What Is a Slug? Simple Tips to Improve Your Blog Links

If you’re writing blog posts as an author, speaker, or podcaster, you want people to actually find—and read—your words. But here’s the thing: even the small details of your blog setup can make a big difference. 

One of those details? Your slug.

A slug is the part of your blog post link that comes after the slash. For example:

alyssaavantandcompany.com/blog-post-title-here

That last section—“blog-post-title-here”—is the slug. And it’s more powerful than it looks.

What to Know About Your Slug

It’s Part of Your URL.

Your slug is part of your web address, which means it’s one of the first clues search engines and readers get about your post. 

If the title of your blog is like the book cover, the slug is the chapter title—it gives direction and focus.

Shorter is Better.

A good slug is short, clear, and straight to the point. You don’t need filler words like the, a, or and. Instead, choose words that highlight your main idea or keyword. 

Short slugs are:

• easier to remember
• easier to type
• look cleaner when you share them online.

Example: 

Instead of using the entire title like this:
yourwebsite.com/how-to-stay-motivated-when-writing-your-first-book-even-on-the-hard-days

Do this:
yourwebsite.com/stay-motivated-writing-book

It Affects SEO and Shareability.

Search engines like Google scan your slug to help understand what your content is about. A messy slug filled with random numbers or too many words can hurt your visibility. 

Pro Tip: Don’t use an autogenerated slug that uses the date of your post. This information is not relevant to your topic itself, and will only confuse search engines.

A clean, keyword-focused slug helps your post show up in searches and makes the link more appealing to click when people see it on social media.

You Can (and Should) Edit It.

Don’t just accept the slug WordPress automatically generates—it often grabs your full blog title and turns it into a long, awkward link. Before publishing, look under your post title for the “Edit” button. 

Take a moment to adjust it so it’s short, clear, and focused. This tiny step can make a big difference.

Action Step

Go back to your last three blog posts. Do the slugs make sense? Are they short, clear, and easy to read? 

If not, take a few minutes to update them.

Think of your slug like the sign on a door. If it’s cluttered or confusing, people may walk right past. But if it’s simple and clear, they’ll know exactly where they’re headed—and they’ll be more likely to step in. 

A few small edits can open the door for more readers to find and enjoy your words.