URL Slug

A well-structured slug is short, descriptive, uses hyphens (not underscores) to separate words, and generally includes the page's primary target keyword in a natural, readable form rather than a string of IDs or unnecessary filler words. Changing an existing, already-indexed page's slug carries real risk and shouldn't be done casually — it requires a proper 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one to preserve accumulated backlink equity and rankings, and even with a correct redirect, some temporary ranking fluctuation during the transition is common as search engines re-process the change. Because of this risk, getting the slug right before initial publication is worth more care than treating it as easily fixable later.

Example

A glossary page uses the slug /glossary/keyword-cannibalization rather than /glossary/term-47 or an overly long /glossary/what-is-keyword-cannibalization-and-how-to-fix-it — short, descriptive, and keyword-relevant without unnecessary length.

Related terms

• Canonical Tag
• Redirect (301/302)
• Site Architecture
• Title Tag
• Backlink