What Is a URL Slug? (And Why It Matters for SEO)

When you visit a website, you see a string of text in the address bar — something like:

https://www.example.com/blog/what-is-a-url-slug

In this example, the slug is the part at the end:
what-is-a-url-slug.

It may look simple, but this short bit of text plays an important role in SEO, readability, and user experience.

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🧭 What Is a URL Slug?

A URL slug is the part of a web address that comes after the domain name and identifies a specific page.

For example:

• example.com/about → slug = about
• example.com/blog/best-seo-tools → slug = best-seo-tools

In short, the slug tells users and search engines what a page is about.

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💡 Why URL Slugs Matter

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search engines use slugs to understand your page topic. A clean, keyword-rich slug helps your content rank higher in search results.

2. User Experience

Readable slugs look professional and make it easy for users to guess what’s on a page before they click.

3. Brand Consistency

Consistent slugs reinforce your brand’s professionalism and improve navigation across your site.

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🧱 What Makes a Good URL Slug

A strong slug is short, descriptive, and easy to read.

✅ Use lowercase letters
✅ Separate words with hyphens (-)
✅ Keep it concise
✅ Include your target keyword naturally
✅ Avoid special characters or symbols

Example (good):
/best-seo-tools

Example (bad):
/The_Best_SEO_Tools_For_2025!

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🛠️ How to Create a URL Slug

Most CMS platforms (like WordPress, Webflow, or SvelteKit) automatically generate slugs from your page title — but editing them manually gives you more control.

Manual Steps:

1. Start with your page title → “What Is a URL Slug?”
2. Convert to lowercase → what is a url slug
3. Replace spaces with hyphens → what-is-a-url-slug
4. Remove unnecessary words → url-slug (optional)

Result:
https://www.yoursite.com/blog/url-slug

Using a Slug Generator Tool:

For more complex scenarios, a dedicated slug generator handles:

• URL decoding — Automatically decodes URL-encoded text (e.g., Slug%20Generator → slug-generator)
• Accent normalization — Converts accented characters (e.g., Crème Brûlée → creme-brulee)
• Unicode support — Preserves non-Latin characters (e.g., こんにちは 世界 → こんにちは-世界)
• Ampersand handling — Replaces & with “and” (e.g., Tips & Tricks → tips-and-tricks)
• Snake case conversion — Converts underscores to hyphens (e.g., snake_case → snake-case)
• URL path extraction — Automatically extracts paths from full URLs
• Length limiting — Optional trimming to keep slugs SEO-friendly (default 60 characters)

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🚀 Pro Tips for SEO-Friendly Slugs

• Keep slugs under 60 characters (fully visible in search results)
• Avoid unnecessary numbers or dates
• Make slugs evergreen — avoid changing them later
• Match your slug style across all pages
• Use hyphens, not underscores (better for SEO and readability)
• Handle special characters properly (decode URL encoding, normalize accents)
• Support Unicode if your audience is international

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🧩 Final Thoughts

A URL slug might be small, but it’s a crucial part of your website’s SEO and structure. Clean, descriptive slugs improve click-through rates, search visibility, and user trust.

If you’re building or optimizing a website, take a few extra seconds to craft your slugs carefully — it’s one of the easiest ways to improve your site’s performance.