Every page on your website has its own web address, called a URL. Part of that URL is known as the “slug.”
Understanding how URLs and slugs work helps you avoid broken links, SEO issues, and navigation problems.
This guide explains what slugs are, how they’re created, and when it’s safe (or unsafe) to change them.
A URL is the full web address of a page.
Example:
https://yourwebsite.com/about-us
This URL has two main parts:
The domain (yourwebsite.com)
The slug (about-us)
The slug is the portion that identifies the specific page.
A slug is the last part of a URL that describes the page.
Examples of slugs:
about-us
roofing-services
contact
blog-post-title
When you create a page, WordPress automatically generates a slug based on the page title.
If your page title is:
“State Road 102 Construction”
The slug may become:
state-road-102-construction
WordPress automatically converts spaces to hyphens.
Slugs are important because they:
Help visitors understand what the page is about
Help search engines index your content
Create clean, readable URLs
Affect internal and external links
Clear slugs improve both usability and SEO.
To edit a slug:
Edit the page.
Look for the URL or Permalink section near the title.
Click to edit the slug.
Update it carefully.
Click Update.
Always preview before saving changes.
It is generally safe to change a slug:
Before publishing the page
If the page has not been shared publicly
If the page is brand new
If no other pages link to it
Changing a slug before publication is low risk.
Changing a slug after a page is already live can:
Break internal links
Break external links
Cause 404 errors
Impact search engine rankings
Disrupt bookmarked pages
If you change a slug on a published page, the old URL may stop working unless a redirect is set up.
A redirect automatically sends visitors from the old URL to the new one.
Example:
Old URL:
yourwebsite.com/services
New URL:
yourwebsite.com/our-services
A redirect ensures visitors are automatically sent to the updated page.
Redirects are usually handled by an administrator or SEO plugin.
Keep them short and clear
Use lowercase letters
Separate words with hyphens
Avoid special characters
Avoid unnecessary words like “the” or “and”
Good example:
roof-repair
Poor example:
Our-New-Amazing-Roof-Repair-Services-Page-2026
Keep slugs clean and simple.
Pages usually have simple slugs:
yourwebsite.com/about
yourwebsite.com/contact
Posts often include categories or dates, depending on your site’s permalink settings:
yourwebsite.com/blog/how-to-choose-a-roofer
This structure is controlled by site-wide settings.
If a page has a parent page, its URL may include the parent’s slug.
Example:
Parent page:
Services
Slug: services
Child page:
Roofing
Slug: roofing
Full URL:
yourwebsite.com/government/departments
If you change the parent slug, all child URLs may change as well.
Be especially cautious in these situations.
Changing slugs after publishing without redirects
Making slugs too long
Using unclear or vague wording
Including dates that may become outdated
Changing nested page slugs without understanding impact
Slugs should be stable and intentional.
Before publishing:
Edit the slug if needed.
After publishing:
Only change the slug if absolutely necessary.
Confirm that redirects are handled properly.
When in doubt, ask before modifying.
Determine if the page is already live.
Check if the URL has been shared.
Edit the slug carefully.
Set up a redirect if necessary.
Test the old and new URLs.
Confirm navigation links still work.
This prevents broken links.
A slug is the part of the URL that identifies a specific page.
Slugs:
Are automatically generated from the page title
Can be edited
Affect SEO and navigation
Should not be changed casually after publishing
Clear, stable URLs make your website easier to navigate and more professional.