There are so many different terms for digital marketing metrics, SEO strategies, web design, and content creation that it can be hard to keep track of them all, let alone optimize them all.
And, unfortunately, that can sometimes hurt your website’s URL strategy and URL slug.
This article will tell you everything you need to know about URL slugs, how to use them in your SEO strategy with the help of SEO services, and how to improve them in the future.
What is a URL Slug?
What is a URL slug and why does it matter for my company’s website?
A URL slug identifies a page or post after the backslash (“/”).
Each slug on your web pages must be unique and provide information to readers and search engines.
Your homepage URL or website domain name won’t include a slug, but all of your other pages will.
The automatic slug isn’t as valuable as one you build using best practices and keywords.
It’s crucial to understand slugs and how to optimize them.
Ways to Create SEO-Friendly URL Slug
Now that we understand the importance of URL slugs, let’s take a look at the best practices and optimal strategies for your slug creation.
1. Use the sign “-”
Putting a hyphen between words in your URL slug will help make sure that it is clear and easy to read.
URLs aren’t allowed to have spaces in them, and if you try to use them, browsers will change them into % signs.
You’ve probably seen URLs with “%20” or something similar in the slug.
By putting a hyphen or dash between each word, you can avoid using characters that aren’t allowed and make it easier for people to understand what each word in your URL means.
2. Don’t use long slugs
Slugs that are short and easy to understand make it easy for readers to know what content is on each page and also help them remember the URL.
They also tell search engines what the page is about.
Experts say that the best length for a URL slug is between three and five words.
Short, direct slugs are best for both readers and search engines. This length is also taken into account on search engine results pages.
3. Use keywords you want to rank for
The keyword you want to rank for should be in your slug. Period.
This is true for all of the pages on your site, including blog posts.
Target keywords can be added to all of these web pages to help SEO for things like your products, services, or locations.
4. Put the slugs with the headlines
When you post blog posts or articles, your slug should match the title of the content.
It doesn’t have to be a perfect match (remember, you want short slugs). Just keep the keyword in mind, and you should be fine.
For example, if the title of your blog post is “Everything You Need to Know About Content Marketing,” your slug could be “everything-about-content-marketing.”
The slug is clear, short, includes the keyword (“content marketing”), and changes the title in an objective way.
5. Don’t go out with your slugs
Users might think your page is old if the date in the URL slug is from a year before now.
It’s useless information that makes the URL longer and can make your content look not only old but also out of style.
6. Only use small letters
URLs are tricky, and they often have problems with duplication or the way they look.
Uppercase letters can also lead to duplicate content or 404-page errors, just like spaces and percent signs.
7. Update Old Slugs
If you’ve already made pages that don’t follow these best practices, you might want to do a major overhaul to make your slugs more clear.
But remember that slugs aren’t meant to be changed all the time. In fact, doing this too often can hurt your rankings in search engines.
Start with a few pages that don’t do as well and watch how your rankings change.
Wrapping Up:
It’s important to optimize the links you use on and off your site. This is especially important for URL slugs. You can contact professional SEO services to make it more trustworthy, which makes it more likely that people will click on it. You’re also likely to see your site’s SEO rankings go up.
