What is a URL slug?
The slug is the readable part at the end of a URL that names the page, like “easy-weeknight-recipes” in yoursite.com/blog/easy-weeknight-recipes. A good slug tells people and search engines what the page is about before they click.
Slugs show up in search results, shared links and browser history. A clear one looks trustworthy and is easy to remember, while a string of numbers and symbols looks like spam.
What makes a good slug
A few simple rules cover most cases:
- Short: three to five words is plenty. Aim for under 60 characters.
- Lowercase: some servers treat /Recipes and /recipes as different pages.
- Hyphens between words: Google reads hyphens as spaces, but treats underscores as part of the word.
- Plain letters: café becomes cafe, so the link copies and types cleanly.
- No years or counts that will go stale, like “2024” or “7-tips”, unless the page is about that year.
How the conversion works
Accented letters are split from their marks and the marks are dropped, so “é” becomes “e”. Letters that don't split that way are spelled out: ß becomes ss, æ becomes ae, ø becomes o. Apostrophes are removed so “don't” stays one word. Everything else that isn't a letter or number becomes a separator.
When you set a max length, the slug is cut at the last whole word that fits, so it never ends halfway through a word.
Changing a slug later
Pick your slug before you publish. If you change it afterward, old links and search results point to a page that no longer exists. If you must change one, set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one.
Slugs beyond blog posts
The same rules work for product pages, event pages, file names and the custom end of a short link. A slug like “spring-sale” or “book-a-call” is easier to say out loud, fits on a flyer and looks trustworthy when someone sees it in your bio or a message.
Keep slugs consistent across your site. If your blog uses hyphens and lowercase, use the same for products and pages, so people can guess a URL and it still works.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use hyphens or underscores in URLs?
Hyphens. Google treats a hyphen as a space between words, while an underscore joins them, so “red-shoes” reads as two words and “red_shoes” as one.
Should I remove stop words from slugs?
Often, yes, to keep slugs short. But keep them when they change the meaning, like “how-to” or “to-do-list”.
How long should a URL slug be?
As short as it can be while still describing the page. Three to five words, and under about 60 characters, is a good target.
Can I convert many titles at once?
Yes. Paste one title per line and each gets its own slug. Use Copy all to grab the full list.