On-page SEO · Beginner

URL slug

A URL slug is the readable part of a web address that identifies a page, like "trail-running-shoes" in example.com/shoes/trail-running-shoes. Short, descriptive slugs help people and search engines understand the page.

By Thryv StudioUpdated

Category
On-page SEO
Level
Beginner
Style
Lowercase words separated by hyphens
Changing it
Needs a 301 redirect from the old URL

What is a URL slug?

The slug is the last part of the path. example.com/blog/what-is-aeo has the slug what-is-aeo. It appears in search results and shared links, so it should be readable.

Best practices

  1. Use a few descriptive words, often the main keyword.
  2. Lowercase, with hyphens between words.
  3. Leave out dates and filler words that may date the page.
  4. Keep it stable. If you must change it, 301-redirect the old URL.

Frequently asked questions

Should I change old slugs to add keywords?

Rarely. The benefit is small and every change needs a redirect. Get slugs right for new pages.

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