How can I preserve the forward slash in the custom URL slug for my Category Collection in Webflow? I want to format my blog categories like this: "site.com/blog/category/category-name". The current format is "site.com/blog-category/category-name" and I want to mirror the SEO authority's blog URL structure.
- Create a static page at
/blog/category, add a Collection List linked to your Categories Collection, and use custom links to point to/blog/category/+ category slug. - Set up 301 redirects in Project Settings to reroute default CMS URLs to your custom structure for proper navigation and SEO.
Webflow doesn't currently allow slashes ("/") in Collection slugs, which prevents directly nesting URLs like /blog/category/category-name using native CMS settings. However, you can achieve the desired structure by using a combination of structural pages and Collection Lists.
1. Understand the Limitation
- Webflow CMS Collection slugs do not support slashes in the slug field.
- You cannot natively create a URL path like
/blog/category/category-namedirectly from the Category Collection URL.
2. Create a Static Page at /blog/category
- Manually create a static page called
categoryinside your/blogfolder. - Navigate to Pages > Blog folder > New Page, then name it "category" and publish.
- This page will act as a container for your category CMS items.
3. Add a Collection List to the /blog/category Page
- Add a Collection List and connect it to your Categories Collection.
- Place a Link Block or Text Link inside the list that links to a corresponding Category Template page.
- Set the link destination to
/blog/category/+ category slug using a custom link field.
4. Use Redirects to Match the URL Structure
Go to Project Settings > Hosting > 301 Redirects.
Add redirects to remap default CMS paths to your new structure.
Example:
Old Path:
/blog-category/:slugRedirect To:
/blog/category/:slugThis ensures users (and SEO crawlers) who hit the native CMS URL are redirected to your new structure.
5. Optional: Use the Category Template Page
- While you can't change the native URL of the Category Template (e.g.,
/blog-category/category-name), you can still populate the meaningful content there. - To preserve SEO, simply 301 redirect these native URLs to your custom structure, as shown above.
Summary
Webflow doesn't allow slashes in Collection slugs, but you can replicate the /blog/category/category-name structure by creating a static /blog/category page, linking manually to CMS items, and using 301 redirects to route traffic from default URLs.