# Search engine friendly URLs

> Canonical: https://jethost.com/kb/search-engine-friendly-urls/ · Last modified: 2026-09-08T11:02:44+00:00

**Search engine friendly URLs** (also called SEF or "pretty" URLs) show the path to a page in a way that both people and search engines can read. This guide explains what they are and how to enable them in WordPress on your JetHost hosting.

## What are search engine friendly URLs?

Search engine friendly URLs contain readable words instead of random numbers or parameters. Compare these two links to the same page:

- Not friendly: `example.com/?p=123`
- Friendly: `example.com/web-hosting-guide/`

The second one tells both a visitor and a search engine what the page is about. Because they include keywords, SEF URLs are an important part of [SEO](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide). To learn how a URL is built, see our guide on [what a URL is](https://jethost.com/kb/what-is-a-url/).

## How to enable SEF URLs in WordPress

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Go to **Settings → Permalinks**.
3. Select **Post name**, which gives clean URLs like `/your-page-title/`.
4. Click **Save Changes**.

That is all it takes. WordPress updates your links right away, and on JetHost the required rewrite rules work out of the box – there is nothing extra to configure on the server. If you are on an existing site with many posts, WordPress keeps the old links working where it can, but it is still worth checking your most important pages after the switch.

Other platforms handle this differently – a static site or a custom app may need its own rewrite rules – but the vast majority of JetHost sites run on WordPress, where search engine friendly URLs are just one setting away.

## Tips for good URLs

Keep each URL short, use a couple of relevant keywords, separate words with hyphens, and stick to lowercase. Avoid changing a URL once it is published; if you must, set up a 301 redirect so you do not lose links or rankings.

## Need more help?

If your search engine friendly URLs return a "404 Not Found" after changing permalinks, re-save the permalinks page once more, or open a ticket through **Client Area → Support Tickets** and our team will help.