What is a URL Slug Generator?
A URL slug generator (also called a "slugify tool" or "slug converter") is a utility that transforms any text into a URL-friendly format. It removes special characters, handles spaces, and creates clean, readable strings that work perfectly in web addresses.
How It Works
Input: How to Create SEO-Friendly URLs in 2025!
Output: how-to-create-seo-friendly-urls-in-2025
The slug generator performs several transformations to make text URL-safe:
- Converts spaces to separators (usually hyphens or underscores)
- Removes special characters (!@#$%^&*() etc.)
- Converts to lowercase for consistency
- Handles accented characters (é becomes e, ü becomes u)
- Removes duplicate separators (-- becomes -)
- Trims leading/trailing separators
Why Use a Slug Generator?
Creating URL slugs manually is tedious and error-prone. A slug generator ensures consistency and saves time. Here's why marketers, developers, and content creators use slug generators:
Save Time
Instantly convert any title to a URL slug instead of manually editing each character.
Ensure Consistency
Apply the same formatting rules across all your URLs for a professional, unified structure.
Improve SEO
Create clean, keyword-rich URLs that search engines love and users trust.
Handle Any Language
Properly convert accented characters and international text to ASCII-safe slugs.
URL Slug Best Practices
Follow these best practices to create SEO-optimized, user-friendly URL slugs:
1. Keep Slugs Short (Under 60 Characters)
Shorter URLs are easier to read, share, and remember. Search engines also prefer concise URLs. Aim for 3-5 words that capture the essence of your content.
Good
best-running-shoes-2025Too Long
the-complete-guide-to-finding-the-best-running-shoes-for-marathon-training-in-20252. Use Hyphens, Not Underscores
Google treats hyphens as word separators but treats underscores as word joiners. best-running-shoes is read as three words, while best_running_shoes might be interpreted as one.
3. Use Lowercase Letters
URLs are case-sensitive on most servers. /About-Us and /about-us could point to different pages, causing duplicate content issues. Always use lowercase for consistency.
4. Include Your Target Keyword
Place your primary keyword in the slug. It helps both users and search engines understand what the page is about. For a page about "email marketing tips," use email-marketing-tips not helpful-tips-for-your-business.
5. Remove Stop Words (Usually)
Words like "the," "a," "an," "and," "or," "is," "in" often don't add value to slugs. "How to Create a Great Blog Post" becomes create-great-blog-post rather than how-to-create-a-great-blog-post.
6. Avoid Numbers When Possible
Dates and years make URLs feel outdated. If you update "10 Tips for 2024" to "12 Tips for 2025," your URL becomes inaccurate. Use numbers only when essential to the content.
Slug Generator Examples
See how our slug generator transforms various inputs:
| Input Text | Generated Slug |
|---|---|
| How to Improve Your SEO Rankings | how-to-improve-your-seo-rankings |
| 10 Best Email Marketing Tools (2025) | 10-best-email-marketing-tools-2025 |
| What is CRM? A Beginner's Guide! | what-is-crm-a-beginners-guide |
| L'art de la cuisine française | lart-de-la-cuisine-francaise |
| Ãœber die Zukunft der KI | uber-die-zukunft-der-ki |
| Product #123: Super Widget 2.0! | product-123-super-widget-20 |
Common URL Slug Mistakes to Avoid
Avoid these common mistakes when creating URL slugs:
Using Special Characters
Characters like ?, &, =, % have special meanings in URLs. Never include them in slugs.
Bad: what-is-seo?-explained
Good: what-is-seo-explained
Including Spaces
Spaces become %20 in URLs, making them ugly and hard to share.
Bad: best%20running%20shoes
Good: best-running-shoes
Using IDs or Random Strings
Generic IDs provide no context and look unprofessional.
Bad: post-12847 or p?id=38291
Good: email-marketing-guide
Keyword Stuffing
Repeating keywords multiple times looks spammy and can hurt SEO.
Bad: seo-tips-seo-guide-seo-best-seo
Good: seo-tips-guide
Who Uses Slug Generators?
Content Writers
Quickly convert article titles to URL-friendly slugs when publishing blog posts, ensuring consistent URL structure across the site.
Developers
Generate slugs programmatically for dynamic content, product pages, user profiles, and database entries.
SEO Specialists
Optimize URL structures for better search rankings by creating keyword-rich, clean URLs that search engines prefer.
Marketers
Create memorable campaign URLs and landing page slugs that are easy to share in emails, ads, and social media.
E-commerce Teams
Generate SEO-friendly product URLs from product names, ensuring consistent formatting across large catalogs.
CMS Users
WordPress, Shopify, and other platforms auto-generate slugs, but this tool helps preview and plan URLs before publishing.
Slug Generator vs URL Shortener: What's the Difference?
While both tools work with URLs, they serve different purposes:
| Feature | Slug Generator | URL Shortener |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Convert text to URL-friendly format | Create short redirecting links |
| Output | A slug (e.g., best-practices) |
A full short URL (e.g., urlcut.ai/abc123) |
| Hosting | Used within your own domain | Hosted on shortener's domain |
| Analytics | No built-in tracking | Click tracking included |
| Use Case | Creating page URLs on your site | Sharing links on social media, email |
Pro Tip: Use Both Together
Create clean page URLs with a slug generator, then use URLcut.ai to create trackable short links for sharing. Get the best of both worlds: SEO-friendly page URLs and analytics-enabled short links for marketing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a URL slug?
A URL slug is the part of a web address that identifies a specific page in a human-readable format. For example, in example.com/best-running-shoes, the slug is best-running-shoes. Slugs help users and search engines understand what a page is about.
Why should I use hyphens instead of underscores in slugs?
Google treats hyphens as word separators but treats underscores as word joiners. Using hyphens helps search engines properly identify individual keywords in your URL, which can improve SEO. For example, best-running-shoes is read as three words, while best_running_shoes might be treated as one.
What's the ideal URL slug length for SEO?
The ideal URL slug length is under 60 characters. Research shows that shorter URLs tend to rank higher in search results. Keep your slugs concise—aim for 3-5 descriptive words that capture your content's main topic.
Should I include stop words in my slugs?
It depends. Removing stop words (the, a, an, is, etc.) makes URLs shorter and cleaner. However, sometimes they're necessary for readability or meaning. 'how-to-start-a-business' reads better than 'start-business.' Use your judgment based on context.
Can I use numbers in URL slugs?
Yes, but use them strategically. Numbers are useful for lists ('10-best-tools') or versions ('windows-11-guide'). Avoid dates that will make content seem outdated—'marketing-tips-2024' will feel stale in 2025. If you must use dates, be prepared to update the URL.
How do accented characters work in URL slugs?
Accented characters (é, ü, ñ, etc.) should be converted to their ASCII equivalents for maximum compatibility. Our slug generator automatically converts 'café' to 'cafe' and 'über' to 'uber'. This ensures your URLs work correctly across all browsers and systems.
What's the difference between a slug generator and a URL shortener?
A slug generator converts text to URL-friendly format for use in your own domain (e.g., your-article-title). A URL shortener creates a new short link that redirects to your page (e.g., urlcut.ai/abc123). Use slug generators for page URLs; use shorteners for sharing links on social media or in marketing.
Are URL slugs case-sensitive?
Technically yes—most web servers treat uppercase and lowercase URLs differently. /About-Us and /about-us could be different pages. To avoid confusion and duplicate content issues, always use lowercase slugs. Our generator converts everything to lowercase by default.
Can I change a URL slug after publishing?
You can, but it's not recommended without a redirect. Changing a slug creates a new URL, which breaks existing links and loses any SEO value the old URL had. If you must change a slug, set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one.
How do I create a slug from a title with special characters?
Our slug generator automatically handles special characters. It removes punctuation (!?@#$%), converts accented letters to ASCII, replaces spaces with hyphens, and removes any remaining non-URL-safe characters. Just paste your title and the tool does the rest.
Ready to Create Smart Short Links?
Now that you've generated your perfect slug, take it to the next level with URLcut.ai. Create short links with custom slugs, track clicks, and share memorable URLs that get more engagement.
No credit card required. 50 free links per month.