URL slug : A Key to Master – 3 Min Read

🗔October 27, 2021
🖉Shubhangi Pandya
🗁
- Digital Marketing

You have seen it every time you open a web page, you have clicked on it every time you needed to know something or entertain yourself. A URL slug in the simplest of definitions is the distinctively blue coloured line of writing which leads you to or links you to a web page or web site. It can be optimized to attract more traffic.

Hence here we analyse the various aspects associated with this term. These elements/ aspects are; Slug Importance for SEO, Difference between URL Slug and URL, URL Formats, WordPress URL Formats, URL Best Practises.

What is a URL slug?

URL slug meaning

Often marketers who are new to the digital realm or web design have doubts regarding “what is a URL slug?”

A URL slug is the end part of a link that appears after the last backlash. URL slug acts as a road map to the readers. It is the exact address of a specific page or article on your site. In http://wearethewriters.com/what-is-proofreading-know-it-all/ – “what-is-proofreading-know-it-all” is the URL’s slug.

Each slug you include on your web page should be distinctive. It conveys information about the content on your web page to the readers and search engines. Learning what is a slug URL is and how to make it interesting is essential if you want to drive the most traffic to your website.

Do gain more knowledge on URL SLUG do read this article : What is a slug and how to optimize it?

SLUG IMPORTANCE FOR SEO

To interpret the material they encounter, search engine algorithms require clear, crisp, and
structured content. You must have tried to copy a link and found a lengthy rill of numbers , symbols, alphabets, and what not! Irritating isn’t it? The same can happen with your links if you don’t optimize them Just like you and me nobody likes such disturbing elements on their search bar. Moreover, it looks suspicious to many.
Include a keyword in your slug. That might not help you, readers, at some point but will definitely allow search engines to rank your article.

Therefore, knowing the meaning is very important to accomplishing the goal of the highest SEO results.

ADDING KEYWORDS IN URL

The main slug importance for SEO is that it allows the blogger to add keywords in the URL. Thus, you can now add words which are beneficial for the blog to rank of web.

CONVENIENT URLs

One of the first things that a user will see on web is the URL. Therefore, your slug must consist of all the details that the user would want to read. It will only be convenient for the users if you draft your slug and URL in manner that depicts the exact contents of the blog.

Therefore, the slug importance for SEO is an integral part of the blogging process and will always remain so.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN URL SLUG AND URL

The difference between URL Slug and URL is obvious but a lesser known one. We have already defined the meaning of URL slug but now we aim to analyse the difference between them.

Hence, here is the difference:

URL

It remains unchanged over many years.
It is less likely to get rot.
It helps in identifying the web pages and information with great ease as it is easy to be remembered by the readers.
It has common usage.
These links are durable as they are managed by the blogger himself or herself.

URL SLUG

It is built up of keywords.
It is present within the end part of URL.
It is based on the title of the particular blog or article.
One can generate it automatically or by manually altering it.
This includes low case letters and punctuation marks are generally removed.

Therefore, these are the basic difference between URL Slug and URL. URL is a much bigger unit and within it comes the slug.

URL FORMATS

A variety of web pages have the URL displayed on the address bar. We often read something like , this is basically what URL Slug is. Hence URL formats are available in a variety of types. It can be fairly difficult to make changes in interconnected URL formats as that might lead to broken links. Hence here we describe the various types of URL formats:

BIGCOMMERCE URL FORMATS

This brilliant website building platform provides amongst other an option to create online stores. The blogger or the business owner can customize his or her business, especially for URL structure or the Slug URL formats. However, there is a certain predetermined format that is followed. One can gain access to several tools or mechanisms to create an online store. Furthermore, the tools provided by Bigcommerce are convenient and user-friendly. It is therefore and attractive opportunity for all those who wish design a worthy online store. Moreover, in times such as these, when people prefer buying from home, Bigcommerce URL formats can prove to be very useful.

WORDPRESS URL FORMATS

One of the most liberal and easy-to-use website creators in the world is WordPress. Any blogger would feel a great amount of freedom and convenience while working on WordPress URL formats. As far as the URL Slug is concerned, you can easily edit the URL for pages and blog posts. Moreover, editing the slug is also very handy and practical. The WordPress URL formats are also known as Permalinks within WordPress. Furthermore, WordPress URL formats will tend to affix the Page ID number. Therefore, WordPress URL formats are very much accessible and adaptable, so much so that even a novice blogger would be able to find his or her way through it.

URL BEST PRACTISES

Mastering URL best practises is a sign that the particular professional blogger is learning the trade of blogosphere. Being able to draft a perfectly SEO-friendly URL is an exceptional quality which helps in achieving the ultimate success and boosting revenue or profits. The Uniform Resource Locator is not merely about a group of words but rather about carefully crafted URL best practises. Hence, here we mention certain URL best practises for every new blogger in town:

CONSTRUCT A GOOD URL STRUCTURE

The hierarchy of URL structure is extremely vital for figuring out the success of your website. It is one the primary URL best practises. It is always advised to form a URL structure that is logical, simple, and easy to remember. Moreover, it should convey the meaning and essence of the writeup in a few words. However, more than anything else, always make it instinctive so that the search engine can easily locate your blog.

FOLLOW THE HTTPS PROTOCOL

The HTTPs is a secure protocol that must be followed. It encrypts the communication between the browser and website so that hackers cannot set a trap. The https also grants a great deal of credibiltiy and reliability to the website.

CONCEAL THE PREFIX

The www or world wide web prefix should be concealed or hidden to prevent any confusion. Earlier it was always included but it is not mandatory anymore. The www prefix will also take up more time to type and consequently make the URL longer. By hiding the prefix you will make your domain neater and and naked.

NO STOP WORDS

Stop words include and, or, of, to, for, the, and so on. These words should not be used in the URL. If these words are present you must remove it, as without these words the URL is much easier to remember.

REMOVE DATES

The post dates of the blog posts must be removed from the web pages. The basic explanation for this is that people always love reading latest write ups, dating a blog would make it seem older and irrelevant to the reader. Thus, the blogger must remove dates from the URL, if any.

THE FINAL WORD

Building a URL Slug is a vital task for any blogger and writer. It is what connects the various elements of the blogosphere and strikes a balance of information. In conclusion I would just ask all the bloggers to make sure that your Url slug is full of meaningful keywords, short, and simple. Moreover, being intuitive comes only with experience, so let the good and bad escapades prevail.