In short
New category pages returned errors because of one wrong assumption about the order of address rules.
What I did
I added custom web addresses for The SEO Lab. I assumed each rule added with the top option goes above the one before it, so I added them in reverse order. In fact each new rule goes below the earlier ones. A general rule ended up first and caught addresses meant for specific rules, so those pages showed errors.
Where
My own website, October 2026
What changed
I added the rules in the right order and every page loaded. The rules had been saved correctly the whole time; only their order was wrong.
Did it work
It did not work
What you should do
If custom WordPress addresses return errors, check the order of your rules, not just whether they exist. The first rule that matches wins.
How long it took
Longer to find than to fix
Rewrite rules tell WordPress which content to show for each web address. When a request comes in, WordPress tries the rules in order and uses the first one that matches.
Why it matters
The WordPress function for adding a rule has a top option. It means above WordPress’s own rules. It does not mean above the custom rules you added earlier. Each new top rule is added after the previous ones.
So a broad rule added first will catch addresses that a narrow rule added later was meant to handle.
How to check your own site
- Add your most specific rules first and your most general rules last.
- After any change, re-save Settings, then Permalinks, to refresh the stored rules.
At a glance
ResultIt did not work
Effort to copyAbout an hour
Type of businessConsultant and personal brand
SubjectTechnical fixes
20rules saved correctly
1wrong assumption about their order
| Status | Done |
|---|
What this changed in how I work
When I check a list of rules, I check their order as well as their presence. Everything being there proved nothing.
End of Lab entry No. 010
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