Premmerce Permalink Manager for WooCommerce

A product address changes when its category changes

You decide that your product addresses should carry the category, so they read better. Months later you reorganize the catalog and move a product to another category. The product is the same, but its address is not, and the old one stays in search engines, emails and other sites' links.

If a product address includes its category, every catalog reorganization is also an address change, and it pays to decide in advance what happens to the old ones.

Premmerce Permalink Manager for WooCommerce lets you choose what the address carries: only the product, the product with its main category or with the full category hierarchy. It can also redirect duplicate addresses with a 301 redirect or mark the preferred one with a canonical tag.

What it controls in the store addresses

• WooCommerce bases: removes the /product-category/ base from categories, the /product-tag/ base from tags and the /product part from product pages, so only the name remains.
• Categories in the address: only the main category, without the child ones, or the full hierarchy. It also lets you control which categories are used in links.
• SKU: it is included in the product name within the address, or it replaces it.
• Custom structures: it lets you create custom structures.
• Duplicates: a 301 redirect to the chosen address, or a rel=canonical tag telling Google which one to prioritize.
• Quick settings: one-click options to configure the addresses.
• Yoast SEO and breadcrumbs: the plugin includes support for Yoast SEO, and the customized addresses work with breadcrumbs.

One use: moving a store with a different address structure

Among the migration examples are keeping Shopify's /collections/ structure, changing /product/ to /products/ or changing WooCommerce's /product-category/ to /categories/ as on BigCommerce. Old addresses are redirected automatically to the new ones.

If you are planning something like that, test first on a copy of the store. Take a sample of old addresses, including those of products with several categories and those that carry a SKU, and check one by one where they end up.

Limits of Premmerce Permalink Manager

• Self-hosted WordPress with WooCommerce only. Without WooCommerce, the plugin has nothing to manage.
• It changes addresses that are already published. If the product was indexed, the old address exists outside your site, and it is up to you to choose between a redirect and a canonical tag.
• With the full hierarchy the address includes every category level; with the main category it includes only one.

First steps with Premmerce Permalink Manager

You need a self-hosted WordPress site with WooCommerce active. No coding is required.

1. Make a copy of the site and work on it first.
2. Install the plugin with the WordPress installer and activate it.
3. Open its settings and choose which WooCommerce bases you want to remove.
4. Decide whether the product address will carry the main category, the full hierarchy or none.
5. Choose between a 301 redirect and a canonical tag for duplicates.
6. Open several products and categories and check that the old addresses reach where you expected.

Alternatives in the catalog for addresses

For comparison, the catalog has Permalink Manager Pro. If you are looking for an SEO plugin, the catalog has Yoast SEO Premium or Rank Math SEO Pro.

Answers about Premmerce Permalink Manager

Can I remove the /product part from the product address?

Yes. It is one of its functions, as is removing the category and tag bases.

What happens to duplicate addresses?

You can redirect them with a 301 redirect or let each one carry a canonical tag pointing to the preferred one.

Can I put the SKU in the address?

Yes. It can be added to the product name or replace it.

Does it work with Yoast SEO?

Yes, it includes support for Yoast SEO and for breadcrumbs.