URL Slug: What It Is and How to Write One

A URL slug is the part of a URL that comes after the domain and identifies a specific page in readable words. In https://linkutm.com/blog/url-slug, the slug is url-slug. It names the page for both people and search engines, so a clear slug tells a visitor what the page is about before they click.

Why URL Slugs Matter

A good slug improves clarity, sharing, and search visibility. Users read the slug in search results, browser tabs, and shared links. A slug like /blog/url-slug-best-practices sets an expectation. A slug like /page?id=48213 tells the reader nothing.

Search engines use the slug as a minor ranking and relevance signal. Google’s John Mueller has called URLs a very lightweight ranking factor, so the slug will not make or break a page on its own. Google’s own URL structure guidelines still recommend simple, descriptive words over long ID strings, because readable URLs help both crawlers and users understand the page.

The slug also affects click-through rate. A clean, keyword-matched slug looks more trustworthy in the results than a random string, which can nudge more clicks.

URL Slug vs URL vs Permalink

These terms overlap but are not identical. The full URL is the entire address, including the protocol and domain. The permalink is the permanent full URL for a specific page or post. The slug is only the readable identifier segment inside that URL.

Part	Example
Full URL	`https://linkutm.com/blog/url-slug`
Domain	`linkutm.com`
Path	`/blog/url-slug`
Slug	`url-slug`

To break any address into these parts, paste it into linkutm’s URL parser, which separates the domain, path, slug, and query string.

URL Slug Best Practices

Keep slugs short, descriptive, and stable. Follow these rules:

Use hyphens, not underscores. Google treats hyphens as word separators and underscores as joiners. url-slug reads as two words; url_slug reads as one. Google has recommended hyphens for this reason.
Use lowercase only. Some servers treat /URL-Slug and /url-slug as different pages, which can create duplicate content.
Include the target keyword. Match the slug to the page’s main search term.
Keep it short. Aim for three to five words. Cut filler words like “the”, “a”, and “of” when they add no meaning.
Avoid dates and volatile numbers. A slug like /2024-guide looks stale a year later and forces a redirect if you update it.
Do not change a live slug lightly. Changing a published slug breaks existing links unless you add a 301 redirect from the old URL.

How to Create or Edit a URL Slug

Most content platforms generate a slug automatically from the page title, then let you edit it. In WordPress, the slug field sits under the title or in the post settings sidebar. In Shopify, Wix, and Webflow, it appears in the SEO or URL settings for each page.

Set the slug before you publish. Editing it after the page is live and indexed requires a 301 redirect so search engines and visitors reach the new address. For a deeper walkthrough, see the URL slug guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a slug in a URL?

A slug is the readable segment of a URL that identifies a specific page, placed after the domain and path. In example.com/blog/url-slug, the slug is url-slug. It uses words instead of random IDs so people and search engines can tell what the page covers.

Where does the word “slug” come from?

The term comes from newspaper publishing. Editors gave each article a short “slug” as a working name while it moved through production. Web publishing borrowed the word for the short label that names a page in its URL.

Should a URL slug use hyphens or underscores?

Use hyphens. Google treats hyphens as spaces between words and underscores as connectors, so blue-widgets reads as two words while blue_widgets reads as one. Hyphens are the standard for slugs.

Does the URL slug affect SEO?

Yes, but only slightly. A descriptive, keyword-matched slug is a minor relevance signal and improves click-through by looking trustworthy. Google treats the URL as a lightweight ranking factor, so a clean slug helps without doing the heavy lifting.

To inspect the slug and other parts of any link, run it through the free URL parser at linkutm.