A slug is the last part of a web address, the words that identify a single page. In example.com/blog/ten-tips-for-seo, the slug is ten-tips-for-seo. Slugs are small, but they are one of the few parts of a page that both visitors and search engines read before opening it.
Why slugs matter for SEO
A slug is a light signal, not a ranking trick. Its real value is clarity and consistency:
- It describes the page: a readable slug tells visitors and search engines what to expect before they click.
- It looks trustworthy: a clean address is easier to read in search results, in messages and on social networks.
- It is easier to manage: descriptive slugs make reports, redirects and internal links simpler to maintain.
How to write a good slug
- Keep it short and describe the topic with the two to five most important words.
- Use lowercase letters and separate words with hyphens, not underscores or spaces.
- Leave out dates, numbers that will change and unnecessary words such as “a” or “the”.
- Avoid special characters and accented letters when you can.
- Make it unique, so no other page on the site uses a similar address for the same topic.
How to change a slug in WordPress
- Open the post or page in the editor.
- In the settings sidebar, open the Summary section and click the link next to URL.
- Type the new slug, using lowercase words separated by hyphens.
- Click Update to save the change.
- Create a 301 redirect from the old address to the new one, using your SEO plugin or a redirect plugin.
Be careful when changing a live slug
Changing the slug of a page that is already published changes its address. Anyone who bookmarked it, and every site that links to it, will land on an error page unless you set up a permanent redirect. Search engines also need time to process the change. For this reason, choose slugs carefully before publishing and change them later only when there is a real benefit, for example to replace an address made of random numbers or a word that no longer describes the page.
Slugs and structured data
Clean addresses are part of a wider picture. Structured data also needs a stable page address, as you can see in our guide to WebSite schema markup, which uses the canonical home page URL as the identity of the site. After changing an address, check that your markup still points to the right page with the schema markup validator, and read how to insert a schema in the head section of your website if you need to update the code.