Slug (or “permalink”)

What Is a Slug or Permalink?

A slug (or permalink) is the part of your URL that comes after the domain name—essentially, it’s the “address” of a specific page on your website.

For example, in the URL https://example.com/about-us, the slug is about-us. Some platforms call it a “slug,” others call it a “permalink,” but they mean the same thing. The slug is just one part of the full URL, not the entire web address.

Optimizing your slug helps search engines understand what your page is about, and it also makes your URLs more readable and user-friendly.

Why Does the Slug Matter for SEO?

The slug matters because it contributes to both search clarity and link equity.

Search engines look at slugs as a signal to understand what your page covers. While keywords in slugs used to have a strong influence on rankings, today their main role is clarity and consistency. A short, descriptive slug tells both users and Google that your page is relevant and trustworthy.

From an SEO perspective, a clean permalink structure also helps with:

• Better crawlability: Search engines can easily identify unique pages.

• User trust: Short, meaningful slugs look professional and clickable.

• Avoiding duplicate link issues: Consistent URLs prevent wasted SEO value across multiple versions of the same page.

Why Does the Trailing Slash Matter?

A trailing slash is the “/” that sometimes appears at the end of a URL (e.g., https://example.com/page/).

It may seem minor, but in technical SEO, a version with a trailing slash and one without are two different URLs. When both versions exist, your site splits its link equity between them. Even though redirects pass most SEO value, about 20% can be lost in the process.

That’s why consistency matters more than the slash itself—pick one format and stick with it site-wide. Most platforms automatically handle this, but it’s worth checking that all internal links and external backlinks point to the same version.

How Long Should Your Slug Be?

Keep your slug short, descriptive, and readable—ideally one to three words.

When you create a blog post or a page, the default slug is often generated from the title, which might be too long (e.g., “how-to-optimize-your-url-structure-for-better-seo”). Long slugs look messy and can reduce click-through rates.

Here’s how to improve them:

• Remove unnecessary stop words like “a,” “an,” “the,” “of,” or “and.”

• Keep only the essential terms that describe the page’s topic.

• Use hyphens (-) to separate words—not underscores (_).

This keeps your slugs concise, readable, and more likely to be shared or remembered.

Before & After Optimization Table

Example Context	Poor Example	Optimized Example
Blog post title	how-to-optimize-your-url-structure-for-better-seo	url-optimization
Product page	buy_the_best_luxury_wrist_watches_online_now	luxury-watches
Service page	our-franchise-development-and-activation-services	franchise-activation
News article	the-latest-updates-on-google-algorithm-changes-for-2025	google-algorithm-updates

Optimized slugs are clear, short, and communicate the page’s topic without unnecessary filler words.

Why Should You Avoid Underscores in URLs?

Avoid using underscores (_) in your slugs because Google treats them as part of the word, not as separators.

For example, seo_tips would be read as “seotips,” while seo-tips is interpreted as “seo tips.” Most modern website platforms use hyphens by default, but if you manually create URLs, always stick with hyphens for clarity and proper keyword recognition.

If your existing URLs already contain underscores and are indexed, don’t change them unless absolutely necessary—redirects can cause small losses in link value. Instead, apply the hyphen rule moving forward.

Should You Include Keywords in the Slug?

Not necessarily—and that’s a big SEO myth.

Years ago, adding keywords to your slug was a proven tactic to boost rankings. But today, Google’s algorithm understands page content far better and no longer rewards keyword-stuffed URLs. In fact, Google introduced the Exact Match URL update to stop people from gaming the system by cramming keywords into domain names and slugs.

So while having your keyword in a slug won’t hurt you, it won’t help much either. The real goal is clarity: your slug should describe the page accurately in a few words. If your topic and keyword align naturally, great—but don’t force it.

How to Check and Fix Slug Issues on Your Site

You can quickly audit your slugs and permalinks using an SEO tool like Semrush, Ahrefs, or Screaming Frog.

Look for:

• Duplicate URLs or redirects with inconsistent trailing slashes

• Pages with long or unreadable slugs

• Underscores or unnecessary stop words

• Old URLs that could be consolidated or redirected

Once identified, update your permalink structure carefully and redirect old links to maintain SEO equity.

The Bottom Line

Your slug (or permalink) might seem like a small detail, but it has a big impact on how users and search engines view your site.

Keep it short, consistent, and descriptive—avoid underscores, limit stop words, and focus on clarity over keywords. Doing so keeps your URLs clean, your SEO strong, and your visitors confident that every link they click is taking them exactly where they expect to go.