’t rely on plugins, you can add a snippet to your theme’s functions.php file.

Steps:

• Access Functions File: Navigate to Appearance > Theme Editor and select functions.php from your theme’s files.
• Insert Code: Paste the following snippet at the end of the file:

  add_filter('request', function( $vars ) {
    if (isset($vars['category_name']) && $vars['category_name']) {
        $vars['category_name'] = str_replace('category/', '', $vars['category_name']);
    }
    return $vars;
  });

• Save Changes: Update the file. What this snippet does is filter WordPress queries to rewrite the URLs dynamically.

Implementing Redirects

After removing the category base, setting up redirects is crucial for maintaining SEO, as backlinks and search engines may still use the old URLs.

• Setup Redirects: You can utilize plugins like ‘Redirection’ to manage 301 redirects from the old category base URLs to the new ones.
• Update Internal Links: Ensure that all internal links are updated to the new format to prevent any broken links.

Testing and Optimization

Post-implementation, thorough testing is necessary to ensure that all pages are loading as expected and that no content is missing or misdirected.

• Use Tools: Employ tools like Google Search Console to check for crawl errors and to submit the revised sitemap.
• Monitor SEO Rankings: Keep an eye on your website’s performance changes in SEO rankings and traffic, which might be affected after the URL updates.

Removing the WordPress category base can greatly enhance the clarity and effectiveness of a website’s URL structure. By following the outlined methods—whether by plugin, .htaccess, or manual code adjustment—you can simplify your site’s URLs, making them more user- and search engine-friendly.