Create Custom Permalinks for Blogger Posts

I discovered a lovely surprise when logging into Blogger to create a post this morning: the ability to create custom permalinks for posts!

Usually when we create a post, the URL generated for the item page is based on the post title. By creating a custom URL we can use a different structure which can help posts rank higher in search engines, as well as being more user-friendly.

How Post Permalinks Work

When we create a post in Blogger, the URL where the post page will be located automatically follows this formula:

http://[Blog-Homepage-URL]/YYYY/MM/[Short-version-of-title].html

When writing long post titles, we often find the title of the post is truncated in the URL, cutting off the ends of words. Often we may want to use a shorter, snappier URL structure using related words which could help our posts rank higher in search results.

Now we are able to select a custom string for the URLs of our posts, replacing [Short-version-of-title] with any text we prefer.

To try this out for yourself, log into your Blogger dashboard and choose to create a new post.

In the pane on the right of the post editing page, you will see a new section called "Permalink" which features a "hyperlink" icon to the left. Click on this title to reveal the menu.

By default, the Permalink choice will be set to "Automatic URL" - this is the URL structure based on the post title of your post. If you check "Custom URL" you can type an alternative URL: 

The Custom URL string can only include letters, numbers and certain special characters [-_.]. Slashes are not acceptable.

As we type, the new URL where the post will be located once published updates in the space above so you can easily see the changes.

To give you an example, take a look at the differences between the title of this post and the URL of the permalink page. It's only a slight difference admittedly, but enables me to create a more descriptive title and shorter URL with ease. 

Unfortunately, we can only change the final section of the custom URL, so permalinks will still include the date format (making them around eight characters longer than is optimal). But if you really want to create short URLs it's always possible to create custom redirects to individual posts in your blog settings.

Note: This feature may not yet be available for all blogs, though I imagine the update will be rolled out for everyone in the coming days. 

Please let us know in the comments below if custom permalinks are available for your blogs, and whether you find this new feature useful!

Author: Amanda Kennedy
Amanda is a professional blogger and web designer living in Sheffield, United Kingdom.
In addition to curating Blogger Buster, you can find Amanda on Twitter, Facebook or add her to your circle on Google+.