As a WordPress owner or manager, you will likely come across new terms that aren’t always obvious as to what they mean. While slug is an odd term for a website, this term is fairly easy to understand. This post will discuss what a slug is and tips for creating a slug. 

What Is a Slug on Your WordPress Site?

A slug refers to the last part of a URL for a specific page, post, or category archive on a WordPress website. For example, the slug of this post is “what-is-a-slug-on-your-wordpress-site.” Since slugs help users access your site’s content, it’s important to create descriptive and relevant slugs that make sense. This makes it easier for users to quickly look at their browser bar and determine where they are on your website. Indeed, slugs are a key element of UX. 

As for search engines, Google considers page slugs when indexing and ranking content on WordPress sites. This is why it’s important to optimize your slugs, which will make it easier for users to discover your content on search engine result pages (SERPs). 

Examples of WordPress Slugs

Check out these examples of slugs below, which are in bold. It’s important to note that slugs can be used for pages, posts, and categories. Depending on the size of your site, category slugs may be necessary to properly organize your different types of blog categories or location pages. 

Tips for Creating an Awesome Slug

1. Create a Slug that Reflects the Content

When creating a slug, it’s important to choose words that tell online visitors what the page or post is about. This is a helpful tip to ensure visitors can quickly scan your page or post URL and know what the content is about. Some sites may use random strings of numbers or letters to define slugs, which makes it difficult to know what a page or post is about. Additionally, it also reduces your site’s UX for potential and existing visitors. 

2. Use Dashes to Separate Words

For any slug that has more than one word, use dashes to separate the words. This makes it easier for site visitors to quickly read and understand your slugs. While one word slugs can be used, it’s typically best to use the right amount of words that effectively describe a page or post. 

3. Use Relevant Keywords to Boost Your Site’s SEO Rankings

As you create your slugs, it’s helpful to incorporate relevant keywords that help show visitors and search engines what your page or post is about. Category slugs allow you to organize your site content into smaller topics, such as a blog post with WordPress development, hosting, and optimization categories. It’s important to only use keywords that make sense for visitors, rather than stuffing your slugs with search terms just to boost your site’s overall SEO rankings. 

4. Keep Your Slugs Short and Sweet

Like anything online, it’s best to keep your slugs short and sweet. Your online visitors will find it easier to understand and remember a short slug compared to a long one. If visitors want to quickly come back to your URL, a shorter slug will be easier to type into their browser and navigate back to a specific page or post. This doesn’t mean you should only write one or two word slugs. Instead, focus on writing slugs that describe the content and make sense. Never add words to a slug just for the sake of adding something. 

We hope you enjoyed this week’s article discussing what a slug is and how to create awesome slugs for your WordPress content. By incorporating these tips into your site, you will find it easier to create slugs that are specific, relevant, and optimized. If you’re a WordPress agency, check out our white label WordPress services designed to help you focus on what matters most for your business. Let our WordPress experts handle your client sites, including everything from hosting, content editing, page building, and maintenance.