Generate clean URL slugs
AI creates SEO-friendly URL slugs from your article titles.
Generate clean URL slugs
River's Slug and URL Generator creates clean, SEO-optimized URL slugs from article titles. You provide your headline, and the AI generates multiple slug options that are readable, keyword-rich, and properly formatted for URLs. Whether you're publishing news, features, or blogs, you get URL slugs that help both readers and search engines understand your content.
Unlike auto-generated gibberish, we create intentional, optimized slugs. The AI understands slug best practices (lowercase, hyphens instead of spaces, remove unnecessary words, keep keywords, stay concise but clear), balances readability with SEO, and provides multiple length options. You get slugs that work for humans sharing links and algorithms indexing content.
This tool is perfect for digital editors publishing stories, content managers optimizing URLs, journalists learning SEO, and anyone creating web content. If your CMS auto-generates messy URLs or you're unsure what makes good slugs, this tool helps. Use it for every published piece to ensure clean, professional, findable URLs.
What Makes URL Slugs Effective
URL slugs succeed when they clearly communicate content while optimizing for search and sharing. Effective slugs use lowercase letters and hyphens (not underscores or spaces), include primary keywords, stay concise (typically 3 to 8 words), remove unnecessary words (a, an, the, for), remain readable by humans, and create permanent addresses that won't change. Weak slugs use dates that age content, include article IDs that mean nothing, or create long unreadable strings. Strong slugs balance SEO with usability.
The best slugs think about multiple audiences. Search engines read slugs to understand content (keywords matter). Readers see slugs when sharing links (readability matters). Social media displays slugs in previews (clarity matters). Future you considers changing slugs (permanence matters, broken links damage SEO). Balance all these needs. Include main topic keywords. Keep reasonably short. Make readable when shared. Then leave it alone. Changing URLs breaks links and confuses search engines. Get it right first time.
To improve slugs, start with your headline but edit for URLs. Remove filler words (a, the, for, with, about). Keep keywords search engines need. Typically 3 to 8 words works well. Use hyphens to separate words. All lowercase. No special characters. No dates (unless date matters permanently, like historical events). Readable when shared on social media (yoursite.com/city-approves-affordable-housing is better than yoursite.com/council-meeting-2024-11-26-housing-vote-6-3-result). Imagine sharing the link verbally. Can you speak it clearly? Good slug test.
What You Get
Multiple slug options (short, medium, detailed)
SEO-optimized with key terms
Clean URL formatting (lowercase, hyphens)
Readable by humans and search engines
Ready to paste into CMS permalink field
How It Works
- 1Enter article titleProvide your headline or working title
- 2AI generates slug optionsOur AI creates multiple URL slug variations in under 1 minute
- 3Review optionsRead short, medium, and detailed slug versions
- 4Copy and usePaste chosen slug into your CMS URL field
Frequently Asked Questions
Should slugs include dates?
Usually no. Dates make content feel old and reduce sharing over time. Exception: historical events where date is essential to meaning (january-6-attack, election-2024). For most news and features, skip dates. Focus on timeless keywords. You want content discoverable and shareable for months or years, not just publication day.
How long should a URL slug be?
Typically 3 to 8 words. Long enough to include main keywords and be clear. Short enough to be readable and shareable. (city-affordable-housing-project) works well. (city-council-approves-fifty-million-dollar-affordable-housing-project-despite-some-neighbor-traffic-concerns) is too long. Balance clarity with conciseness.
What if I need to change a slug after publishing?
Avoid if possible. Changing URLs breaks existing links and confuses search engines. If you must change, set up 301 redirect from old URL to new. Better: get slug right before publishing. Spend the extra minute now to avoid problems later. Permanent addresses should be permanent.
Should I use underscores or hyphens?
Hyphens. Search engines treat hyphens as word separators (affordable-housing is two words). They treat underscores as connectors (affordable_housing is one word). Industry standard is hyphens. Use them consistently. Also lowercase always. No capitals in URLs.
Can slugs include numbers?
Yes, when relevant. (5-things-about-climate) works. (10-million-budget) works. Numbers add clarity and often improve SEO (people search for number-based articles). But don't force numbers. (housing-project) is better than (1-housing-project). Use numbers when they're essential to content, not decoratively.
What is River?
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