URL slug
A URL slug is the last part of a web address, the words that name one page, like cold-brew-recipe in /blog/cold-brew-recipe.
A URL slug is the part of a web address that names one specific page, usually the last part after the final slash. In fernhillcoffee.com/blog/cold-brew-recipe, the slug is cold-brew-recipe. Most site builders create it from the page title, and you can usually edit it before you publish.
For a marketer, the slug is a small thing that's annoying to change later. Get it right when the page goes live.
Writing a good slug
Make it short, readable and about the page: a few words, lowercase, separated by hyphens. Leave out dates, IDs and filler words unless they help. Google's URL structure guide recommends simple, readable words and hyphens over underscores.
For example, kestrelroasters.com/p?id=48213 tells nobody anything. kestrelroasters.com/beans/ethiopia-yirgacheffe tells a person and a search engine what the page is before they open it. People are also more likely to click a link that looks like what they want.
Changing a slug
A new slug means a new address. Every link to the old one, from your own pages and from other sites, breaks unless you add a permanent redirect from the old address to the new one. Search engines take a while to catch up, so change slugs only when there's a good reason.
Slugs in AI answers
When an AI platform cites a page, it often shows the address or the domain. A readable slug makes the citation look trustworthy and tells the reader what they'll find if they click. It's also one more clue, alongside the title and headings, about what the page covers.
In AnswerOrbit
To decide who owns a cited page, we check your website's exact address first, then your other domains, then your competitors'. The Pages tab in Sources lists each page by its address, so readable slugs make that list much easier to scan.