Transform any text into clean, SEO-optimized URL slugs for better search engine rankings and improved user experience
A slug generator is an essential tool for web developers, content creators, and SEO professionals that converts regular text into URL-friendly strings. These "slugs" are used in website addresses (URLs) to create clean, readable, and search engine optimized links. Instead of using complex strings of characters or ID numbers in your URLs, slugs use human-readable words that accurately describe the page content.
Our free online slug generator automatically transforms any text into SEO-friendly URL slugs by:
Using our slug generator is simple and straightforward:
When creating URL slugs, be aware of these common pitfalls:
For optimal results with your URL slugs:
A URL slug is the part of a web address that identifies a specific page in human-readable keywords. It typically appears at the end of a URL and uses words separated by hyphens. For example, in 'example.com/blog/what-is-seo', the slug is 'what-is-seo'. Slugs improve user experience, make URLs shareable, and can positively impact search engine optimization.
Hyphens are generally preferred over underscores in URL slugs because search engines treat hyphens as space separators between words, while underscores are treated as connectors. This means 'seo-tips' would be interpreted as 'seo tips' by search engines, but 'seo_tips' might be read as a single word 'seotips'. Using hyphens improves readability for both users and search engines.
It's generally better to remove common stop words (like 'a', 'the', 'and', 'or') from URL slugs to keep them concise and focused on important keywords. However, if removing stop words makes the URL difficult to understand, it's acceptable to keep them. Our slug generator gives you the option to automatically remove stop words while preserving the essential meaning of your content.
Ideally, URL slugs should be concise while still describing the content accurately. A good rule of thumb is to keep slugs under 5-6 words or 50-60 characters. Shorter slugs are easier to read, share, and remember. Our slug generator includes a max length option to help you control slug length while maintaining readability.
Yes, you can change a URL slug after publishing content, but it's important to set up proper 301 redirects from the old URL to the new one. This ensures that users and search engines are directed to the correct page, preventing broken links and preserving SEO value. Without proper redirects, changing slugs can lead to 404 errors and lost traffic.
URL slugs can positively impact SEO in several ways: they help search engines understand page content, they can include relevant keywords, they improve user experience by making URLs readable and memorable, and they make links more clickable when shared. A well-crafted slug that accurately represents your content and includes relevant keywords can contribute to better search engine rankings.
Including numbers in URL slugs is acceptable when they add value, such as in list articles ('10-seo-tips'), years ('marketing-trends-2023'), or product models ('iphone-14-review'). However, avoid using random numbers or IDs that don't provide meaning to users. When using numbers, use the numeral form rather than spelling them out for brevity.