The latest articles on DEV Community by yohendri valles (@yohendri_valles). https://dev.to/yohendri_valles https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3918906%2F7460b10d-8658-45fa-94ec-c73e412d8579.png https://dev.to/yohendri_valles en yohendri valles Fri, 08 May 2026 00:25:10 +0000 https://dev.to/yohendri_valles/most-developers-are-doing-url-slugs-wrong-and-it-hurts-seo-3ej9 https://dev.to/yohendri_valles/most-developers-are-doing-url-slugs-wrong-and-it-hurts-seo-3ej9 <p>When I started building websites, I didn’t think much about URL slugs.</p> <p>Something like:<br> /page?id=123</p> <p>or even:<br> /this-is-a-very-long-url-slug-with-too-many-keywords</p> <p>seemed fine.</p> <p>Turns out… it’s not.</p> <p>After testing multiple pages and tools, I realized that bad slugs quietly hurt both SEO and user experience.</p> <p>Here’s what actually works 👇</p> <h2> 🚫 Common mistakes </h2> <p>Most developers:</p> <ul> <li>Use dynamic URLs with IDs</li> <li>Stuff keywords into slugs</li> <li>Make them too long</li> <li>Ignore readability</li> </ul> <p>Example:</p> <p>❌ /best-seo-url-guide-for-beginners-2026<br><br> ❌ /page?id=928374<br><br> ❌ /how-to-create-the-best-url-slug-for-seo-ranking-fast</p> <h2> ✅ What works better </h2> <p>From what I’ve tested, high-performing slugs usually follow these rules:</p> <ul> <li>3–5 words max </li> <li>Lowercase only </li> <li>Use hyphens (-), not underscores </li> <li>Include ONE main keyword </li> <li>Remove filler words (like "the", "and", "for")</li> </ul> <p>Example:</p> <p>✅ /seo-url-guide<br><br> ✅ /slug-generator<br><br> ✅ /password-generator </p> <h2> ⚡ Why this matters </h2> <p>Short, clean URLs:</p> <ul> <li>Are easier to read</li> <li>Get better click-through rates</li> <li>Are easier to share</li> <li>Help search engines understand your page</li> </ul> <h2> 🛠️ What I built </h2> <p>While working on multiple projects, I got tired of manually creating slugs.</p> <p>So I built a simple tool to generate clean, SEO-friendly slugs instantly.</p> <p>👉 <a href="https://codetooly.com/tools/slug-generator.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://codetooly.com/tools/slug-generator.html</a></p> <h2> 💡 Final takeaway </h2> <p>If you’re ignoring your URL structure, you’re leaving easy SEO wins on the table.</p> <p>Keep it simple.<br> Keep it short.<br> Make it readable.</p> <p>Curious — how do you generate your slugs?<br> <a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fcgaskqzxcf6pk6r55w24.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fcgaskqzxcf6pk6r55w24.png" alt=" " width="800" height="800"></a></p> seo webdev beginners productivity