How to use the URL Slug Generator
URL slugs are a small ranking signal — but they're also a permanent commitment. A clean slug at publish time saves a redirect debt later when the URL has accumulated backlinks.
Paste the title or phrase
Drop in your blog post title, product name, or any string you need to URL-encode.
Pick the case style
Lowercase with hyphens is the universal SEO standard. The tool also supports underscores and camelCase for non-SEO use cases (API endpoints, file names).
Drop stop words (optional)
Remove "a", "an", "the", "of", "in" to shorten the slug. Skip this for slugs that need to make sense as English (most blog posts).
Copy the result
Use it as your CMS slug. Once published, never change it without setting up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one.
Why URL slugs matter (and where they don't)
URL slugs are a weak ranking signal but a strong UX signal. A clean slug helps users understand the link before clicking; a slug full of IDs and parameters erodes trust. The right slug is short, descriptive, and permanent.
What makes a good URL slug
- Lowercase only — case-sensitive servers can treat /Page and /page as different URLs.
- Hyphens, not underscores — Google treats hyphens as word separators; underscores join words.
- Under 60 characters — shorter is more shareable and fits in SERP breadcrumbs.
- Includes the primary keyword — small ranking signal, big UX signal.
- Excludes dates — /2024/post-name dates the URL; better to skip the year.
- No special characters — strip apostrophes, quotes, ampersands, brackets.
- Permanent — never change once published unless you're prepared to 301.
Stop words: drop or keep?
The case for dropping ("a", "an", "the", "of"): shorter slugs, denser keyword. The case for keeping: human-readable URLs that read like English. Most modern sites keep stop words for readability — the keyword density gain from dropping is negligible. Drop only when the slug would otherwise exceed 60 characters.
When NOT to change a URL slug
Once a URL has been indexed, has backlinks, or has been shared anywhere — don't change the slug. Every change requires a 301 redirect, redirect chains hurt PageRank flow, and you lose any direct shares of the old URL when those people copy and re-paste a now-broken link.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use hyphens or underscores in URL slugs?
Hyphens. Google treats hyphens as word separators (so "running-shoes" is read as "running shoes") and treats underscores as joining characters (so "running_shoes" is read as one word: "runningshoes"). Hyphens are also more readable to humans.
How long should a URL slug be?
Under 60 characters as a soft target. Shorter slugs are more shareable, fit cleanly in SERP breadcrumbs, and are easier to copy-paste. Beyond 60, the URL becomes hard to read and starts truncating in some surfaces.
Should I include the primary keyword in the slug?
Yes — it's a small ranking signal but a stronger UX signal. Users decide whether to click partly based on whether the URL looks relevant. /best-running-shoes-flat-feet beats /post-12345 for both Google and humans.
Should I drop stop words from URL slugs?
Optional. The keyword density gain is minimal. Most modern sites keep stop words for readability — "how-to-train-for-a-marathon" reads better than "train-marathon". Drop them only when the slug would otherwise exceed 60 characters.
Can I include numbers or dates in URL slugs?
Numbers yes ("7-best-x" is fine). Dates discouraged — /2024/post-name dates the URL, making it look stale once the year passes. Better to use a flat structure /post-name/ that doesn't telegraph publish date in the URL.