What Is a URL Slug and How to Write One That Improves SEO

The URL slug is the human-readable path identifier after the domain — in https://myultratoolkit.com/qr-code-generator the slug is qr-code-generator. Despite being short and often set once and forgotten, it affects SEO, click-through rates, and link trust more than its size suggests.

Why Slugs Matter for SEO

Google uses URL slugs as a relevance signal. A slug containing the target keyword reinforces the signal from the title tag and content. In search results, a readable slug matching the query increases click-through rate — and CTR is a user signal Google weighs. When links are shared in plain text, a clean slug builds trust; a URL filled with query parameters does not.

Slug Best Practices

Use kebab-case: hyphens between words, all lowercase. Google treats hyphens as word separators; underscores as word joiners — qr-code-generator signals three words, qr_code_generator signals one compound word. Spaces encode as %20 and are unreadable.

Include the target keyword: naturally and specifically. Do not keyword-stuff with multiple variations.

Keep it short: remove stop words (a, an, the, of, for). /guide-to-writing-invoice-for-freelancers → /freelancer-invoice-guide — shorter, clearer, same meaning.

Never change published slugs: changing a slug breaks every existing link and resets accumulated PageRank. If you must change one, implement a 301 permanent redirect immediately.

Generating Slugs

UltraToolkit's Text Case Converter includes a kebab-case option. Paste the page title, click kebab-case, copy the result directly into your CMS URL field. Instant, accurate, no manual editing required.