Q: Should I change a slug after the page is published?
Changing a slug after publication breaks existing links and can hurt SEO rankings. If you must change a slug, always set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one. Search engines will transfer most of the ranking authority to the new URL over time, but it is best to choose a good slug before publishing.
Q: What characters are removed from slugs?
Special characters, punctuation, and non-ASCII characters are removed or transliterated. Spaces are replaced with the chosen separator (hyphen, underscore, or dot). Only alphanumeric characters and the separator remain.
Q: Why are hyphens preferred over underscores in URLs?
Google treats hyphens as word separators but treats underscores as word joiners. This means "my-blog-post" is read as three separate words, improving SEO, while "my_blog_post" is treated as one word.
Q: Does it handle non-English characters?
The tool removes non-ASCII characters to ensure URL compatibility. For best results with non-English text, consider transliterating characters before generating the slug (e.g., "u" for "ue").
Q: What is the ideal length for a URL slug?
Aim for 3 to 5 words (roughly 50-60 characters). Shorter slugs are easier to read, share, and remember. Search engines also prefer concise, descriptive slugs that accurately represent the page content.