url-slug-generator
The url-slug-generator skill guides creation of SEO-friendly URL slugs for blog posts, articles, and content pages. It provides best practices for slug length (under 60 characters, 3–5 words), format (lowercase with hyphens), content strategy (primary keyword near start, no keyword stuffing), and common mistakes to avoid, helping ensure slugs are readable, shareable, and optimized for search rankings.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/kostja94/marketing-skills /tmp/url-slug-generator && cp -r /tmp/url-slug-generator/skills/components/utility/url-slug ~/.claude/skills/url-slug-generatorSKILL.md
# Components: URL Slug Guides creation of SEO-friendly URL slugs for blog posts, articles, and content pages. Research on 11.8M Google results shows shorter URLs tend to rank higher; position #1 URLs average 50–60 characters. **When invoking**: On **first use**, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers, then provide the main output. On **subsequent use** or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output. ## Scope - **URL slug**: The path segment after the base (e.g., `ai-people-search` in `/blog/ai-people-search`) - **Applies to**: Blog posts, articles, guides, category pages, product pages ## Best Practices ### Length | Guideline | Target | |-----------|--------| | **Slug length** | Under 60 characters total (including path prefix) | | **Word count** | 3–5 words | | **Principle** | Shorter = easier to read, share, remember; less truncation in SERPs; see **serp-features** | **Example**: "The Complete Guide to AI Search Engine for Finding People" → `ai-people-search` (3 words) or `ai-search-finding-people` (4 words), not `ai-search-engine-finding-people-speed-discovery-outreach` (9 words, 51 chars). ### Format | Rule | Do | Avoid | |------|-----|-------| | **Separators** | Hyphens (`-`) | Underscores (`_`), spaces, periods | | **Case** | Lowercase only | Mixed case (causes duplicate content) | | **Characters** | Letters (a-z), numbers (0-9), hyphens | Special chars | | **Stop words** | Remove when possible: the, a, and, or, to | Keep when needed: "how-to" | ### Content | Rule | Guideline | |------|-----------| | **Primary keyword** | Include near start; one focus per URL | | **Descriptive** | Clear what page is about from slug alone | | **No keyword stuffing** | One keyword mention is enough | | **No dates** | Omit unless time-specific (news, annual roundups) | ### Non-ASCII Characters | Scenario | Rule | |----------|------| | **Accented letters** | Convert to ASCII: é→e, ü→u, ñ→n, ç→c | | **Non-Latin scripts** | Use UTF-8 percent-encoding if required; prefer ASCII for compatibility | | **Example** | `jalapeno` not `jalapeño`; `cafe` not `café` | ### Common Mistakes - **Copy-pasting full title**: Summarize instead — long title → short slug - **Auto-generated IDs**: `/post/12847` — always customize - **Tracking params in slug**: UTM, session IDs — use query params separately - **Changing without redirect**: Always 301 from old to new slug ## Slug Generation Workflow 1. **Extract primary keyword** from title or target keyword 2. **Summarize** in 3–5 words (don't copy full title) 3. **Remove stop words** (the, a, and, or) unless needed for readability 4. **Lowercase, hyphenate**, validate length < 60 chars 5. **Check uniqueness** — no duplicate slugs site-wide ## Examples | Title / Topic | ❌ Too long | ✅ Recommended | |---------------|-------------|-----------------| | AI Search Engine for Finding People: Speed vs. Discovery | `ai-search-engine-finding-people-speed-discovery-outreach` | `ai-people-search` or `ai-search-finding-people` | | The Ultimate SEO Checklist for 2025 | `the-ultimate-seo-checklist-for-2025` | `seo-checklist-2025` | | How to Increase Website Traffic | `how-to-increase-the-traffic-to-your-website` | `increase-website-traffic` | | Best Running Shoes for Marathon Training | `best-running-shoes-for-marathon-training-in-2025` | `best-running-shoes-2025` | ## Output Format When creating or auditing a slug: - **Recommended slug** (3–5 words) - **Character count** (slug only) - **Primary keyword** included - **Alternatives** if multiple valid options - **Reference**: [Alignify URL optimization](https://alignify.co/zh/seo/url-optimization) ## Related Skills - **url-structure**: URL hierarchy, site structure; references this skill for slug conventions - **canonical-tag**: When changing slugs, set up 301 redirects - **article-page-generator**: Article URL slugs - **blog-page-generator**: Blog post URL slugs - **glossary-page-generator**: Glossary term slugs - **products-page-generator**: Product page slugs - **customer-stories-page-generator**: Case study page slugs - **resources-page-generator**: Resource page slugs - **features-page-generator**: Per-feature page slugs
When the user wants to create, optimize, or audit About page content. Also use when the user mentions "about page," "about us," "company story," "our team," "about section," "company overview," "brand story," "team page," or "who we are." For sitewide page planning, use website-structure.
When the user wants to plan, implement, or optimize affiliate marketing strategy. Also use when the user mentions "affiliate marketing," "affiliate program strategy," "CPS model," "affiliate recruitment," "commission structure," "affiliate partners," "affiliate network," "affiliate tracking," "affiliate commission," or "partner marketing." For affiliate page, use affiliate-page-generator.
When the user wants to create, optimize, or audit affiliate program page content. Also use when the user mentions "affiliate program," "affiliate page," "partner program," "referral program page," "affiliate landing," "partner landing," "commission page," or "affiliate signup." For affiliate program strategy, use affiliate-marketing.
When the user wants to track AI search traffic in GA4 or GSC. Also use when the user mentions "AI traffic," "ChatGPT referral," "Perplexity traffic," "AI Overviews," "GA4 AI sources," "AI search analytics," "track AI referrals," "AI search traffic," "Claude traffic," or "how to track AI traffic." For AI SEO strategy, use generative-engine-optimization.
When the user wants to create, optimize, or audit alternatives or comparison content (page or blog article). Also use when the user mentions "alternatives page," "alternatives listicle," "X alternatives," "competitor comparison," "vs page," "compare page," "best alternatives to X," "switch from X," "competitor brand traffic," "brand keyword ads," or "intercept competitor search." For competitor research, use competitor-research.
When the user wants to set up, audit, or optimize analytics tracking (GA4, events, conversions). Also use when the user mentions "Google Analytics," "GA4," "event tracking," "conversions," "attribution model," "gtag," "data layer," "GA4 setup," "conversion tracking," "event setup," "User ID tracking," or "CTA attribution." For traffic insights, use traffic-analysis.
When the user wants to create, optimize, or audit the API introduction/overview page. Also use when the user mentions "API page," "API landing page," "/api page," "API overview," "developer landing," "API marketing," or "API for developers." Note: API documentation (endpoint reference) lives in docs; use docs-page-generator.
When the user wants to write, generate, or create article body content—blog post body, long-form content, how-to guide, listicle. Also use when the user mentions "write article," "article content," "blog post content," "article body," "long-form content creation," "generate article," "article draft," "how-to guide content," "listicle content," "information gain," or "content density." For single post page structure, schema, and SEO metadata, use article-page-generator. For blog index/listing page, use blog-page-generator. For short ad, landing, or email copy, use copywriting.