Creating custom URL slugs is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to improve your links. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to create perfect custom slugs for any platform—whether you're building web pages or shortening URLs.
What You'll Learn
What is a Custom Slug?
A custom slug is a URL-friendly text string you create yourself, rather than letting a system generate random characters. It's the part of a URL that identifies a specific page.
urlcut.ai/3xK2jN9
Hard to rememberurlcut.ai/summer-sale
Memorable & clearCustom slugs are used in two main contexts:
- Website pages: Blog posts, product pages, landing pages (e.g.,
yoursite.com/blog/my-custom-post) - URL shorteners: Custom short links (e.g.,
urlcut.ai/my-campaign)
Custom slugs improve click-through rates by up to 39%—learn more about why URL slugs matter for SEO and user experience.
Let's learn how to create the perfect custom slug in 5 easy steps.
Start With Your Title or Topic
Begin with your page title, article headline, or the topic your link is about. This is your raw material.
Example Starting Points:
- Article: "The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing for Small Businesses"
- Product: "Premium Wireless Bluetooth Headphones - Model X200"
- Campaign: "Summer 2025 End of Season Sale"
- Resource: "Free Marketing Templates Download"
Pro Tip
If you're creating a short link for sharing, think about the destination page's main purpose. What will make someone want to click?
Remove Unnecessary Words
Trim your title down to 3-5 essential words. Remove:
- Stop words: the, a, an, and, or, but, in, on, at, to, for, of, with
- Filler words: ultimate, complete, comprehensive (unless critical)
- Redundant words: words that don't add meaning to the slug
"The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing for Small Businesses"
"Email Marketing Small Businesses"
More Examples:
| Original Title | After Removing Stop Words |
|---|---|
| How to Start a Blog in 2025 | Start Blog 2025 |
| The Best Coffee Makers for Your Home | Best Coffee Makers |
| An Introduction to Machine Learning Concepts | Machine Learning Introduction |
Format for URLs
Convert your trimmed text into a URL-friendly format:
Convert to Lowercase
"Email Marketing" → "email marketing"
Replace Spaces with Hyphens
"email marketing" → "email-marketing"
Remove Special Characters
"What's New?" → "whats-new"
Convert Accents to ASCII
"café guide" → "cafe-guide"
"Email Marketing Small Businesses"
email-marketing-small-businessesUse Our Tool
Don't want to do this manually? Our free slug generator automatically formats any text into a perfect URL slug.
Check Length and Keywords
Review your slug against these criteria:
Shorter is better. Aim for 3-5 words.
Include your main keyword (e.g., "email marketing").
Someone should understand the topic from the URL alone.
Could you tell someone this URL verbally?
Slug Length Guide:
Our example slug email-marketing-small-businesses is 34 characters—well within the optimal range. For more on length, keywords, and formatting, see our complete URL slug best practices guide.
Verify Availability
Before using your slug, make sure it's available:
For Website Pages
Check your CMS (WordPress, Shopify, etc.) to ensure no other page uses this slug. Most platforms will warn you or auto-modify duplicates.
For Short Links
In URLcut.ai, type your desired slug and the system instantly tells you if it's available. If taken, try adding numbers or extra words.
If Your Slug is Taken:
- Add the year:
email-marketing-2025 - Add a qualifier:
email-marketing-guideoremail-marketing-tips - Add your brand:
acme-email-marketing - Use a synonym:
email-campaigns-small-business
Platform-Specific Guides
Here's how to add custom slugs on popular platforms:
WordPress
- Open your post/page editor
- Click "Post" in the right sidebar
- Find "URL" or "Permalink"
- Click to edit the slug
- Type your custom slug
- Click outside to save
Shopify
- Go to Products/Pages/Blog posts
- Open the item to edit
- Scroll to "Search engine listing"
- Click "Edit website SEO"
- Modify the URL handle
- Save changes
URLcut.ai
- Paste your long URL
- View AI-suggested slugs
- Select one or type your own
- Click "Create Short Link"
- Copy and share!
Squarespace
- Edit your page
- Click the gear icon (settings)
- Go to "General" tab
- Find "URL Slug" field
- Enter your custom slug
- Save and close
Before & After Examples
See how different types of content get transformed into perfect custom slugs:
Blog Post
increase-email-open-ratesProduct Page
ergonomic-office-chair-ec500Landing Page
black-friday-dealsDocumentation
api-authenticationFrequently Asked Questions
How long should a custom slug be?
Aim for under 60 characters, ideally 3-5 words. Shorter slugs are easier to remember, share, and rank better in search results. Our slug generator shows you the character count in real-time.
Can I change a custom slug after creating it?
Yes, but be careful. Changing a slug creates a new URL, which breaks existing links. If you've shared the original link, set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one to preserve SEO value and prevent broken links.
What if my desired custom slug is already taken?
Try adding a year (e.g., summer-sale-2025), a qualifier (summer-sale-guide), or your brand name (acme-summer-sale). Small variations can make your slug unique while keeping it relevant.
Should I use underscores or hyphens in slugs?
Always use hyphens (-). Google treats hyphens as word separators but may treat underscores (_) as word joiners. best-running-shoes is read as three words, while best_running_shoes might be seen as one.
Do custom slugs help with SEO?
Yes. Custom slugs with relevant keywords help search engines understand your content and improve click-through rates in search results. Users are more likely to click on /email-marketing-guide than /post?id=12847.
Can I use capital letters in slugs?
Technically yes, but don't. URLs are case-sensitive on most servers, so /About and /about could be different pages. Always use lowercase to avoid duplicate content issues and user confusion.
Next Steps
Now that you know how to create custom slugs, put your knowledge into practice: