What Exactly Is a Slug? Why Do URL Slugs Matter in SEO?
The component of the URL following the last backslash is known as the URL slug.
For example, the URL for the article you’re reading right now is:
https://www.nummero.com/blog/what-is-a-url-slug
“/what-is-a-URL-slug” is the slug of the URL.
What Role Does a Slug Play in SEO?
As the example above shows, a slug can be extremely useful for keyword SEO.
The keywords in the URL structure of your content help indicate to Google that your material should be featured on the SERP if a person searches Google for “what is a slug.”
If it indicates what the webpage is about, a good slug can improve a user’s experience.
A web page URL containing a string of characters, letters, or numbers may appear on occasion.
Users may be confused by these slugs and pause before clicking.
Those kinds of slugs don’t look very trustworthy.
A decent URL slug also aids Google’s crawl bots in determining how to reach your page and validates its content.
What Role Do Web Slugs Play in Search Engine Ranking?
Yes, to put it succinctly.
Including SEO keywords in your URL can help you rank for the keywords you want to target.
Google considers the URL when evaluating your page, therefore if the URL slug contains your keywords, Google is more likely to give it a higher position.
What’s the Difference Between a URL and a Slug?
The last portion of a whole URL is the URL slug.
The URL stands for the page’s whole web address.
Different CMS Slug and URL Formats
Various content management systems are used for a variety of purposes (CMS).
Slugs may be used in a variety of ways depending on the CMS.
You may tweak and update your slugs if you make a site with Wix, for example.
However, there are a few slugs that you can’t use.
These slugs are exclusive to Wix applications and are thus inaccessible.
Formats for Shopify URLs
When it comes to URLs, Shopify has a very strict format:
Product pages are found in the /products/subfolder folder.
Product category pages may be found at /collections/subfolder.
web pages /pages/subfolder
Changing the slugs might be a challenge.
Shopify is an online store.
Because URLs are interrelated, altering a slug may result in broken links.
Using a layer of filters or tags, you might try to apply a parent-child URL structure to your slugs.
These tags, on the other hand, will not be as adaptable for items.
If you ever decide to leave Shopify, it will be tough to move these URLs.
According to the Shopify community forums, you may need to request modified slugs from the Shopify support staff.
URL for Big commerce
Big commerce is a website builder that also allows you to set up an online store.
When it comes to URL construction, it’s perhaps more configurable than Shopify, but the platform still adheres to a set of rules.
The platform comes with everything you’ll need to start an online business.
Big commerce’s tools are simple to use, which may appeal to those who aren’t interested in constructing and configuring their setup.
Formats for WordPress URLs
When it comes to slugs, WordPress gives you more options.
You may amend and alter the URLs of the pages and blog entries you upload at any time.
Slugs for URLs that are too long
Poorly formatted URLs may appear to be spam or a hoax.
This can be quite off-putting to a consumer, and they may not click through.
Let’s have a look at this URL:
https://z.co.nz/about-z/find-us/map/-47.26432,150.007324,-34.542762,-174.836426/all/opennow/any/
This URL will very certainly prompt some critical queries, such as: what is Z?
Is this a link to a page on who we are?
Are those coordinates from a map?
Why are the words ‘open now’ prominently displayed?
Is this a store?
Take a look at the following URL:
https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/5038390
The National Library of Australia (NLA) is the name of the institution, but whose document are we looking at?
Search engines and crawl bots are confused by bad URLs.
Why would a user click through if the URL doesn’t reflect what’s on the page?
Why would people put their faith in that URL?
How is the NLA website going to be indexed by a crawling bot?
Who is looking for “5038390?”
How would this web page ever appear in a SERP unless a user was given that number and expressly typed it into a search?
It’s usually a good idea to try to personalize your URL slugs for both user experience and indexing reasons.
Make the slugs as short as possible so that people can easily discover your sites.
Best Practices for URLs
HTTPS should be the first part of your URL.
Secure and encrypted communications are provided via HTTP protocols.
If you don’t have this protocol installed, most web browsers will warn you that you’re about to visit an unsafe website.
This will almost always discourage a user from continuing.
Ensure that your domain is unambiguous.
Match your brand name to the domain name if possible.
This makes it easier for consumers and search engines to figure out where they are.
“https://semrush.com,” for example, refers to Semrush’s web tool suite.
You can see their brand name in the URL, so you know you’ll be sent to Semrush’s website when you click through.
Notice there’s no “www” in front of the address?
While it is still legally part of the URL (and you can include it if you like), it is no longer required by convention.
Make use of subdomains.
If you wish to read nummero’s blog, go to https://nummero.com/blog/ and add that subdomain to the root domain.
This URL will lead you to a page with the most recent articles as well as the ability to search the article database for any topic you’re interested in.
Conclusion
SEO may be used for every aspect of your online presence, including URLs.
In the realm of SEO, every piece of on-page optimization helps.
Remember to be specific with your slugs so that people and Google understand precisely what your page is about.
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