Do URL Slugs Matter for SEO?

Do URL Slugs Matter for SEO? Search engine optimization (SEO) is a process that helps a page rank higher on search engines. It involves a number of factors, including keywords, UX, readability, links, domain authority, and more.

One detail that may be overlooked is the URL slug. It’s important to shorten it as much as possible, so that both Google and users can easily understand what your page is about.

Do URL Slugs Matter for SEO?

Keyword density, or the number of times a particular word or phrase is used on a website, helps search engines determine whether a page is relevant to a specific keyword. For example, if you have a 1000-word blog post and use a keyword 30 times, the keyword density would be 3%.

SEO experts say that using keywords a few times throughout your content can help boost search rankings Seo usluge, but it’s best to limit the number of times you use them. If you do too many, Google will frown upon your site and consider it keyword stuffing.

As far back as 2011, former Google webspam head Matt Cutts confirmed that there is no optimal keyword density. He said that it varies from one content piece to the next, but overuse can hurt your site’s ranking.

Short slugs

Using a short, clear URL slug makes it easier for users to understand the content and search engines to crawl and index the page. This can lead to better click-through rates and more page traffic for your site.

Moreover, using keywords strategically and sparingly in your URL slugs helps search engines understand what your page is about. However, don’t stuff your slugs full of keywords or they could result in penalties.

As a rule of thumb, experts suggest that you should aim for an ideal URL slug length of three to five words. This length has been proven to have an impact on CTR and page traffic positively.

Keeping it relevant

While it might not seem like a big deal, URL slugs play a key role in SEO. Search engines use slugs to get an idea of what a page is about and can rank it accordingly.

Slugs should be informative and relevant to what the page is about. They should also be readable to human eyes.

Ideally, slugs should be no longer than 60 characters. This makes it easier for people to read and navigate.

Slugs should also include keywords, but avoid keyword stuffing. That can lead to keyword penalties and make your slug less readable.

Avoiding numbers and dates

Including numbers and dates in URL slugs is an old-school practice that’s rarely used anymore. Besides being outdated and out of style, they can clog up your URL and make your content appear untrustworthy.

Moreover, they can also make it difficult for users to find your website. If you’re using subfolders, this can also lead to duplicate content issues and 404-page errors.

Luckily, it’s easy to avoid this by creating clean and SEO-friendly slugs that send the right message to search engines. This will help you rank better in search engine results pages.

Avoiding stop words

When creating titles, headings, and URL slugs, it is important to avoid stop words. They are usually ignored or filtered by search engines, making your content difficult to read.

As a result, many SEO professionals advise writers to remove stop words from web pages. WordPress plugins like Yoast SEO automatically remove stop words from permalinks and post slugs with the intention to boost search engine visibility.

However, it is important to remember that search engines are primarily concerned with user experience. They want to provide users with information that is easy to understand and helps them make informed decisions about their needs.