How to Remove a Blog from a Website: URL and Entirely

Managing a website can often involve making changes to its structure, particularly if you have a blog. Sometimes, you may want to remove a specific blog word from the URL or even the entire blog from your website. This guide will walk you through the process of both URL rewriting and completely removing a blog.

1. Removing a Specific "Blog" Word from the URL

If you only want to remove a specific word from the URL of a blog post, the process involves modifying the website's permalink settings. This method is ideal if you're just cleaning up the URL and don't want to completely remove the blog.

Step-by-Step Guide to URL Rewriting

URL rewriting is a technique that allows you to change the structure of a URL while keeping its functionality intact. This is particularly useful for maintaining SEO benefits and providing a cleaner, more user-friendly URL.

1.1 Logging into Your WordPress Dashboard

First, you need to log in to your WordPress dashboard. This is the control panel where you can manage your website's content, including URLs. Simply go to your website's address followed by /wp-admin/.

1.2 Accessing Permalink Settings

Once you're logged in, navigate to Settings Permalinks. Here, you can adjust the structure of the URLs.

1.3 Adjusting the URL Structure

Currently, the Common Settings may look like this:

/year/month/post-name/

To remove a specific "blog" word from the URL, you need to modify the URL structure and save the changes. For example, to remove "blog" from the URL, you can change the URL structure to:

/year/month/post-name/

Select "Custom Structure" and enter the new URL format. Then, click the "Save Changes" button.

2. Removing the Entire Blog from Your Website

If you want to completely remove a blog from your website, this process is a bit more involved and involves deleting files from your web hosting server. This method not only hides the blog from the URL but also removes it entirely from your site.

2.1 Identifying the Blog Files

The first step is to identify the files and directories associated with your blog. Typically, these files are located in the Public_HTML directory of your hosting account. The blog files can include wp-admin, wp-content, wp-includes, and .

2.2 Accessing the Public_HTML Directory

To access the Public_HTML directory, you'll need to use an FTP client or your hosting provider's file manager. Once you have access, locate the directory that contains the blog files.

2.3 Deleting the Blog Files

Delete all the files and directories associated with the blog. This will remove the blog entirely from your website. Be cautious not to delete any other important files that might affect your website's functionality.

2.4 Redirecting Old Blog URLs

After deleting the blog files, you may want to redirect old blog URLs to new pages or posts. This can be done using a .htaccess file. Add the following code to your .htaccess file:

Redirect 301 /old/blog/url /new/posts/url

This code will redirect users from the old blog URL to the new URL, ensuring that users and search engines are redirected correctly.

3. Supporting Technical SEO Tips

Regardless of whether you're removing a specific blog word or the entire blog, there are a few technical SEO tips to keep in mind:

3.1 Backup Your Website

Before making any major changes to your website, it's crucial to back up your entire site. Losing changes due to a misconfiguration can be frustrating, especially if you lose critical data.

3.2 Monitoring Your Website's Performance

After making changes, monitor your website's performance. Use tools like Google Search Console to track any potential issues, such as broken links or SEO problems.

3.3 Testing the Changes

Always test the changes you make, especially URL changes, to ensure that everything works as expected. Visit the updated URLs and review the page content to ensure nothing has been accidentally deleted or altered.

4. Conclusion

Removing a blog from your website, whether it's just a specific word from the URL or the entire blog, requires careful planning and execution. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can safely and effectively make these changes without disrupting your website's functionality or SEO.

5. Additional Resources

For more detailed information and guidance, consider consulting the following resources:

MDN Web Docs - URL Redirections Google Webmaster Tools Support Blog Google Search: URL Rewriting for Beginners

Remember, the success of your website depends on careful planning and execution. Follow these steps, and you'll be on your way to maintaining a clean and effective website.