What is a URL Slug?

'What is a URL Slug?' in the world of SEO? Dive into this guide to know the role of slugs in URLs, why they matter for optimization and how to create ones that drive results!
What is a URL Slug
What is a URL Slug
What is a URL Slug?
'What is a URL Slug?' in the world of SEO? Dive into this guide to know the role of slugs in URLs, why they matter for optimization and how to create ones that drive results!
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
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A tiny detail but a significant impact

The slug is a small part of the URL. It might seem unimportant.

But, it has the ability to enhance SEO, increase clicks and distinguish your content. 

So, what is a URL slug and why is it important to know? Let’s get started.

What is a Slug?

  • The part of the URL is known as a Slug.
  • It comes after the domain name.
  • It gives a unique identity to a specific page on a website.
  • It serves as a concise synopsis of a page’s content.
  • It helps both the users and search engines to understand what the page is about.

For Example, In the URL, https://example.com/what-is-a-slug

What-is-a-slug → the URL slug which clearly indicates the content of the page.

Thus the URL is both SEO-friendly and User-friendly.

What is a Slug

Difference between URL Slug and URL Path

Now, logically you will have a question how the URL slug differs from URL path. Let’s figure out the difference.

URL Slug refers to a single page or resource. For SEO and clarity, it will be directly customizable.

As it includes keywords, it plays a significant role in SEO. This makes the URLs relevant to the page content and user-friendly.

Coming up with URL Path,

  • The URL path refers to the entire portion of the URL after the domain, including directories and the slug.
  • Consider the example: example.com/blog/seo-tips . Here the URL path is blog/seo-tips.
  • It refers to the hierarchical structure of directories which leads to a source.
  • As it includes directories, it will not always be customizable.
  • It is less critical for SEO. But will impact the user navigation and context.
  • The URL path gives the complete navigation route to a resource.
Difference between URL Path and URL Slug

Examples of Effective URL Slugs Across Industries

Well, now we have an idea what a URL slug is. Not all the slugs are created equal.

Some slugs drive traffic and boost SEO while the others miss the mark.

So, let’s explore examples of both good and bad slugs across industries and learn what will work and what doesn’t.

Industry Title of the Page Effective Slug Ineffective Slug
Ecommerce
Red Running Shoes for Men
red-running-shoes
product12345
Healthcare
5 Benefits of Mental Health Therapy
mental-health-benefits
page56789
Finance
How to Save Money on Taxes
save-money-on-taxes
article-tax-2024
SaaS
Top CRM Software for Small Businesses
top-crm-software
page?id=crm2024
Fitness
Beginner’s Guide to Weightlifting
weightlifting-guide
blog_post_123
Technology
Best Laptops for Gaming in 2025
best-gaming-laptops-2025
gaming_laptops
Blogging
10 Tips for Better Time Management
time-management-tips
post1
Travel
Best Beaches in the Caribbean
best-caribbean-beaches
page/caribbean-beaches-01

Analyzing the above table, it is clear to us that effective slugs are concise, keyword-rich and user-friendly.

In contrast, the ineffective slugs are vague, overly generic and include special characters. 

It makes them difficult to understand and rank well in search engines.

How URL Slug Impact SEO Rankings?

In this section, let’s see why URL slug is a vital factor in Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

1.For a target keyword “Best coffee recipes”, the optimized slug will be “/best-coffee-recipes”. By including your target keyword in the slug,

  • It strengthens your page’s primary focus.
  • Raises the likelihood of ranking for that keyword.
  • Increases click-through rates by demonstrating to users how the URL relates to their search query.

2.We know, user experience is a key ranking factor. The users will feel confident they will find what they are looking for with a well-optimized slug.

This reduces the bounce rates and increasing engagement metrics factors that have an indirect effect on SEO rankings.

3.The short and clean URLs will be easier for the search engines to crawl and index. For Example: /seo-tips

Overly long and complex URLs will lead to incomplete indexing. Eg: /seo-tips-for-beginners-to-improve-website-traffic-and-engagement

4.For websites with multiple categories or sections, the slug that aligns with the website hierarchy helps the search engines to understand the context of your page.

/blog/seo-tools signals the page belongs to the blog section 

5.Content that aligns with search intent is given priority by modern search engines. So the slug that matches the user search terms, 

Users – gives them confidence that your page will fulfill their requirements.

Search engines – let it know your content is relevant.

6.Readable slugs will increase the visibility and generate more traffic and backlinks which are the critical factors for SEO rankings.

Because these slugs are more likely to be shared on social platforms and linked to by other websites.

For example: example.com/seo-checklist is shareable where example.com/page?id=10923 is less shareable.

7.Search engines will differentiate between pages with similar content with unique slugs for each page. This avoids duplicate content confusion. 

How to Create SEO-Friendly URL Slug?

A greater slug is more than just text. It is a strategy. If you create a SEO-friendly slug, it will ultimately drive traffic, improve rankings and make your content irresistible.

Let’s dive into how to create a slug that works both for search engines and users.

How to create an SEO friendly Slug

1.Create a Slug with a clear focus on the content and Match User Intent

The slug you are using should summarize the content of the page in a few words.

If your title is “10 Tips for Better Time Management”, then your slug should be “time-management-tips”

This will convey the purpose of the page to both users and search engines.

Secondly, the slug should reflect what the users are looking for. Think about how your target audience phrases their search queries. Then create a slug that aligns with that.

If your target audience searching for “How to bake chocolate cake”, then your slug need to be “bake-chocolate-cake”

2.Use your primary keywords and test for readability

Integrate the target keyword of your page or post in the slug in an organic way. Don’t overstuff the keywords. 

This process improves its relevance for search engines and the search engines will associate your content with user search queries.

If the title is “Best Laptops for Gaming in 2024”, then the slug should be “best-gaming-laptops”

At a glance, a good slug should be simple to read and comprehend. It ought to offer the reader a sense of what the page will be about.

The slug “Boost-website-speed” is readable where “web-boost-speed-performance-234” is confusing.

3.Avoid Frequent Changes to Slugs

Once you have published the blog, changing the slugs frequently will result in broken links and lead to errors like 404 Not Found. This will negatively impact SEO.

So, in a situation if you must change the slug, make use of a 301 redirect. It will direct the users and search engines to the new URL.

Failing to redirect updated slugs is one of the common SEO mistakes that leads to broken links and poor user experience.

4.Keep it short and Concise & avoid certain characters

If your slug is short, it will be easier to read, remember and share. So create a slug with 3 to 5 words that effectively reflect the topic of the page.

The slug “Blog-seo-tips” will be considered good where “tips-and-tricks-for-optimizing-your-blog-for-search-engines” should not be preferred.

Do not use the below terms in your slug:

1.Avoid using stop words like “and”, “of”, “the” and “for”. These words will not contribute to SEO and add unnecessary length. So removing them will make your slug more focused and cleaner.

“The-best-ways-to-improve-seo” → with stop words

“Best-ways-improve-seo” → without stop words

2.To separate words in a slug, always use hyphens (-). This will improve the readability.

Also, search engines and users too prefer hyphens. So avoid using underscores (_) or spaces.

Content-marketing-strategy → Correct

“Content_marketing_strategy” and “contentmarketingstrategy” → Incorrect

3.Do not use special characters and numbers. The users and search engines will get confused with the special characters like %, &, or @.

If the numbers you are using are integral to the content, then it will be fine. But avoid adding random ones.

Avoid → seo%20tips@2024. Instead Use → seo-tips-2024

4.Always use only the lower case letters in slugs. Confusion and potential errors in some browsers will be caused by mixed-case or uppercase letters.

“Seo-strategy-guide” → correct where “SEO-Strategy-Guide” → Incorrect

5.Avoid using auto-generated slugs. WordPress and other CMS will generate slugs automatically based on the title you have given.

Sometimes these slugs will be too long or irrelevant. So, always go with editing the auto generated slugs for better clarity and SEO.

5.Optimize Slugs for Multilingual Websites

If your website is supporting multiple languages, then your slug needs to be translated and optimized for the target languages.

For better localization, use language-specific keywords.

If your site supports Spanish language, then 

Learn-spanish-basics → english. It needs to be translated and optimized to 

Aprender-espanol-basico → spanish

6.Make the Slug Unique and align with URL hierarchy

Each web page should have a unique slug. If not it will lead to duplicate content issues.

If similar content has the same slug it will confuse the search engines and dilute the rankings.

For example, you have multiple pages serving SEO tips, then differentiate them by “/seo-tips-beginners” → unique slug which says it is for beginners. Avoid reusing “/seo-tips” for multiple pages.

If your website is having categories or subcategories, then the slug should reflect the position of the page within the site structure.

/blog/seo-tips → Hierarchical where

/seo-tips → Flat

How to optimize URL slug in WordPress?

Here is the step-by-step guide to optimize your slug in WordPress effectively.

1.Set SEO-Friendly Permalink Structure

The permalink structure should be set in a readable and SEO-friendly format. In the WordPress dashboard,

  • Go to, Settings → Permalinks
  • Choose the “Post Name” options. For example – example.com/sample-post
  • Now click “Save Changes” to apply the new settings.

So, now your URL will be cleaner and more readable.

2.When adding an New Post or Page, create an optimized slug

In the WordPress dashboard,

  • Go to, Posts → Add New or Pages → Add New
  • Now enter your preferred title with the target keyword.
  • Once you have entered the title, the WordPress will automatically generate a slug based on your title. You can see this right below the title you have given.
  • If you want to customize the slug, click edit option next to the permalink.
How to optimize slug in WordPress

3.Optimize Slugs for Existing Posts or Pages

You have already published a post or a page. Now you wish to improve the slug. For that,

  • Go to Posts → All Posts or Pages → All Pages
  • Hove over the post or page you want to edit.
  • Then click “Edit”
  • In the page opened, click the edit button next to the permalink.
  • Update your preferred slug
  • Then click OK.
  • The final most important thing is, set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new URL. This will avoid broken links.

Well, let’s see some of the best practices of optimizing slug in WordPress:

1.The slug should look clean and align with the post’s content. So, always double check the URL before publishing.

2.Install a SEO plugin to make the slug optimization more manageable. 

Plugins like Yoast SEO and Rank Math SEO plugin allow users to edit slugs directly in their snippet editor.

If you change slugs for published content, use the redirection plugin to set up redirects.

3.Avoid keyword stuffing and use your target keywords naturally in the slug. 

Do not use jargon or overly technical terms unless they are relevant. Align the slug to the intent of your audience’s search queries.

4.Avoid using hyphens, special characters and keep the slug simple, clear and readable.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the simplicity of the slug is its power. It is a tool to enhance user experience, content visibility and SEO. 

An optimized Slug when paired with the other components of on page SEO will increase the click through rates and rankings.

It is not  just a part of a URL. So, the next time when you make a page, 

Ask Yourself: Is your slug working for you or against you?.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why is it called a Slug URL?

A Slug is a short and human readable part of a URL. It identifies a specific page and is called a slug URL.

A “slug” was a line of type that served as a content summary in the old printing terminology and the word is derived from it.

In web terms, it makes the URL more user-friendly and search engine optimization-friendly. 

A Slug is a specific part of the URL. It identifies a Page. For example: /about-us

A link is a full URL that directs to a web page. For example: https://example.com/about-us

Thus the slug is just one part of the link.

Does changing the slug change the URL?

Yes. Slug is a part of the URL. So changing the slug will change the URL.

For example, updating /blog-post to /new-post changes the full URL structure.

Founder of 7 Eagles, Growth Marketer & SEO Expert

Ashkar Gomez is the Founder of 7 Eagles (a Growth Marketing & SEO Company). Ashkar started his career as a Sales Rep in 2013 and later shifted his career to SEO in 2014. He is one of the leading SEO experts in the industry with 8+ years of experience. He has worked on 200+ projects across 20+ industries in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, UAE, Australia, South Africa, and India. Besides SEO and Digital Marketing, he is passionate about Data Analytics, Personal Financial Planning, and Content Writing.
Discover How 7 Eagles Help Your Business

Founder of 7Eagles, Growth Marketer & SEO Expert

Ashkar Gomez is the Founder of 7 Eagles (a Growth Marketing & SEO Company). Ashkar started his career as a Sales Rep in 2013 and later shifted his career to SEO in 2014. He is one of the leading SEO experts in the industry with 8+ years of experience. He has worked on 200+ projects across 20+ industries in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, UAE, Australia, South Africa, and India. Besides SEO and Digital Marketing, he is passionate about Data Analytics, Personal Financial Planning, and Content Writing.
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