Manage Page URL Aliases

Page URL Aliases allow Web Evolve pages to use clean, human-readable URLs that are easier to share, understand, and manage. Page aliases are automatically generated for all pages in Web Evolve and can be customized by authorized users.

Example URL Aliases:

How Page URL Aliases Work

When a page is created, Web Evolve automatically generates a URL Alias based on the page title.

Example:

• Page title: About Us  

• Generated alias: /about-us  

The URL Alias becomes the primary public-facing URL for accessing and sharing the page.

Behind the scenes, Web Evolve continues to manage the page internally using system-generated identifiers.

Automatic Versus Static URL Aliases

By default, page aliases are automatically generated from the page title.

When automatic alias generation is enabled:

• Updating the page title may update the URL Alias

• Web Evolve automatically formats the alias for compatibility

• Duplicate aliases are automatically adjusted with sequential numbering

Authorized users can switch a page alias from automatic to static by disabling the auto-generate option.

When a static alias is used:

• The alias remains unchanged even if the page title changes

• The alias must be manually updated if changes are needed

• Duplicate aliases are not allowed

Users can switch a page back to an automatically generated alias at any time.

Edit a Page URL Alias

Authorized users can customize or overwrite a page’s URL Alias.

This can be useful when:

• Shortening URLs

• Improving readability

• Aligning URLs with branding or SEO goals

• Maintaining consistent naming conventions

Example:

• Automatically generated: /fire-department

• Customized alias: /fire-services

Instructions

1. Sign in to your site

2. Open the page you want to edit and click the Page tab
   

3. Locate the Auto-Generate Page Alias field. To use a custom static alias, uncheck the auto-generate page alias option.
   

4. Enter the desired alias in the Page Alias field
   

5. Save or publish the page changes
   

Once saved, the updated alias becomes the page's primary URL.

URL Alias Formatting and Validation

Web Evolve automatically validates and formats page aliases to maintain compatibility and consistency.

Aliases:

• Use lowercase letters

• Use hyphens instead of spaces

• Do not allow unsupported special characters

• Must be unique where conflicts would occur

Examples:

If unsupported values are entered, Web Evolve displays validation errors and prevents the alias from being saved until the issue is resolved.

Duplicate Alias Prevention

Web Evolve prevents URL conflicts differently depending on how the alias is managed.

Static Aliases

Static aliases must be unique.

If a duplicate static alias is entered, Web Evolve displays an error message and prevents the alias from being saved.

Example:

• Existing alias: /city-news

• Attempted duplicate: /city-news

• Result: validation error requiring a unique alias

Automatically Generated Aliases

For automatically generated aliases, Web Evolve appends a sequential number when duplicate page titles exist.

Examples:

This allows pages with similar titles to maintain unique URLs automatically.

Nested Page Aliases

At this time, page aliases do not support nested URL structures.

Examples:

• Supported: /fire-department

• Not currently supported: /departments/fire

All page aliases currently exist as a single-level URL path.

When a Page Alias Changes

When a page alias is updated:

• The new alias becomes the primary URL for the page

• Previous aliases are not automatically redirected to the new alias

If preserving older URLs is important, administrators should review their redirect strategy after changing published aliases.

Additional Resources

• URL Alias Best Practices

• URL Aliases Transition

• URL Alias Troubleshooting

• Assign Aliases Permissions to a Group