Is your WordPress site plagued with URLs that end in -1, -2, or similar suffixes? These ugly URLs aren’t just an eyesore – they can negatively impact your SEO, confuse visitors, and make your site look unprofessional. When WordPress automatically adds these numerical suffixes to your URLs, it’s solving a naming conflict, but creating a new problem for your site’s organisation and search performance.
In this article, I’ll explain why WordPress creates these awkward URLs, how they affect your business, and most importantly, exactly how to change WordPress URLs to eliminate these issues once and for all. Whether you’re setting up a new site or fixing an existing one, you’ll learn practical strategies to maintain clean, SEO-friendly URLs.
A quick introduction to WordPress URL terminology: Slugs and permalinks
Before diving into solutions, it’s important to understand the key terminology around WordPress URLs.
Permalinks are the permanent URLs to your individual WordPress posts, pages, category archives, and other content. They’re what visitors see in their browser address bar when accessing your site. A well-structured permalink system makes your content more accessible to both users and search engines.
Quick tip – WordPress gives you options for permalinks you can find under Settings > Permalinks. In almost all cases, these should be set to ‘Post name’.
Slugs are the user-friendly and URL-valid portions of your permalinks that identify a specific page or post. For example, in the URL “yoursite.com.au/services/lawn-mowing/”, “lawn-mowing” is the slug for that particular page. WordPress automatically generates slugs based on your content titles, converting them to lowercase and replacing spaces with hyphens.
These sound very similar, but there is a key difference:
- A permalink is the complete URL structure for your page or content
- A slug is a component of a permalink, the URL friendly version of the title, which appears at the end
Understanding how to properly create and change WordPress URLs starts with understanding these terms.
What causes WordPress to create URLs with number suffixes
WordPress creates these numbered URLs when it encounters duplicate content slugs. Here’s what happens: when you create a post or page with the same title as an existing one, WordPress automatically appends a number to differentiate between them.
For a quick example , if you already have a page called “Our Services” at yoursite.com.au/our-services and create another with the same title, WordPress will assign the URL yoursite.com.au/our-services-2 to the new page.
While this automatic handling prevents technical conflicts, it creates an inconsistent URL structure that looks amateurish, causes problems for SEO and and can cause confusion for users.
Why changing WordPress URLs matters for your business
These seemingly minor URL issues can have significant consequences:
- SEO impact: Search engines value clear, consistent URLs. When your site has multiple similar URLs with numeric suffixes, it can dilute your SEO efforts by splitting link equity and confusing search crawlers about which version is canonical.
- User experience: When sharing links verbally or in print, complex URLs with numbers are harder to communicate and remember. A clean URL structure helps visitors understand where they are in your site.
- Brand Perception: Professional websites have organised, logical URL structures. Numbered URLs can make your site appear disorganised, poorly maintained & unprofessional – losing trust with visitors.
- Technical Issues: These URLs can create redirect chains and complicate site migrations or redesigns, adding technical debt to your website that can cause issues in the future.
Setting up WordPress URLs correctly
The best approach is to prevent these issues before they occur:
Choose an optimal WordPress URL structure
Navigate to Settings > Permalinks in your WordPress dashboard and select a search-friendly structure. The “Post name” option (yoursite.com.au/sample-post/) is generally recommended for SEO purposes.
If your website is set to something else, you should seek advice before updating or changing this as it could negatively impact your website.
Plan your content organisation
Before creating content, develop a clear site architecture that avoids potential naming conflicts:
- Use descriptive, unique titles for all content
- Implement a consistent naming convention
- Consider using category prefixes for related content (e.g., /services/lawn-mowing/ and /services/landscaping/)
You should keep slugs short and clear and easy to understand. While the slug does have an SEO impact, it’s minimal and using clear URLs that are focused on users is the better option.
For example:
- yoursite.com.au/services/lawn-mowing – Simple, clear, well structured
- yoursite.com.au/services/sunshine-coast-brisbane-best-lawn-mowing-service/ – Long, less clear, stuffed for keywords.
Utilise WordPress’s built-in tools
WordPress offers several features to help maintain clean URLs:
- Hierarchical pages: Parent-child relationships can clarify content structure
- Categories and tags: Properly categorising content helps organise your site logically
- Custom post types: For different content types (e.g., portfolio items vs blog posts)
How to fix WordPress URLs that have number suffixes
If you already have numbered URLs on your site, here’s how to change WordPress URLs effectively:
Step 1: Identify WordPress URLs that need changing
Create a list of all pages with problematic URLs. You can find these by:
- Reviewing your site map
- Using a crawling tool like Screaming Frog
- Checking Google Search Console for indexed URLs
- Using the “All Posts” or “All Pages” sections in WordPress admin
Step 2: Create a URL change plan
Before making changes, plan your new URL structure. For each affected URL, determine:
- What the new, clean URL should be
- Where redirects need to be set up
- Which internal links need updating
Step 3: Change the WordPress permalinks
For each affected page or post:
- Edit the content in WordPress
- Look for the “Permalink” section (usually below the title, if you can’t see this check the permalink box in the Screen Options tab)
- Click “Edit” next to the current permalink
- Remove the numerical suffix and create a unique, descriptive slug
- Update the post/page
Step 4: Set up proper redirects
After changing URLs, it’s crucial to redirect old URLs to new ones:
- Install a redirection plugin like “Redirection”
- Create 301 (permanent) redirects from each old URL to its new counterpart
- Test each redirect to ensure it works properly
Step 5: Update internal links
Search your site content for internal links to the old URLs and update them:
- Use a tool like “Better Search Replace” plugin to find instances of old URLs
- Manually review and update navigation menus
- Check widgets and footers for hardcoded links
Let me create a new section addressing situations where changing WordPress URLs becomes more complex due to conflicts.
When you can’t change WordPress URLs
Sometimes changing a URL in WordPress isn’t as straightforward as editing the slug in the editor. Two common scenarios create complications: when another piece of content is already using your desired slug, or when media attachments share the same slug as your content. Here’s how to handle these situations:
When another post or page has your desired URL
If you try to change a post’s slug to one that’s already being used by another piece of content, WordPress will automatically add those -1, -2 suffixes we’re trying to avoid. To properly change WordPress URLs in this situation:
- Identify the conflicting content
- Use the WordPress search function to find posts, pages, or custom post types using your desired slug
- Check the permalinks of similar content in your site
- Change or delete the original content first
- If the original content using your desired slug is still needed, edit its permalink to something different
- If the content is no longer needed, move it to trash and permanently delete it
- Now set your desired URL
- After the original slug is cleared from the system, edit your content and set the slug you want
- Update the post to save changes
Remember that WordPress maintains separate permalink spaces for different post types (posts, pages, custom post types), but conflicts can still occur depending on your permalink structure.
When media attachments conflict with your URLs
Media attachment conflicts can be particularly frustrating because they’re less visible in the admin interface but can still block your desired URLs. When a media file has the same slug as your desired content URL:
- Locate the conflicting media
- Go to Media Library and search for files with names similar to your desired slug
- Use List view to see file names more easily
- WordPress creates attachment pages for uploaded media, and their slugs are based on the file names
- Rename the media file
- Edit the media item and change its slug (if you’re in gallery view, you might need to click “edit more details”
- Find the slug field (if you can’t see this, ensure it’s enabled from the ‘Screen Options’ tab at the top
- Add a suffix like “-image” or “-file” to differentiate it
- For bulk fixes, there are plugins available that can help.
- Consider disabling attachment pages
- To prevent future conflicts, you can disable WordPress’s automatic creation of attachment pages, there are several snippets online you can use to do this.
- Plugin solutions
- Plugins like “Yoast SEO” include options to redirect attachment URLs to the file itself
- “Attachment Pages Redirect” is a lightweight plugin specifically for this issue
By understanding these conflict scenarios and their solutions, you can ensure your WordPress URL structure remains clean and consistent. Always remember to set up proper 301 redirects after changing URLs to maintain SEO value and prevent broken links for your visitors.
Monitoring and maintaining clean WordPress URLs
Implement these practices to keep your URLs clean going forward:
Regular WordPress URL audits
Schedule quarterly URL structure reviews:
- Crawl your site to identify any new problematic URLs
- Check Google Search Console for indexing issues
- Review your site map for inconsistencies
Create a content creation process
If multiple people are working with your website, it’s important to develop guidelines for your team:
- Always check for existing similar content before creating new pages
- Use a consistent approach to naming new content
- Require approval for URL structures on important pages
Use helpful WordPress plugins for URL management
Several WordPress plugins can help maintain clean URLs:
- SEO plugins like Yoast or Rank Math offer URL checking features
- Duplicate Post plugins let you control URL generation when cloning content
- Content audit plugins can identify URL issues
Conclusion: The benefits of changing WordPress URLs
Taking control of your WordPress URLs isn’t just about aesthetics… it’s about creating a solid foundation for your site’s SEO, user experience, and brand perception. By understanding why WordPress creates those pesky -1 -2 URLs and implementing the strategies outlined above, you can maintain a clean, professional URL structure that benefits both visitors and search engines.
Remember that changing WordPress URLs requires careful planning and proper redirects to avoid losing traffic or search rankings. If your site has numerous URL issues or you’re concerned about making these changes correctly, working with a professional can save you time and prevent potential problems.
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