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What is a URL Slug & How to Use Them Successfully in Your SEO Strategy?

MM
Matt Montenegro Founder & CEO
15/08/2021 4 min
TL;DR

For SEO-friendly URLs, Google asks for a simple, logical structure with readable words instead of long ID strings when possible. Separate those words with hyphens rather than underscores.

  • Why it matters: Readable paths help users and Google Search understand what a page is about.
  • How it works: Prefer clear words in the URL over opaque numeric identifiers.
  • Zoom in: Google Search Central recommends hyphens to separate words in URLs.
  • Reality check: Underscores are the weaker separator in that same Google guidance.
  • The bottom line: Keep the path simple, word-based, and hyphenated before you publish.

There are so many different terms for digital marketing metrics, SEO tactics, web design, and content creation that it can be hard to keep them all straight, much less optimize all of them. 

And, unfortunately, your website’s URL strategy and URL slugs sometimes pay the price for that. 

  • But what is a URL slug? 
  • How can I optimize my URLs for SEO? 
  • And why does it all matter? 

This article will give you all the details you need to understand what a URL slug is, how you can use them in your SEO strategy, and ways in which to optimize your slugs going forward.

Many marketers new to the digital world or web design find themselves asking, “what is a URL slug and why does it matter to my company’s website?” 

A URL slug refers to the end part of a URL after the backslash (“/”) that identifies the specific page or post. 

Each slug on your web pages needs to be unique, and they provide readers and search engines alike with information about the contents of a web page or post. 

Your homepage URL or website domain name won’t have a slug attached, but all of your other pages will have one that automatically generates as you create a page or post. 

However, the automated slug isn’t likely to be as useful as the one you create yourself using best practices and keyword strategies. 

Therefore, it’s important to know why slugs are relevant and how to optimize them.

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Why is a URL Slug Important for SEO Ranking?

It might surprise you to learn that your URLs have an impact on your SEO strategy. 

But, if we think about it, it does make sense. 

Have you ever tried to copy a link and found a long stream of random letters, numbers, and symbols?

Not only is it irritating to look at in your search bar, but it looks untrustworthy and might have dissuaded you from sharing or linking to that URL. 

Now imagine a search engine coming across that same stream of nonsense. 

Search engine algorithms need clear, clean, and optimized content to understand the data they come in contact with. 

Honestly, it goes deeper than just appearances. If you’re pulling data on-site performance or sharing urls with teammates, a jumbled or overly long slug is just begging for someone to make a typo or get confused about which page they’re even looking at. I’m not saying you have to agonize over every word, but a slug like /summer-sale-shirts versus /prod1234-dfsdfds322—the choice is pretty obvious which is friendlier for both humans and robots.

And speaking of robots—well, algorithms, technically—one overlooked aspect is how URL slugs can impact how your content is indexed. Google’s crawlers pick up on well-structured slugs as signposts that reinforce what a page is about, especially when you match up your slugs with the actual intent of the content. There’s a kind of snowball effect once you start thinking this way, where suddenly every page title, every meta description, and every slug work together to clarify your site’s structure, which makes life easier for visitors and search engines, too.

Having a clean, clear, and short URL slug helps your website visitors and search engines comprehend your pages. 

Your URL slug can also be an untapped source of keyword ranking potential. 

By including a keyword in your slug, you can target specific terms and, while a reader might not understand the implication, a search engine will include that keyword in your ranking results.

Wrap Up: URL Slugs Deserve your Attention

Your URL slugs aren’t just a way to communicate page names to your website visitors.

They provide key data for search engines to organize and display your pages. 

Knowing how to improve your URL slugs and your overall URL strategy will help you improve your SEO results.

And if you want to increase your SEO rankings, check out our article on Google PageSpeed Insights Analysis!

It’s a great way to learn how to reach the highest score and get more results.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Google recommend for URL structure?

Google Search Central recommends a simple, logical URL structure so Search and users can understand the site. When possible, use readable words rather than long ID numbers in the URL. That guidance focuses on path clarity so people can preview the destination before they click.

Should URL paths use hyphens or underscores?

Prefer hyphens. Google specifically recommends using hyphens rather than underscores to separate words in URLs, because that helps people and search engines identify concepts in the path. A string like /summer-sale-shirts follows that guidance more clearly than an underscore-stitched equivalent.

Why avoid long ID numbers in URLs?

Google says that, when possible, readable words beat long ID numbers in URLs. Words give users a preview of the destination and give crawlers clearer concepts to parse. Keep identifiers out of the public path when a short, readable phrase can name the page instead.

How do readable words and hyphens work together?

Use readable words for the page topic, then separate those words with hyphens. Google's URL-structure guidance pairs both rules: simple logical paths with readable words, and hyphens as the preferred word separator. Follow both together so the slug stays clear for people and for Search.

MM Matt Montenegro

Matt Montenegro

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