You publish an article and its URL becomes example.com/?p=1847 — or example.com/2026/11/10/new-article-about-vat-and-everything-you-need-to-know-about-it-in-2026. The first says nothing to readers or search engines; the second is long and full of words that add no meaning. A URL like example.com/vat-calculation-guide/, by contrast, is short, clear and describes the content.
That last part of the URL is called the slug. It looks like a small detail, but it shows up in search results, in shares, and whenever the link is copied and sent — and it’s hard to change after publishing. This guide explains how to get it right from the start.
What makes a good URL
- Short: three to five words is usually enough. Short URLs are easier to read, share and remember.
- Descriptive: tells readers the page’s topic before they open it.
- Includes the main keyword naturally, without stuffing or repetition.
- Lowercase for English, because some servers treat upper- and lowercase as different URLs.
- Words separated by hyphens (-); Google recommends hyphens rather than underscores to separate words in URLs.
- No dates on evergreen content, since dates make a page look old and complicate later updates.
- No symbols, spaces or filler words that add no meaning.
Arabic or Latin URLs?
It’s the question Arabic site owners ask most, and the honest answer is: both work, and each has pros and cons.
| Arabic URL | Latin URL | |
|---|---|---|
| Google understanding | Supported and understood | Supported and understood |
| Reading in results | Clear to Arabic readers | Clear to English readers |
| When copied and shared | May appear long and encoded (%D8%…) | Short and clean |
| Typing by hand | Harder on some keyboards and systems | Easier |
| Encoded length | Each Arabic letter becomes about 6 characters | Unchanged |
Encoding happens because URLs can technically contain only a limited set of Latin characters. Browsers display Arabic readably in the address bar, but when a link is pasted in some places it shows in its long encoded form. Our slug generator shows the encoded length of every Arabic slug and lets you transliterate to Latin letters if you prefer.
Practical advice: for service, product and tool pages that get shared a lot, a short Latin slug (simple English words or a transliteration) is cleaner. For articles aimed only at an Arabic audience, a short Arabic slug is a good choice. What matters most is picking one approach and sticking to it across the site.
Transliteration (such as “hisab-aldariba”) is readable but doesn’t match words anyone searches for. If your audience searches in English (like “VAT calculator”), use those words in the URL. If not, clear meaning matters more than a keyword in the URL.
How to set the slug in common platforms
- WordPress: set permalinks to “Post name” in Settings, then edit each page’s slug field before publishing, because WordPress takes the full title by default.
- Shopify: edit the URL handle in the search engine listing section at the bottom of the product or page editor.
- Other platforms: look for a “URL” or “custom page link” field in the page’s SEO settings.
Changing a published URL: with great care
Once published, a URL accumulates value: Google’s index, links from other sites, old shares and customers’ bookmarks. Changing it without a plan means a 404 page for everyone arriving from those sources, and losing some of the page’s search strength.
If the change is necessary:
- Add a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one, so visitors and search engines reach the right page.
- Update internal links on your site to point straight to the new URL.
- Update links in your campaigns, messages and profiles.
- Monitor Google Search Console for 404 errors after the change.
Some content management systems create the redirect automatically when you change a slug, but check it yourself by opening the old URL.
URLs and tracking parameters
The clean URL is the page’s canonical address. Tracking parameters like ?utm_source=instagram are added only when sharing in campaigns, with our UTM builder, and are never part of the slug. The canonical URL should stay free of these parameters.
Site-wide URL structure
Beyond the slug, think about the path: /blog/post-name/ or just /post-name/? /products/category/item/ or /item/? Short paths are simpler; paths with categories show structure but grow longer and change if you move a page between categories. The rule: choose a simple structure you can keep for years. You can describe the navigation path to Google with structured data, as in our Schema guide.
Before and after examples
| Page type | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Article | /2026/11/how-to-calculate-value-added-tax-correctly-and-accurately/ | /vat-calculation-guide/ |
| Product | /products/abaya-black-new-collection-2026-best-price-free-shipping | /products/black-crepe-abaya |
| Category | /collections/all-products-category-1 | /collections/winter-abayas |
| Service | /?page_id=52 | /shopify-store-design/ |
What they have in common: the new URL is shorter, describes the page, and contains no date, year or marketing words that will change.
Product and category URLs in online stores
- Don’t put prices or offers in the URL (like “50-off”) — they’ll change, and the URL stays.
- Don’t include the year or season unless the page really is for a single season that won’t recur.
- The core product name is enough: the type plus the distinguishing colour or material, not every spec.
- Similar products: distinguish them by the differentiating attribute (black-crepe-abaya and navy-crepe-abaya) rather than random numbers.
- When a product is permanently removed: 301-redirect its URL to the closest alternative product or its category, rather than leaving a 404.
For category pages, choose names customers actually search for, since they’re often among a store’s most important pages in search.
Key takeaways
- Keep URLs short and descriptive, lowercase, with words separated by hyphens.
- Arabic and Latin URLs are both supported; pick one approach and stick to it.
- Edit the slug before publishing, because systems use the full title by default.
- Never change a published URL without a 301 redirect and updated internal links.
- UTM parameters are for campaigns only, not part of the canonical URL.
Frequently asked questions
Does putting the keyword in the URL improve rankings?
Its direct effect is small, but a descriptive URL improves understanding and clicks and makes the topic clear in shares. Don’t sacrifice clarity for keyword stuffing.
Should I keep the Arabic definite article “al-” in the URL?
Choose the form closest to how people speak and be consistent. Removing filler words helps; drop “al-” only if it doesn’t change the meaning.
Are uppercase letters in a URL a problem?
On some servers, a URL with an uppercase letter and the same URL in lowercase are treated as two different pages, which can create duplicate content or a not-found page for anyone who types it differently. Always write English URLs in lowercase to avoid the problem entirely.
Should I add a .html extension at the end of URLs?
There’s no need on most modern sites. URLs without an extension are cleaner and easier to carry over if you move platforms later.
How long should a URL be?
There’s no strict limit, but shorter is better in practice. If a slug runs past five or six words, check whether they’re all necessary.
A clean URL is written once and serves you for years. Turn your titles into short, clear slugs with our free slug generator — and if you’re building a new site and want the right URL structure and technical SEO from day one, get in touch.
