What is: Post Slug?

A “post slug” is a specific type of slug used in the context of blog posts or articles on a content management system (CMS) like WordPress. It’s the part of the URL that uniquely identifies a specific post and is typically derived from the title of the post. Just like a regular slug, a post slug should be easy to read, describe the content of the post, and include relevant keywords.

Let’s break it down a little.

When you create a post in WordPress, it will be published with a unique URL. This URL can be used to create a link that goes directly to that specific post, sometimes called a “permalink.”

The “slug” part of the post slug is the unique suffix that is appended to the URL of your website in order to create a unique link to that post. For example, if you publish a post called “Bladerunner Review” on your website “www.MyMovieReviews.com“, then the URL of that post might look like “www.MyMovieReviews.com/bladerunner-review/“. The “slug” part is the “bladerunner-review/” at the end of that URL.

The Purpose Of Post Slugs

The purpose of using a post slug is much the same as using any slug:

• Readability: It makes the URL human-readable and gives an idea of what the post is about.
• SEO: It can improve the post’s search engine optimization (SEO) if it includes relevant keywords.
• Sharing: It makes the URL easier to remember and share, which can increase the visibility of your post.

Difference Between Post Slugs And Slugs

The difference between a post slug and a slug is mainly one of context. All post slugs are slugs, but not all slugs are post slugs. A post slug specifically refers to a slug for a blog post or an article. Other slugs can refer to pages, categories, tags, or other types of content on a website.

How Are Post Slugs Generated?

When you begin writing a post, WordPress will automatically generate a slug which you’ll see displayed just underneath the post’s title (in a section called “slug”). You can (and often should), however, edit this slug to anything you like as long as it does not contain any spaces. You should do this if the automatically generated one is too long or not descriptive enough.

If you want to change how WordPress generates post slugs, log into the administration area of your site and click on “Settings” and then “Permalinks” from the left-hand column. From there, you can customize how slugs are generated for each new post, including whether the date is included, et cetera. Keep in mind that changing the post slug settings will not affect any previously published posts (and their slugs).

Note: Not every version of WordPress contains the “Permalinks” option.

Since both internal and external links will go to the URL which includes the post slug information, it is not recommended that you change the post slug after a post is published. If you do change a post slug after publishing a post, all existing links to that post will now be “broken” and no longer work.