postname

Postname is a placeholder tag used in WordPress permalinks that expands to the post slug in the final URL. It is one of the built-in rewrite tags recognized by WordPress when constructing a URL based on the site’s permalink structure. The most common use is in the permalink settings, where administrators can choose a structure that includes %postname% to place the post slug in the URL. For example: /blog/%year%/%postname%/ or /%category%/%postname%/.

The slug, stored in the wp_posts.post_name field, is generated from the post title by default and sanitized to lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens. Editors can edit the slug in the publish panel; changing the slug updates the value of post_name and thus the resolved URL. WordPress enforces uniqueness of post_name within a post type to avoid URL conflicts, appending a suffix like -2 if needed.

When you update a permalink structure to include %postname%, existing posts continue to resolve to their current slugs unless redirected. If you change a post’s slug, you should set up redirects to preserve SEO. Practical considerations include avoiding duplicate slugs across posts with similar titles and ensuring readability.

The term postname is sometimes used interchangeably with slug or with the token %postname% in WordPress documentation. It is a core aspect of WordPress URL routing and content addressing.