What is a URL Slug?
A URL slug is the part of a web address that identifies a specific page on a website in a human-readable format. For example, in the URL "www.example.com/how-to-bake-bread", the slug is "how-to-bake-bread". Slugs are derived from the page title but converted to a clean, URL-safe format: lowercase, words separated by hyphens, and no special characters.
Creating proper URL slugs is an important aspect of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Clean, descriptive slugs help search engines understand what a page is about, improve click-through rates from search results, and make links easier to share and remember.
What Makes a Good URL Slug?
- Use lowercase only: "my-blog-post" not "My-Blog-Post" — URLs are case-sensitive on most servers
- Use hyphens as separators: Google recommends hyphens (-) over underscores (_) to separate words in URLs
- Include your target keyword: Your primary keyword should appear in the slug for SEO relevance
- Keep it short and meaningful: Shorter slugs are easier to read, share, and remember
- Remove stop words: Remove "a," "the," "and," "for" to keep slugs concise (optional but common)
- No special characters: Remove apostrophes, commas, exclamation marks, and other symbols
- No spaces: Spaces become %20 in URLs, which looks ugly — always convert to hyphens
Slug Examples
- "10 Best Free Online Tools for Students in 2025!" → 10-best-free-online-tools-for-students-in-2025
- "How to Lose Weight Fast — Top 5 Tips" → how-to-lose-weight-fast-top-5-tips
- "What is SEO? A Complete Guide for Beginners" → what-is-seo-complete-guide-for-beginners
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I use hyphens or underscores in slugs?+
Use hyphens. Google's John Mueller has confirmed that Google treats hyphens as word separators in URLs, making "word-word" searchable as two separate words. Underscores connect words — "word_word" may be treated as a single compound word. For SEO purposes, hyphens are the clear recommendation.
How long should a URL slug be?+
There is no absolute maximum, but most SEO experts recommend keeping slugs under 60–75 characters. Shorter slugs are easier to share, read, and remember. Google truncates very long URLs in search results. Focus on including your main keyword and remove unnecessary words.
Should I include the year in my slug?+
It depends. Including a year (like "-2025") can boost CTR for time-sensitive content as it signals freshness. However, you would need to update the slug each year or the content will appear outdated. For evergreen content, leave the year out so the slug remains relevant indefinitely.
Can I change a slug after publishing?+
You can, but do so carefully. Changing a published URL slug breaks existing links and can cause a temporary drop in search rankings. If you must change a slug, always set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one to preserve SEO value and avoid broken links.
Does the slug affect my Google ranking?+
Somewhat. URL slugs are a minor ranking factor — including your target keyword in the slug provides a small SEO boost. More importantly, a clear, descriptive slug improves click-through rates from search results, which indirectly signals relevance to Google. Always include your primary keyword naturally in the slug.