WordPress 3.0 comes with a new filter that lets us customize what is used for each permalink structure tag, other than WordPress default.
One of these permalink structure tags is <code>%category%</code>. By default, WordPress always use the category with lowest ID, making <code>%category%</code> impractical for SEO optimization.
Hikari Category Permalink allows post authors to choose among each post’s categories, which of them is used in that post permalink, giving much more flexibility and power to permalinks.
This plugin is a fork of <a href="https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/scategory-permalink/" rel="ugc">Dmytro’s sCategory Permalink</a>. It has all original features and is compatible with original options, while being more stable and simple, and also fixes 2 recurring bugs.
<h4>Features</h4>
<ul>
<li>You can choose for each post separately, which category is used in its <code>%category%</code> permalink.</li>
<li>Posts without a category set to be used in permalink behave as WordPress default, (which currently is) the one with lowest ID is used</li>
<li>Posts with a category set have it used</li>
<li>In post edit page, where you set the post’s categories, there’s a new feature allowing you to choose which category will be used in permalink</li>
<li>No rewrite rules tweaks are done, making the plugin much simpler and bug free</li>
<li>If you already used sCategory Permalink, you can safely deactivate it and replace by Hikari Category Permalink, all your category permalinks will be used</li>
</ul>

Hikari Category Permalink

Seems to work on 4.3

For each post, author can choose which category is used in permalink.

Kings Crest Global

Custom Permalink Editor is a powerful yet simple plugin that allows you to create SEO-friendly custom URLs for your WordPress posts and pages. Perfect for content creators, marketers, and site owners who want complete control over their permalink structure.
Key Features:
✓ Easy Permalink Customization – Change URLs for individual posts and pages with just a few clicks 
✓ SEO-Friendly URLs – Create clean, readable URLs that improve your search engine rankings 
✓ No Global Changes – Customize permalinks per post/page without affecting your site’s default permalink structure 
✓ Safe & Reversible – Deactivating the plugin reverts all posts back to their default WordPress permalinks 
✓ Categories & Tags Support – Edit permalinks for categories and tags as well 
✓ Custom Post Type Support – Existing custom permalinks for custom post types continue to work (Pro version required for editing)
How It Works:
<ol>
<li>Install and activate the plugin</li>
<li>Edit any post or page</li>
<li>Find the Custom Permalink Editor box</li>
<li>Enter your desired custom URL</li>
<li>Save and publish – your new permalink is live!</li>
</ol>
Perfect For:
<ul>
<li>Blog posts with specific keyword requirements</li>
<li>Landing pages with marketing-friendly URLs</li>
<li>Portfolio items with branded permalinks</li>
<li>Product pages with clean, memorable URLs</li>
<li>Migrating content from other platforms while maintaining URL structure</li>
</ul>
<h3>Support</h3>
Need help or have questions? We’re here to assist you!
<ul>
<li>Support Requests: Use our <a href="https://kingscrestglobal.com/contact/" rel="nofollow ugc">contact form</a> for technical support</li>
<li>Custom Modifications: Contact us for any custom development needs</li>
<li>Feedback: We value your feedback and suggestions for improvements</li>
<li>Pro Version: Interested in premium features? <a href="https://kingscrestglobal.com/contact/" rel="nofollow ugc">Get in touch</a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Privacy Policy</h3>
<blockquote>
This plugin does not collect any user Information 
 If you need any custom modification or any other thing contact with https://kingscrestglobal.com/ and mention Custom Permalink Editor
</blockquote>
<h3>Advanced Filters</h3>
For developers who need more control, Custom Permalink Editor provides several filters to customize its behavior.
<h4>Add PATH_INFO in $_SERVER Variable</h4>
Enable PATH_INFO support in the $_SERVER variable. This is useful for certain server configurations.
Usage:
<pre><code>add_filter( 'cp_editor_path_info', '__return_true' );
</code></pre>
<h4>Exclude Specific Permalinks</h4>
Prevent specific permalinks from being processed by the plugin. Useful for excluding system files like sitemaps or special pages.
Example: Exclude sitemap.xml from processing
<pre><code>function team_kcg_exclude_permalink( $permalink ) {
 // Check if permalink contains 'sitemap.xml'
 if ( false !== strpos( $permalink, 'sitemap.xml' ) ) {
 return '__true';
 }

 return;
}
add_filter( 'cp_editor_exclude_permalink', 'team_kcg_exclude_permalink' );
</code></pre>
<h4>Exclude Specific Post Types</h4>
Remove the Custom Permalink Editor form from specific post types. Helpful if you want to disable the feature for certain content types.
Example: Exclude a custom post type called ‘custompost’
<pre><code>function team_kcg_exclude_post_type( $post_type ) {
 // Replace 'custompost' with your actual post type name
 if ( 'custompost' === $post_type ) {
 return '__true';
 }

 return '__false';
}
add_filter( 'cp_editor_exclude_post_type', 'team_kcg_exclude_post_type' );
</code></pre>
<h4>Exclude Specific Posts</h4>
Exclude individual posts or pages from showing the Custom Permalink Editor form. You can filter by ID, template, or any post property.
Example: Exclude post with ID 1557
<pre><code>function team_kcg_exclude_posts( $post ) {
 // Exclude specific post by ID
 if ( 1557 === $post->ID ) {
 return true;
 }

 // You can also exclude by other criteria
 // Example: Exclude posts with a specific template
 // if ( get_page_template_slug( $post->ID ) === 'template-landing.php' ) {
 // return true;
 // }

 return false;
}
add_filter( 'cp_editor_exclude_posts', 'team_kcg_exclude_posts' );
</code></pre>
<h4>Allow Accented Characters</h4>
By default, the plugin removes accents from permalinks for better URL compatibility. Enable this filter if you need to preserve accented characters.
Usage:
<pre><code>function team_kcg_allow_accents() {
 return true;
}
add_filter( 'cp_editor_allow_accents', 'team_kcg_allow_accents' );
</code></pre>
<h4>Allow Capital Letters</h4>
By default, permalinks are converted to lowercase. Use this filter to preserve capital letters in your custom URLs.
Usage:
<pre><code>function team_kcg_allow_capitals() {
 return true;
}
add_filter( 'cp_editor_allow_caps', 'team_kcg_allow_capitals' );
</code></pre>
Note: Add these code snippets to your theme’s <code>functions.php</code> file or use a custom plugin/code snippets plugin.
<h3>How To Use</h3>
Changing a Post or Page Permalink:
<ol>
<li>Navigate to Posts > All Posts (or Pages > All Pages)</li>
<li>Click on the post/page you want to edit</li>
<li>Scroll down to find the “Custom Permalink Editor” meta box</li>
<li>Enter your desired custom URL in the text field (without the domain)</li>
<li>Click “Update” or “Publish” to save your changes</li>
<li>Visit your post to see the new permalink in action!</li>
</ol>
Example: 
– Default URL: <code>yoursite.com/2026/01/11/my-blog-post/</code> 
– Custom URL: <code>yoursite.com/seo-friendly-custom-url/</code>
Reverting to Default Permalinks:
Simply deactivate the plugin and all posts will automatically revert to WordPress default permalink structure.

Custom Permalink Editor

Set Custom Permalink Editor on a per-post, per-tag per-page, and per-category basis.

Hikari Category Permalink vs Custom Permalink Editor