What is a slug in publishing and why it matters

Introduction

In publishing and on the web, a slug is the compact, readable version of a page title that appears in the URL.

A slug is not a title; it's a URL fragment that makes the link easy to read and remember. Slugs typically use lowercase letters, digits, and hyphens, and they avoid spaces and special characters.

What is a slug?

A slug is the URL-friendly label that identifies a page within a website. It is usually derived from the page's title but simplified to be concise and readable. For example, Understanding Slugs becomes understanding-slugs in the URL.

How slugs are used in publishing

Web content management systems use slugs to form the final URL. The slug appears after the domain and a slash, for example: https://example.com/blog/understanding-slugs. Slugs help both readers and search engines understand what the page is about.

Best practices for slug creation

• Keep it short and descriptive
• Use lowercase letters and hyphens
• Include important keywords, if possible
• Remove stop words like and, the, or of (unless needed for clarity)
• Avoid dates unless they are essential
• Avoid special characters and punctuation
• Ensure the slug is unique within the site

Conclusion

A good slug improves readability, shareability, and SEO without altering the page content. When in doubt, aim for a concise, keyword-rich, human-friendly slug.