What is Slug in SEO? & 9 Tips to Have Good URL Slugs
So, let’s answer the question “What is Slug in SEO?” and how you can benefit from improved user experience and better search engine rankings by prioritizing slug optimization.
What is a URL Slug?
A URL slug is the exact address of a particular page on your website in a browser.
Think of it as a roadmap, guiding your visitors and the search engine bots towards a specific destination (i.e., your web page).
For instance, when you have a URL that says: "https://www.xyz.com/blog/what-is-slug-in-seo", the "/what-is-slug-in-seo" part is the URL slug.
It's a string of words which provides a simple, easy-to-understand explanation of the content on your page.
What is the Difference Between a URL Slug and a URL?
Although the two terms are often used interchangeably, a URL and a URL slug are not exactly the same.
A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the complete web address of a page, which includes the protocol (http or https), domain name, and the specific page location.
On the other hand, a URL slug is a part of the URL that comes after the domain name. It's a precise segment of the URL that is usually tied to a specific page or post.
Why are Slugs Important for SEO?
It's crucial to understand that slugs are important because, fundamentally, they draw the line between a good and bad URL.
A bad URL, otherwise known as an unoptimized URL, is one that is clunky, confusing, and difficult to read. It can often consist of random numbers, letters, and symbols that make no sense to your visitors or search engines.
For example, "https://www.xyz.com/123abc456efgh789ijkl" is a bad URL. It gives no information about the content of the page. An unoptimized URL doesn't just result in a poor user experience; importantly, it can hinder your SEO efforts as well.
On the other hand, a well-crafted slug contributes towards a clean, understandable URL. This kind of URL can lead to a better user experience, as it offers clear and concise information about the page content. Users are more likely to trust and click on a link that accurately depicts where it will take them.
Moreover, clear slugs help search engine bots decipher your page's theme or topic. This straightforward representation aids search algorithms in filing your page under the right topics, making it easier for your target audience to find you.
What Happens When You Change Your URL Slug?
While changing the URL slug can be a part of optimizing your website's SEO, it's also important to understand the impact that can ensue from modifying a URL slug post-publication.
When you change a URL slug after it's been published and indexed by search engines, the existing URL leads to a 404 error, which can hurt your SEO.
However, this can be avoided by implementing a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one. This tells search engines that the page has moved permanently, preserving your SEO value and directing visitors to the correct page.
Change your URL slugs sparingly and only when necessary, as redirects can also slightly increase page load times, impacting user experience and potentially losing some SEO value.
🌟 You may want to read: 13 Common HTTP Status Codes + Explanations
9 URL Slug Best Practices
URL slugs need to be structured properly, not just for search engines but for the users too.
Well-constructed and understandable slugs can directly improve user experience and indirectly boost your SEO performance.
There are a number of ways you can achieve this. Here are some common best practices:
1- Be Descriptive and Concise
A good URL slug precisely describes what the page contains. However, balance is key. You need to convey this information succinctly. Your audience shouldn't have to decipher long slugs - they should be able to glance at it and have an idea of the content therein.
There's no hard and fast rule for slug length, but a good practice is to keep it under 50-60 characters. Google usually truncates snippets longer than 600 pixels, which often equates to about 50-60 characters.
Create an aspiration of describing your content with utmost accuracy while keeping it straight to the point. It's a matter of only including the essential words that contribute to the understanding of the article's content.
For example, a blog about "Understanding SEO Slugs: Essential Guide to Optimizing URL Slugs" could be condensed to "/blog/understanding-seo-slugs-guide". This example excludes the unnecessary words and keeps the ones providing context.
2- Incorporate Target Keywords
Incorporating your target keywords into the URL slug is a valuable SEO technique. It signals to search engines what your page is about and positively impacts your SEO ranking.
However, prioritize relevance over stuffing. Never overdo keywords in the name of SEO.
The target keyword is the central theme of your page or post, mirroring what your content is all about. Including the target keyword in your slug helps search engines understand and rank your content.
🌟 You may want to read: How to Find Trending Keywords (7 Methods)
3- Use Hyphens
The "-" symbol, better known as a hyphen, is the preferred separator for URL slugs. This universally accepted standard is recognized by all browsers and search engines.
By separating words with hyphens, you make the slug more readable for humans and easier to parse for search engines.
Consider "https://www.example.com/howtowriteagoodurlslug" and "https://www.example.com/how-to-write-a-good-url-slug". The second URL stands out as easily digestible and far superior.
Hyphens should be your separator of choice for URL slugs. Underscores may confuse search engines and are commonly mistaken for spaces in some browsers, leading to potential misinterpretations of your slug.
4- Utilize Lowercase Characters
As most users are likely to type in lowercase characters while performing a web search, it's advised to keep your URL slugs in lowercase.
While it might seem a minor detail, this practice reduces the chances of misdirected traffic due to case sensitivity in URLs.
For example, "https://www.example.com/What-is-Slug-in-SEO" and "https://www.example.com/what-is-slug-in-seo" could direct to different pages.
5- Avoid Special Characters
Special characters can cause glitches in your URL that hinder your ranking and user trust.
Symbols like "#", "%", "<", ">", "{", "}", "|", "", "^", "~", "[", "]", and "`" should be avoided in your slug. They can cause issues like broken links and are generally not friendly to search engines.
URL slugs should ideally be clean, containing only alphanumeric characters (a-z, 0-9) and hyphens. Special characters can complicate the URL with encoding issues, making the URL unreadable and cluttered.
6- Remove Stop Words
SEO slugs should be straightforward. Stop words, such as “and”, “the”, “of”, “on” etc., do not add value to your slug and might end up making it look cluttered and long.
For example, the title "The Ultimate Guide to Mastering the Art of SEO" could easily have a slug "/guide-mastering-art-seo".
Stop words are generally filler words that do not contain much meaning and are typically ignored by search engines anyway. So, it’s better to eliminate them, unless they're crucial for understanding.
7- Match to the Headlines
Matching your slug to your headline or post title makes sense. It enhances SEO by demonstrating consistency and relevance through your content. It also helps your audience correlate the title and URL slug easily.
Moreover, it makes it easier for users to digest and remember the slug, further increasing your chances of being clicked on and shared.
8- Make Them Future-Proof
Future-proofing your slug means you create it to last. When creating a slug, think about whether it will still be useful and relevant in a few years' time.
Don't include dates, events, or other factors that could be quickly outdated and require you to change the slug later. This can result in possible broken links or redirect issues.
Let's say you had a blog post about SEO trends with the slug "/seo-trends-2024". As soon as 2025 rolls around, this slug would already be outdated. Instead, choosing a more timeless slug, such as "/seo-latest-trends", would be far better.
Think ahead and create a slug with a long shelf-life.
Bonus: Use SEOmator’s URL Slug Generator
By carefully crafting your URL slugs, you can help improve both the user experience and your SEO results.
You can easily use SEOmator’s URL Slug Generator to craft optimized, keyword-rich URL slugs.
Final Thoughts
URL slugs are substantial, not just for search engine indexing bots, but for your users as well. A well-structured, crisp, keyword-optimized, and user-friendly slug can dramatically enhance your website's visibility, click-through-rate, and user experience.
Optimizing URL slugs correctly can amplify your online presence. The key lies in understanding the importance of your URL slug amending it methodically, and fine-tuning it to best support your SEO goals.
So, a good URL slug potentially results in a high SEO ranking, but moreover, it invites trust and interest from users. After all, wouldn't you rather click on the URL that clearly guides to 'your-website.com/understand-seo-slugs', rather than a cryptic 'your-website.com/123456789'?
🌟 See also:
Google Sandbox in SEO: How to Get Out of It Faster
HTTP Content-Type: What is It & How to Check
Why Is Your Website Not Showing Up on Google? How to Troubleshoot it?
