How to Create a Good URL Slug
A URL slug is the part of a web address that identifies a specific page — the text after the final forward slash. A good slug is short, readable, and tells both users and search engines what the page is about. A bad one is a string of random characters or an auto-generated mess. This guide covers the rules.
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What is a URL slug?
In the URL https://example.com/blog/how-to-write-an-email, the slug is "how-to-write-an-email".
Slugs matter for SEO because: - Google uses the slug to understand what the page is about - A descriptive slug in search results helps users decide whether to click - Clean URLs are more shareable and look more trustworthy
URL slug rules
- Use hyphens, not underscores — Google treats hyphens as word separators. Underscores are not treated the same way.
- All lowercase — URLs are case-sensitive on most servers. Lowercase is the standard and avoids redirect issues.
- Remove stop words — Words like "a", "an", "the", "and", "or", "but", "is", "are" can usually be removed without changing meaning.
- Include the primary keyword — The main topic of the page should appear in the slug.
- Keep it short — Under 60 characters ideally. 3–5 words is the typical target.
- No special characters — Avoid punctuation, spaces, and non-ASCII characters.
- No dates unless necessary — Dates make URLs feel outdated and can hurt click-through rates for evergreen content.
Good and bad slug examples
Bad: /blog/how-to-write-a-professional-email-that-will-get-read-and-get-a-response-2024 Good: /blog/how-to-write-a-professional-email
Bad: /page?id=4829&cat=12&ref=homepage Good: /tools/email-writer
Bad: /The_Best_Free_AI_Tools_For_Email Good: /tools/free-ai-email-tools
Bad: /blog/post-1 Good: /blog/youtube-title-tips
Changing an existing slug
If you need to change a published URL slug, always set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one. Without a redirect:
- Any existing backlinks will return 404 errors
- Google will treat the new URL as a brand new page and the old page will lose its rankings
- Anyone who bookmarked or shared the old URL will hit a dead end
Most CMS platforms (WordPress, Webflow, Squarespace) have built-in redirect management.
Step-by-step summary
- 1
Identify the primary keyword
What is the page about? Start with that phrase.
- 2
Remove stop words
Delete "a", "an", "the", "and", "or", "is", "are", "of". Keep the meaningful words.
- 3
Replace spaces with hyphens
No spaces. No underscores. Hyphens only.
- 4
Make it all lowercase
/About-Us → /about-us. Always lowercase.
- 5
Remove special characters and numbers
No punctuation, no &, no %, no years unless the page is genuinely date-specific (like an annual report).
Frequently asked questions
- Does the URL slug affect SEO?
- Yes, though it is a minor ranking factor compared to content quality and backlinks. A slug that includes your primary keyword can help Google understand the page's topic and may appear bolded in search results when it matches a query, improving click-through rate.
- Should I include the year in a URL slug?
- Generally no — dates make evergreen content feel outdated and can reduce click-through rates as the page ages. The exception is content that is genuinely annual or date-specific, like "2025-marketing-statistics" where the year is part of the search intent.
- What is the difference between a slug and a permalink?
- A permalink is the full URL of a page. A slug is the portion of the permalink that identifies the specific page — typically the last segment after the final slash. In "https://example.com/blog/email-tips", the slug is "email-tips".
- How long should a URL slug be?
- Aim for 3–5 words, ideally under 60 characters. Shorter slugs are easier to share, display fully in search results, and are easier to remember. Avoid removing words that change the meaning of the slug.