What Is an SEO Slug?

Slugs in the garden will munch on your marigolds and chew on your cabbage. However, slugs in your URL can be beneficial. They explain page content, which boosts search engine optimization (SEO) when you write good slugs. It helps to understand what an SEO slug is and how to use it in your optimization strategy.

Do You Know What an SEO Slug Is?

A slug is the last part of the URL, appearing after the backslash. It identifies one of a website’s pages. It also describes the page’s contents to users and search engines. Each page on your site has a unique slug except the home page.

Website development software can generate slugs. However, the automatically created varieties are less helpful than the ones you devise. That’s because you can use SEO best practices to boost your ranking.

Why Are SEO Slugs Important for Ranking?

Well-written SEO slugs can boost your place on search engine results pages (SERPs) in a few ways.

Search Engines Understand the Contents of Your Page

Slugs, like focus keywords, are elements search engines use to rank your page. Say you create a page for your garden center’s website listing seasonal plants. The software generates a slug like: “/822937%20.”

Search engines won’t know your page has a list of seasonal plants for sale with that slug. However, you know what an SEO slug is, you can create a slug like: “/seasonal-plants.”

Now, your slug has information the search engine can use.

People Understand the Contents of Your Page

People also see your slug on their results page. The URL appears near your page’s title on the SERP.

A slug containing a string of symbols and numbers looks annoying and may lead the user to think something weird is happening with your page. Conversely, a precise SEO slug can entice people to click on and share your page.

Slugs Provide Another Place for Keywords

Slugs are another area for keywords. When you add them to your slug, search engines understand your page topic and rank it accordingly. Users also see their search topic in your slug.

What Are SEO Slug Best Practices?

When writing your slugs, keep these tips in mind:

• Use target keywords.
• Keep them concise.
• Use only lower-case letters.
• Match slugs to your page headlines.
• Use hyphens between words; otherwise, the URL turns your spaces into percentage characters.

Keep in mind that slugs are permanent. Changing them hurts your ranking, so choose them carefully. Need help determining what slugs to use? We can create ones that work for the long haul.

SEO Slug FAQs

How Do You Write a Good SEO Slug?

Include your focus keywords in your slug. Keep them clean and concise. Use all lower-case letters and put hyphens between words instead of spaces. Match slugs to your headlines.

What Is an Example of a Slug?

The slug identifies one of a website’s pages. In the URL “www.YourBusinessWebsite/contact-us,” the slug is “contact-us.” It indicates your Contact Us page.

Let Us Build an SEO Slug Strategy for You

SEO slugs are some of the myriad elements search engines use to rank your page. Find out today how we can help you craft slugs that boost rankings.