A good URL Slug naming strategy for SEO and User

Have you ever seen the URL on the website and feel that ... "Eh! What is it? "Or sometimes so long that you can't remember. While also full of numbers, symbols or strange languages That doesn't know anything! These problems are not just confusing for readers. But it also directly affects the "SEO" of your website unbelievably! Because of what? Because Google itself is "I don't like it." URL is complicated or not. Meaning as well!

In the world where SEO competition is fierce every day To make your website "outstanding" above the competitors, it is not only based on the quality of the content or the number of backlinks anymore, but every "small details" are important. And one of them is "URL SLUG" or "the end of the link" that appears on the browser's address! Believe it, the naming of URL SLUG is good and friendly to SEO. Can "turn the game" for your website to have the opportunity to be ranked in the Google easier and also helps the users "understand" and "want to click" to see more!

Today I will not just talk about the theory, but will take you to "in -depth" about the strategy and "The best practice" in naming the URL SLUG to be "friendly" with "Google" and "users" based on "Google Algorithm latest (Core Update 2025)" that emphasizes EEAT (Expertise, Authoritiation, TrustWorth, and USTENTINESS, and Experience (UX) [Cite: 1, 136] with real examples and techniques "Can be used immediately" guaranteed to read it. You will look at URL Slug differently. And ready to "upgrade" URL of your website to become a "SEO treasure" that competitors must be jealous! If ready, let's see!

The real problem in life

Have you ever wanted to share a good article link to friends, but after copying the link to see ... Oh! Why is it "long" and full of strange numbers or characters? So full that almost do not want to share? Or sometimes I don't know what this link is about? These problems are not just a little annoying, but "Pain Point" that affects both the "users" and "SEO" of your website that you may have never expected before!

Imagine if you meet URL like this:

https://www.yourwebsite.com/post?id=123456789&category=news&do

Compared to URL like this:

https://www.yourwebsite.com/blog/seo-friendly-url-slug-best-practices

What kind of URL do you think "looks friendly"? Which type is "easier to understand"? And what kind of "would you like to click" more?

Problems that we often encounter from the naming of bad URL Slugs are really exist and are very common on the general website. Whether it is:

• URL is too long and does not convey meaning: making it difficult to remember, difficult to type, and not professional.
• There are numbers, special symbols. Or unnecessary characters: make it look messy, confusing, and unreliable
• Do not use Keyword in URL: miss the golden opportunity to tell Google what this page is about And causing the user to not dare to click
• Use incorrect language Or there is space: causing problems in the display Or have to convert to %20, which doesn't look beautiful
• The URL structure is too complicated: like a maze that makes both Google Bot and users lost easily.

These problems seem slightly, but it is actually a "blind spot" that makes your website "losing points" both in the eyes of Google and the user without knowing it! Editing from the Information Architecture data structure that is good for SEO and UX will help these problems decrease.

Prompt for illustrations: "The image showing users who are facing problems or challenges related to the topic: The person who is looking at the URL long and confused with the computer screen with an irritated expression. There is a question mark floating above the head. "

Why did that problem occur?

And why is the classic problem like the name of the "unfriendly" URL Slug "still occurs often? The main reason is often from many factors. Which mostly comes from "Misunderstanding" or "neglect" at some important points

This is the main reason. That makes many websites still have a bad URL Slug:

• Issaging or not understanding the importance of URL SLUG: Many people may overlook that the URL is just the "address" of the webpage does not think it affects SEO and User Experience! They may focus mainly on content or design. Until forgetting the small details but important like this
• Using the CMS system that has been set up badly: CMS (Content Management System), some systems such as WordPress, Joomla, or even webflow. In the beginning, if not set the permalinks correctly, it may create an automatic URL SLUG or ID, which is not friendly to SEO.
• Lack of website structure planning in advance: Creating a website without a clear structure of the URL Structure from the beginning. Resulting in the creation of URL as you like, there is no corresponding style
• Emphasizing the speed of creating content rather than quality: In some cases, the team may accelerate a lot of content. Causing no time to pay attention to the naming of URL Slug appropriately but use the name as created Which is usually a long or complicated name
• Afraid of the original URL change: Some people are afraid that changing the original URL Slug will cause the link to lose, or the user is confused, which is actually done correctly (using 301 Redirects), it will not cause these problems at all.
• I don't know where to use Keyword and how .: Many people know that there must be Keyword in URL, but don't know which keyword should be used, how many words should be put and how to arrange it naturally.
• Direct translation: in the case of websites with multiple languages The translation of the articles directly into other languages ​​into URL SLUG may cause non -English letters. Or special symbols

Understanding these causes Will allow us to prevent and solve the problem of naming URL Slug directly And turned to give more importance to it, because every detail on the website all affects the user experience and SEO scores!

Prompt for illustrations: "Image showing factors or causes that cause problems that readers face: Charts showing various causes such as CMS icons that have errors, confusing people with planning, and the watch that shows limited time."

If left, how will it affect?

If you still let your website have a "unfriendly" URL SLUG "with both Google and users, it is certain that the consequences are" not worth "and it will negatively affect your online business in the long run, as you do not expect!

Let's take a look at the "negative" impact that may occur if you ignore this:

• SEO ranking or never up: Google uses URL Slug as one of the important factors in understanding that page. About what if your URL does not communicate Or full of strange characters, Google Bot will "confuse" and "rate" to your Keyword is not good. Makes your website the top ranking decreased dramatically [Cite: 1, 136]
• Clicking through (CTR) reduced: When users search for information on google and see your URL that looks long, complex, or not reliable. They will "not dare to click" to see! Imagine that you see a strange link. With a link that is clear about what Which one will you choose? Of course, it must be the second one, right? The low CTR will also affect the SEO rank!
• User Experience (UX) is worse: a good URL helps the user "guess" what the page has about before clicking. And helps to easily remember Can be shared conveniently, but if the URL is bad, the user will be frustrated, confused, and do not want to come back to visit your website again.
• Sharing on Social Media decreased: Who would want to share a link that is not professional? Or links that are too long until other messages are cut? A good and attractive URL will encourage people to share your content more.
• Creating an internal link is more difficult: having a short, firm URL and meaning. Will allow you to create an internal link to other pages On the website naturally and more effective Which is good for SEO as a whole
• The reliability of the website decreases: Website with clean URL Slug, short, and meaning. Will look more professional and more reliable than a website that has a clutch or confusing

Do you see that a little problem like URL Slug if left for a long time? Will have a great impact on the future of your online business, so it's time for us to pay attention and "manage" with our URL Slug!

Prompt for illustrations: "The picture shows the clear impact from the problem mentioned: SEO graph showing the rankings, the users who shook their heads with disappointment, and the reduced social media sharing icon"

Is there any solution? And where should it start?

When knowing how bad the name of the URL Slug is It's time for us to come and see. "How to solve problems"! Can say that editing this matter is not as difficult as you think And you can start to do immediately to upgrade the SEO and User Experience of your website.

Where should I start?

The first thing you have to do is: "Audit" or "Explore" URL Slug of your website today!

• Collect all URL: use tools such as Google Search Console, Screaming Frog Set, or Site Audit in Ahrefs/Semrush to pull all URL on your website.
• Analyze and specify the problem: see which URL is too long, does not mean meaning, with numbers/strange symbols, or without related keywords
• Prioritize: Paying attention to the duty of having high traffic, the page conversion (such as the page, page, contact, contact), and duties with high potential to rank first.

Is there any way to fix? (The best guidelines)

This is the "Steel Rules" and "the best guidelines" in naming a good URL Slug for SEO and User Experience, which is based on the latest Best Practices and Google recommendations. [Cite: 136, 13]:

1. Short, firm and meaningful (Short, Concise & Descriptive):
   • Use the shortest words that can be done. But still convey the meaning of the content on that page Clearly
   • Avoid luxury words such as "The", "A", "an", "and" if not necessary.
2. Put Primary Keyword in URL Slug (Include Primary Keyword):
   • This is "the most important thing" in the SEO Friendly URL SLUG!
   • Put the main keyword of that page into the URL Slug to tell Google and the user about what this page is about.
   • Example: /Blog /SEO-Friendly-SLUG-BEST-PRACTICES (Keyword: SEO Friendly URL)
3. Use all the small prints (USE LowerCase Letters):
   • To be a standard and avoid the Duplicate Content problem that may occur from some server, looking at small prints and large prints as a different URL.
   • Such as: /How-to-Fix-Seo-Problems instead /How-to-Fix-Seo-Problems
4. Use the central mark (-) instead of the user (USE PENS for Word Separation):
   • Google recommends using the middle mark (-) to divide the words in the URL Slug because it can read and interpret the best.
   • Avoid using the Underscore (_) or space because it may cause Google to read in one word. Or a problem with %20 instead of gaps
   • Such as: /Strategy-Market-Online instead /Strategy _ Market _ Online
5. Avoid numbers, special symbols And unnecessary characters (Avoid Unnecessary Numbers, Symbols & Characters):
   • If not really necessary Should avoid adding numbers (such as Post ID), date, or strange symbols That does not help URL mean
   • Except in the case that the numbers are part of the keyword or important like /iPhone-15-Review
6. Avoid using Thai (If possible):
   • Although Google supports Thai in URL, but using English will help the URL look clean, short, tight, and easy to share on various platforms. More around the world [Cite: 13]
   • If it is necessary to use Thai Should make sure your CMS is converted to URL-ENCODED correctly. And still easy to read
7. Use a hierarchy structure (Hierarchy Structure):
   • Provide a clear URL structure for both Google and users to easily understand the structure of your website.
   • Example: /Category /Name-Product or /Block /Name-Article Understanding the Webflow webpage structure that is actually sold and creating a high conversion is very important. Read more here
8. Do 301 Redirects when there is a change (USE 301 Redirects for Changes):
   • If you need to change the URL SLUG of the original page "always" must set 301 Redirect from the old URL to the new URL!
   • This is very important to maintain the SEO rank and do not make the user face 404 Not Found. Not doing 301 Redirect is a serious mistake in SEO.
9. Check for duplicates:
   • Make sure that there is no duplicate URL SLUG because it can cause Duplicate Content.

Starting from the "survey" and "understanding these rules" will help you improve your website's URL Slug efficiently. And prepare for the harvest of SEO sustainable

Prompt for illustrations: "The picture shows a clear solution: Flowchart diagram shows the process of checking the URL, SEO, and Checklist tools with cheap markers in various channels."

Examples from the real thing that used to be successful

In order to clearly see that How good is the "URL SLUG" strategy? "I would like to tell the story from the real experience of a beautiful E-Commerce website. After they turned to pay attention and improve the URL Slug of all products and categories.

Before updating: "Trekking equipment shop"

Formerly, this website sells online hiking equipment. There are good quality products and beautiful pictures, but their URL Slug is a "automatic" that CMS created, which looks disordered, such as:

• Product: https://www.hikinggear.com/product_id=789123?cat=camping (Popular hiking tent)
• Category: https://www.hikinggear.com/category/123xyz (Category: Backpack)
• Articles: https://www.hikinggear.com/blog/post-101-How-to-Cheoose-gear (Articles: How to choose equipment)

Notice that these URL "do not communicate" at all. The user does not know what to click and will find Google itself, must "work hard" in understanding the content of each page. Sales are not good. The ranking never moved anywhere. Despite good quality products

After improving: "Hiking equipment ... at Google love and people want to click!"

The shop owner decided to "overhaul the entire" URL Slug, based on the "SEO Friendly URL SLUG" principle that we have learned. They take a thorough plan and implement:

• Change URL SLUG. Product: From /Product_ID = 789123? CAT = Camping to https://www.hikinggear.com/tents/tent-ulturalight-2-Person-pro-series (Treatment of 2 Ultralight Treatment Pro Series)
• Change URL SLUG Category: From /Category/123xyz to https://www.hikinggear.com/backpacks/hiking-backpacks-men (Category: Men's backpack)
• Change URL SLUG Articles: From HOW -TO-GEAR to https://www.hikinggear.com/blog/how-to-Choose-hiking-gear-beginners

And "the most important" is every time the original URL SLUG has changed. They "do not forget" to set "301 Redirect" from the old URL to the new URL so as not to lose the SEO rank and can still pass on the traffic from the old link.

Amazing results!

After improving the URL Slug and let Google Bot enter Crawl and Index, just 3 months new webpage. What happened is:

• Keyword rank "Surd up": Keyword, the main products and categories of "moving up" into the first page of Google!
• Organic traffic "increased" more than 80%: because Google understands the content better And users are confident to click from the search results
• CONVERSION RATE "higher" 15%: Users who come from organic search are more quality and when you see the URL that communicates More confident in choosing products
• Total sales "Grow" 25%: As a result of increased traffic and better conversion rate.

This is a real example that proves that Investment is strong with the name of the good URL Slug "worthwhile" and can create a "tangible" business results. Really remarkable! And this is one of the important techniques of effective programmatic SEO.

Prompt for illustrations: "Picture of the online store that shows old and new URL SLUG. With a graph showing sales and organic traffic that clearly rise. "

If wanting to follow, what to do? (Can be used immediately)

Okay! After seeing the power of a good URL SLUG, believe that many of you would like to act "upgrade" URL of the website itself to "friendly" with both Google and users, right? I have prepared "Checklist" and "simple steps" that you can follow. "Immediately", regardless of what CMS you use:

Step 1: "Audit" your current URL (Like a web health check!)

• Collect URL: Use the Google Search Console (go to the Pages or Indexing menu and export) or tools like Screaming Frog Seo Spider (free for URL no more than 500 pages) to crawl your website and all URL list.
• Specify important pages: mark the Landing Page page, product/service page, main article, or high traffic that you want to improve URL SLUG first.
• Analyze the problem: see what the URL has any problems (too long, do not communicate meaning, have numbers/symbols, no keyword)

Step 2: "Plan" New URL Slug name (think carefully before changing!)

• Specify Primary Keyword: For each page, you define the main keyword that you want to be ranked in Google.
• New URL Slug: Use the principle of "Best Practices" that we have learned:
  • Short, concise, meaning: from "How to buy the best running shoes for new runners" /Running-Shoes-BEGINNESS-GUIDE "
  • There are main keywords: " /SEO-Friendly-SLUG-BEST-PRACTICES " (for this article!)
  • All small prints: " /How-to-Write-Great-deepnt "
  • Use in the middle (-) Divide: " /Digital-Marketing-Strategy "
  • No numbers /symbols that are unnecessary: ​​" /Best-coffee-beans " instead " /Product-123-BEST-COFFEE-BEANS "
  • Use the Hierachy structure: " /category/subcategory/product-name " or " /Blog/Article-Title "
• Consider the general URL structure: The use of the orderly URL structure will help SEO and UX much better. Try to study Information Architecture for SEO and UX.

Step 3: "Bring" URL Slug (Do it carefully!)

• Enter your CMS system: (such as WordPress, Webflow, Shopify, etc.)
• Edit URL Slug one page at a time: Go to the page or post that you want to change. Then look for a compartment for editing Permalinks or URL Slug (in the webflow, you can edit at Page Settings -> SEO Settings -> URL Slug).
• Set 301 Redirect "always": This is the process that "The most important"! When you change the URL Slug of the original page, you "must" set 301 Redirect from the old URL to the new URL immediately!
  • In WordPress: Use plugin such as Rank Math Seo or Yoast SEO, which will have 301 Redirect features to be easy to use.
  • In the webflow: Go to Project Settings -> Hosting -> 301 Redirects and add the Redirect Rule from the old URL to the new URL (see examples of illustrations below).
  • For other CMS: Find a way to set 301 Redirect in that system or consult a website administrator.

Prompt for illustrations: "Checklist image showing UX/UI techniques on Webflow that enhances Conversion: The right hand image in the URL SLUG improvement, with an example of 301 Redirect in Webflow Designer".

Step 4: "Report Google" to know (send a new sitemap!)

• Update Sitemap: After you have changed URL Slug and set 301 Redirects, "Sitemap.xml" of your website.
• Send Sitemap to the Google Search Console: Go to your Google Search Console to the Sitemaps menu. "Submit Sitemap" for Google Bot to Crawl and your new Index URL quickly.

Step 5: "Check results" (measure and improve!)

• Check the Google Search Console: View Coverage (Problem pages) and Performance (Keyword and Traffic) to see if the change has improved or not.
• Use other SEO tools: such as Ahrefs, Semrush to follow the keyword and backlinks that may be affected.
• Check the User Experience: Watch Bounce Rate, Time On Page of the page has changed URL Slug to see if the user has also received a good experience.

Follow these steps regularly Especially the 301 Redirects Setting correctly will help you "upgrade" your website URL SLUG safely. And harvest the results in SEO sustainably!

Prompt for illustrations: "The user image is using the solution to real use in everyday life: the hand works on the computer, displaying the Google Search Console screen and 301 Redirect in the webflow"

Questions that people tend to wonder And the answers that are cleared

After we have deeper the importance and method of naming a good URL Slug. So you are confident and ready to do. Hair has gathered "popular questions" that people tend to wonder about URL Slug with "clear answers" that will help solve your questions!

Q1: Is it necessary to change the URL SLUG of every page on the website?

A: No need to change every page! Focus on the "important" page first, such as the Landing Page page, main page/service page, and popular articles with high traffic [Cite: 239]. These pages directly affect SEO and conversion. Other pages That is not very important or has enough URL May not be necessary to change URL changes should be done with caution and 301 Redirect correctly. [Cite: 240]

Q2: If changing URL Slug and always has to do 301 Redirect, right? Otherwise, what will it be?

A: Yes! Must do 301 Redirect "always"! This is the key to changing the URL Slug. [Cite: 44, 239] If you change URL Slug and don't do 301 Redirect, what will happen?

• "Page 404 Not Found": Users who have previously built the old URL or other websites that links you will find the ERROR 404 page, which causes severe user Experience.
• "Lost SEO": Google Bot can't find the old face, causing the SEO score to accumulate (Link Juice) disappear and result in the keyword rank!
• "Lose Traffic": Traffic that has been entirely from the old URL will disappear.

Therefore, 301 Redirect is a "one solution" to tell Google and Browser, "This old URL has moved to the new URL" and still passing the Link Juice and Traffic to the new page smoothly.

Q3: How short should URL Slug? Is there a suitable length?

A: Should be as short as possible. But still clear meaning. [Cite: 42] There is no fixed number. But in general, try to stay in the range of 3-5 words , or about 50-60 characters (not including Domain Name) will be good. The short and tight URL SLUG will help:

• Users can remember and print more easily.
• Looks clean and professional
• There is a full chance to display the results of Google's search (especially on mobile).

The important thing is to always have a keyword. And avoiding the extravagant words that are not necessary [Cite: 42]

Q4: If I use Thai in the URL Slug, would it be good for SEO?

A: General It is recommended to use English in URL SLUG. [Cite: 45] Although Google has the ability to interpret the Thai language better. But the use of English has more advantages in many areas:

• Cleanliness and firmness: URL English is usually shorter and more orderly.
• Compatibility (Compatibility): Easy to share on various platforms Or when used in the code
• Prevent the conversion of characters: URL, Thai language is often converted into "URL-ENCODED" (such as%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%A) which makes it look long and unlikely to read.

However, if your keyword is purely in Thai And your main target group is 100% Thai. Using Thai in URL Slug may still be acceptable. But must be confident that your CMS can manage the characters correctly and beautifully.

Hope that these questions-these answers will help you to be clear and confident in improving your website URL Slug! If there is any questions Don't hesitate to ask!

Prompt for illustrations: "UX/UI designer icon icon is confidently smiling. With a webflow and conversion graph tool: Mobile images and computers showing clean URL Slug and easy to understand. With question markers and correct marks "

Summary to be easy to understand + want to try to do

How are you? Hope you can see that "URL SLUG" that looks like just the "small part" of the website. In fact, it is "key" to unlock the "SEO" power. And add a lot of user Experience "to your website! [Cite: 279]

In short, it is:

• Good Url Slug: Short, Tighten, have main keywords, use the middle (-) divide, be all small prints, and free of unnecessary symbols [Cite: 42, 44, 45, 45, 46]
• Results: Google understands your content more, the SEO ranking is better, users want to click and remember easier, and directly affect sales and growth of your business! [Cite: 168, 172, 173]
• The most important thing in change: "Do not forget to do 301 Redirect" from the old URL to the new URL "!" To keep your rank and traffic [Cite: 44, 239]

Think about if every page on your website has a "friendly" and "powerful" URL Slug ". Your website will" be strong "and" ready to fight "in online battlefield! This is a "worthwhile" investment and "see real results"!

It's time for you to "do"!

Do not let the chaotic URL Slug become the "trembling" of your website anymore! Start "Audit" of your URL today, plan "change" to "SEO Friendly", and most importantly "301 Redirect" correctly! [Cite: 245, 246, 247]

This change may take time and thoroughness. But the result is "worth it" than you can imagine Think about it ... just updating the URL Slug can make your website. "More effective" and "create more sales" without having to pay additional advertising fees!

"Golden opportunity" to upgrade your website to be "Magnet to attract customers" is already in front! Don't wait! Let's do it!

If you need more advice Or looking for an expert to help "surgery" URL Slug and improve your website for "sharp" and "with soaring" on Google. Don't hesitate to contact us! Vision x Brain is ready to be your partner! We are happy to give advice and help your website. "Sparkling" in the online world fully!

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