Optimizing the Wordpress Slug for Search Engines

The Wordpress Slug is something that not very many bloggers use to their advantage. Up until recently, I too was a victim of the auto slugging that comes equipped with all versions of Wordpress. This simple feature has so much untapped potential for what I can only assume is an extremely large, maybe even exponential number of bloggers.

If you publish a new post on Wordpress without specifying the post slug, Wordpress will generate a URL that is equal to the post title (provided you already using an optimal URL structure). While this seems like it would be the most optimal way, most of the times, that URL will not be search engine optimized.

When you create a title, you are more than likely thinking of something “catchy” that will get clicks and reads. This thought process is because you are thinking of human interest and reaction. This is an excellent way to help attract more readers. The same cannot be said for URLs. While a clean URL structure that contains a description of the content on a page might benefit human users, usually they are more relevant to search engines and spidering content.

That is where the Wordpress post slug feature becomes useful. Depending on your Wordpress version, you will either find the Wordpress post slug highlighted under your Title with an Edit button to the right of it, or in a little box that appears on the right of your text editor.

Changing your slug will not change the title of your post. It will only change the URL used to access your post. For example, this post’s title is “Optimizing the Wordpress Slug for Search Engines” – which is something that would intrigue an human user to click and read more about (That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?). However, certain words do not help describe the content in the post and will probably not be used by users searching for similar information. Not to mention, the length of the URL (http://www.dollarduel.com/wordpress/optimizing-the-wordpress-slug-for-search-engines/) is borderline ridiculous.

By simplifying the slug, I able to use more relevant keywords in the URL, without losing organic rank. When crafting your post slug, try to focus on the keywords that you would use on popular search engines to find similar content, and remember that the fewer keywords you use, the higher their relative value.

Tags: search engine optimization, Wordpress

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