The Importance of URL Slugs for SEO

07 Apr, 2023 Content Optimization

For marketing managers, every detail in their client’s SEO counts. URL slugs are essential to that success and can help boost a website’s ranking on Google.

A slug is part of a URL that focuses on what a specific page on a website covers. For example, let’s say you are running a clothing store. If someone were to click on “red dresses” on your website, for that page, the slug might be “red-dresses.” As you can see from this example, the specific page title matches what is on the screen. A slug in a URL is a clue about what a particular webpage contains.

Why Slugs Are Important for SEO

While slugs may not come to mind when thinking about important aspects of SEO, they are an easy and helpful step for your overall strategy. The URL slug does play a role in Google’s algorithm, so making sure that your slugs are specific will help increase the chances of ranking well.

A specific slug instead of an automatically generated one is also trusted more by users scrolling through search results. If someone is looking for a dress, a webpage ending with “dress” is likely more trustworthy than one with many numbers.

Make it Concise

Your URL slugs should be both relevant and concise. No one wants to see an incredibly long slug with dashes between each word. If the title of your webpage is “the best summer dresses of 2023,” you can shorten the slug to “summer dresses.” This is preferable for users and the Google algorithm.

There are several other ways to make your slug appealing to Google and site visitors. For example, use dashes to separate every word, making it easier to read and decipher. Another best practice is to never use uppercase letters. Keeping your URLs consistent in all lowercase makes your site easy to find.

Prepare for the Future

When deciding the best slug for a webpage, make sure you are pleased with it. Changing a slug negatively affects SEO, so the best practice is to leave it once the page is published.

URL slugs are an easy way to boost your SEO plan and can help any company improve its rankings in Google. Learn more about creating consistent websites and URL slugs by calling the digital marketing professionals at BluShark Digital today.