A slug is the part of a URL that comes after the domain name and identifies a specific page on a website. It's written in a human-readable format.
For example, in the URL https://gudamsoft.com/what-is-a-slug, the slug is what-is-a-slug.
Why are Slugs Important for SEO?- They Include Keywords: A well-crafted slug should include the main keyword for your page. This helps both search engines and users understand what the page is about before they even click on it. For example, a slug like `/how-to-manage-inventory` is much better than `/post/123`.
- They Improve User Experience: A clean, readable slug helps users understand the page's content and makes the URL easier to remember and share.
- They are a Ranking Factor: While not the most powerful ranking factor, search engines do use the keywords in your URL as a signal to determine the page's topic and relevance.
Best Practices for Creating Slugs- Keep them short and concise.
- Use your primary keyword.
- Use hyphens (-) to separate words, not underscores (_).
- Use all lowercase letters.
- Remove 'stop words' like 'a', 'the', 'and', etc. (e.g., 'a-guide-to-inventory' becomes 'guide-inventory').
- Keep them short and concise.
- Use your primary keyword.
- Use hyphens (-) to separate words, not underscores (_).
- Use all lowercase letters.
- Remove 'stop words' like 'a', 'the', 'and', etc. (e.g., 'a-guide-to-inventory' becomes 'guide-inventory').
Most modern content management systems, including the one we build for our clients, automatically generate an SEO-friendly slug from your post title, but also give you the option to customize it for optimal results.