Learn how to design search-friendly, human-readable URL slugs: character transliteration, hyphenation, stop-word handling, and 301 redirect management.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Why are hyphens preferred over underscores in URL slugs?
Search engines (like Google) treat hyphens (-) as word separators (e.g., "url-parser" becomes "url" and "parser"), whereas underscores (_) are often treated as word joiners (e.g., "url_parser" becomes "url_parser").
Q2. How long should a URL slug be?
Aim for 3 to 5 words (under 60 characters). Shorter URLs are easier for users to read, share, and remember, and have higher click-through rates in search engine results.
Q3. What happens to SEO when I change a URL slug?
Changing a slug without a 301 Moved Permanently redirect will result in broken backlinks and lost search engine rankings. Always configure 301 redirects when updating permalinks.