A URL slug is the readable and descriptive part of a web address that identifies a specific page or resource. It appears after the domain and path structure and is typically derived from the page title or topic. URL slugs help users and search engines understand what a page is about before visiting it.
Well written slugs are short, clear, and aligned with page intent. They avoid unnecessary parameters, random strings, or excessive length. A clean slug improves usability by making links easier to read, share, and remember.
From an SEO perspective, URL slugs contribute to clarity and relevance signals. While they are not a primary ranking factor, descriptive slugs support better crawl interpretation and improve click confidence when shown in search results.
Advanced
URL slugs are evaluated as part of overall URL structure and information architecture. Search engines assess whether slugs are consistent, meaningful, and stable over time. Frequent changes without proper redirects can cause loss of equity and indexing issues.
Advanced governance includes defining slug conventions across content types and enforcing rules for character use, separators, and hierarchy. Slugs should reflect intent rather than exact keyword targeting. Stability is critical, as unnecessary slug changes create technical debt and recovery risk.
Relevance
- Improves URL clarity and readability.
- Supports user trust and click confidence.
- Helps search engines interpret page intent.
- Reinforces clean site architecture.
- Reduces reliance on complex parameters.
Applications
- Blog and article publishing.
- Service and landing pages.
- Ecommerce product URLs.
- CMS content management.
- Site migrations and restructures.
Metrics
- Click through rate from search results.
- Crawl and index consistency.
- Redirect occurrence after changes.
- URL duplication rates.
- User engagement by page.
Issues
- Overly long slugs reduce clarity.
- Frequent changes cause equity loss.
- Keyword stuffing harms readability.
- Inconsistent formats confuse crawlers.
- Missing redirects break links.
Example
A blog initially used auto generated numeric URLs. After updating slugs to reflect article topics and applying proper redirects, search appearance improved and users were more likely to click and share links.