In short. Open Rank Math SEO > General Settings > Links and enable Strip Category Base to remove the category segment from post category archive URLs.
Definition: Rank Math's Strip Category Base is a setting in Rank Math SEO > General Settings > Links that removes the
categorysegment from post category archive URLs. In Rank Math's example, enabling it changes/category/SEO/to/SEO/.
Key facts
- Rank Math places Strip Category Base in the Links section of General Settings. The Rank Math General Settings documentation describes the setting and its URL examples.
- The dedicated Rank Math category base guide says the option affects post category archives and automatically redirects existing category URLs to the new links.
- WordPress describes a category base as a prefix for category archive URLs. Its permalink documentation says the default category base is
category, and that the built-in field changes the value without removing it altogether.
Where is the setting?
Open the WordPress dashboard and follow the path documented by Rank Math:
Rank Math SEO → General Settings → Links → Strip Category Base
The dedicated guide says that Advanced mode is needed when the option is unavailable. Rank Math's General Settings documentation also says some settings in the article appear only in Advanced Mode.
What URL does it produce?
Rank Math documents the setting as a URL change for category archives. With the option disabled, its example contains the category base:
https://yourwebsite.com/category/SEO/
With the option enabled, the same documentation shows the shorter archive path:
https://yourwebsite.com/SEO/
The dedicated guide says the option affects post category archives. It therefore describes the category archive path, rather than a general rewrite of every post or page URL.
What happens to existing archive URLs?
Rank Math's category base guide says existing category URLs are automatically redirected to the new links after the setting is enabled. If a 404 error appears, the guide instructs you to flush permalinks by opening Settings > Permalinks in the WordPress dashboard and clicking Save Changes, without changing the permalink settings.
WordPress documents the built-in Category base field separately. It calls the field a prefix for category archive URLs and says its default value is category; that field can change the prefix, while Rank Math's setting removes the category segment from the documented archive path.
Does the shorter URL change SEO?
Rank Math's General Settings documentation says the Strip Category Base option affects aesthetics and reports no research or evidence that removing the category from the URL helps SEO. The documented effect is the shorter path, with the redirect behavior described in Rank Math's dedicated guide.
Related terms
- How do I change the category URL base in WordPress?
- How do I change a WordPress permalink structure?
- How do I edit robots.txt in Rank Math?
FAQ
Does Strip Category Base remove the base from post URLs?
No. Rank Math's dedicated guide says the option affects post category archives. Its documented examples are category archive URLs with and without the category segment.
Why is Strip Category Base missing from General Settings?
Rank Math says to use Advanced mode when the option is unavailable. The setting is documented under Rank Math SEO > General Settings > Links.
Should permalinks be flushed after enabling the setting?
Rank Math instructs you to open Settings > Permalinks and click Save Changes if a 404 error appears after enabling Strip Category Base. The guide says no other change is needed there.
Sources
- Rank Math, "Rank Math General Settings", undated
- Rank Math, "How to Remove the Category Base From WordPress", 16 March 2023
- WordPress.org, "Customize permalinks", 28 June 2025
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