SEO (search engine optimization) newbies could run into the term “slug.” So, you may wonder, what is an SEO slug, and how crucial is it to optimize for improved SEO of your web page?
You will discover what a post slug is in this article and why it is crucial for SEO. You will also learn SEO techniques in this article.
Also read: 12 Best SEO Agencies in Nottingham
What Is A URL Slug?
The portion of a URL known as a slug, easily accessible by both users and search engines, uniquely identifies a web page. The URL structure is very important for SEO strategy, as you want to be noticed by search engine crawlers.
Take all the URLs associated with such a domain, for instance, xyz.com. Every URL on the web page begins with xyz.com, and each page or post has a different slug. This is the sentence that follows the slash.
Also read: 6 SEO Keyword Research Tips For Beginners
The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of each page is made up of the domain of the website and the slug.
All web pages published on the Internet have distinctive URLs. No URL for a published page may also be used for a URL for an Internet page. What you want is an optimized URL slug.
Why It’s Important For SEO Strategy
It’s one of the signals that search engines consider when determining rankings. They scan the slug and targeted keywords and try to determine each page’s purpose.
The best URL slugs are simple to read and let users know what information to expect from a page. It clearly explains to users what information is on that page.
Related: Best Link Building Strategies That Work
How to Improve URL Slugs
1- Use Targeted Keywords
By incorporating a target keyword or keywords in the page slug, you may help Google, and other search engines understand for which keywords you want to rank the specific page or article.
Let’s use the example of wanting to rank for the keyword “Broccoli Health Benefits” and writing a piece titled “10 Amazing Health Benefits of Broccoli You Should Know About.”
Also See: Best Keyword Research Strategies To Try Out
The following slug will be generated by WordPress by default: “10 Amazing Health Benefits of Broccoli You Should Know About.”
It’s not horrible, but it’s long and has a lot of words, which can make users and Google confused. In this case, you can update the slug and change it to “Broccoli-health-benefits” to optimize it.
This is more concise, simpler for people to comprehend, and provides search engines with important information about the page’s content and the you want to rank for. You are assisting people in finding their search intent.
Also See: Best Tools To Find Long-Tail Keywords
While target keywords may not be an exact match, the entire web address will help in boosting your SEO rankings. Removing stop words can also be helpful. Target keywords are of supreme importance.
Also See: How To Find Out Which Keywords Your Website Ranks For?
2- Use the “-” Symbol
When creating your slugs, you should always use the “-” symbol because it ensures that your slugs are clean. URLs can’t have spaces in them because browsers will automatically convert any spaces you use into percentage characters. To avoid using unapproved characters, try using a hyphen or dash between each word in your URL. This will also help readers understand each word in the URL.
Also Read: Tips To Improve On-Page SEO
For example, every post on our website has “-” symbol:
seosandwitch.com/ui-and-ux-design/
seosandwitch.com/free-website-builders/
3- Create Short Slugs
Short, clear slugs are not only easier for readers to understand, but they can also help them remember the URL. Also, experts recommend having a slug length of between three to five words. Readers and search engines respond best to short, direct slugs, and this length is also incorporated into search engine results pages.
Also Read: On Page Seo
For example, one of our post talks about “Content Marketing Tips”, so we have create this short and simple slug:
seosandwitch.com/content-marketing-tips/
Also, when you are creating internal links, short slugs are easier to link for. Use descriptive and mixed anchors to get the maximum benefit in your link building efforts. Both internal and external links play a crucial role in improving the relevancy of the target pages.
4- Avoid Numbers & Dates
Including a year in the URL slug of your content is unnecessary, and can make it appear out of date. Not only date, but also using numbers is not recommended as per SEO guidelines. For example, if you have a page with the slug “seo strategies 2010”, then why would anyone be interested in this page? It clearly shows that this page is outdated.
5- Avoid Uppercase Letters
Similar to spaces, uppercase letters in slugs can cause multiple issues like 404 errors, duplicate content, etc. There are a few reasons why you might not want to use uppercase letters in slugs. First, they can be difficult to read. Second, they can be difficult to type, especially if you’re trying to do so quickly. Finally, they can just look downright unprofessional.
6- Pair Slugs with Heading
There are a few reasons why it’s important to match your slug (the part of the URL that comes after the domain name) to your content title or heading. First, it helps with SEO – search engines will be more likely to index your content if the title and slug match. Second, it makes it easier for people to share your content – if the title and slug match, people will be able to see what the content is about before they click on the link. Finally, it just looks better – a consistent title and slug makes your content look more professional and together.
For example, if your page title is “Everything You Need To Know About SaaS Marketing”, your slug could be “everything-about-saas-marketing”.
Also read: B2B SaaS Content Marketing Strategy Guide
Conclusion
When it comes to understanding SEO slugs and utilizing them, the above-mentioned ways will help your content climb a search engine results page. This way your particular page will be higher up the list.
So, just by updating part of the URL slug, you can be higher in search engine algorithms results. Services like SERP Slayers are a great example of this concept in action.
