A smart, fast, and user-friendly URL Slug Generator tool designed to create SEO-optimized, clean URL slugs for better search engine visibility and improved user experience.
About Permalink Generator & URL Slug Generator Tool
Our Permalink Generator (also known as a URL Slug Generator) is a free online tool designed to convert any text, article title, or page heading into a clean, SEO-friendly URL slug. Whether you're a blogger, content creator, web developer, or SEO professional, this slug generator helps you create optimized permalinks in seconds.
What is a Permalink?
A permalink (permanent link) is the full URL address that points to a specific webpage, blog post, or piece of content on your website. Unlike temporary links, permalinks remain constant and serve as the permanent address for your content.
For example, if your blog post title is "10 Best SEO Tips for Beginners in 2024", a well-structured permalink would look like:
https://yoursite.com/best-seo-tips-beginners-2024
What is a URL Slug?
A URL slug is the part of a URL that comes after the domain name and identifies a specific page in a human-readable format. It's the editable portion of your permalink that you can customize for SEO purposes.
Our URL Slug Generator automatically converts your titles into clean slugs by:
- Converting text to lowercase
- Replacing spaces with hyphens or underscores
- Removing special characters and punctuation
- Optionally removing stop words (a, an, the, etc.)
- Eliminating numbers if desired
How to Use the Permalink Generator Tool
Creating SEO-friendly URL slugs with our free permalink generator is simple and straightforward:
- Enter your text: Type or paste your article title, blog post heading, image name, or any phrase into the input field.
- Choose your separator: Select between a hyphen (-) or underscore (_) to separate words. Hyphens are recommended for SEO.
- Configure options: Enable "Remove stop words" to eliminate common words, or "Remove numbers" for cleaner slugs.
- Use Auto Mode: Toggle Auto mode to generate slugs in real-time as you type.
- Generate and copy: Click "Slugify" or press Enter to generate your permalink, then use the Copy button.
Pro Tip: Enable "Advanced Options" to access features like custom separators, maximum length limits, custom stop words, and URL preview with full link formatting.
Key Features of Our URL Slug Generator
Generate slugs instantly as you type without clicking any button.
Process multiple titles at once—perfect for batch URL generation.
Custom separators, max length, stop words, and case preservation.
Copy as slug, full URL, HTML link, or Markdown format.
Access your recently generated slugs for quick reuse.
Works with various languages and removes diacritics automatically.
Advanced Features Explained
Our Permalink Generator includes powerful advanced options that give you complete control over your URL slugs. Click "Advanced Options" in the tool to access these features:
🔄 Auto Mode
Enable Auto Mode to generate URL slugs in real-time as you type. This eliminates the need to click "Slugify" or press Enter—perfect for quickly experimenting with different title variations and seeing instant results.
📦 Bulk Mode
Need to generate multiple slugs at once? Bulk Mode lets you enter multiple titles (one per line) and convert them all simultaneously. This is ideal for:
- Batch processing blog post titles
- Renaming multiple image files for SEO
- Creating URL structures for product catalogs
- Generating slugs for content migration projects
🔧 Preserve Case
By default, our URL slug generator converts all text to lowercase (recommended for SEO). However, if you need to maintain the original letter casing for specific use cases like brand names or acronyms, enable "Preserve case" in advanced options.
📏 Max Length Limit
Set a maximum character limit for your generated slugs. The tool intelligently truncates at word boundaries, so you won't end up with awkwardly cut-off words. For optimal SEO, we recommend keeping slugs under 60 characters.
Example: With a max length of 30 characters, "The Ultimate Comprehensive Guide to Search Engine Optimization" becomes ultimate-comprehensive-guide instead of cutting mid-word.
✂️ Custom Separator
While hyphens (-) and underscores (_) are the standard separators, you can define your own custom separator character. This is useful for specific CMS requirements or unique URL structures. Simply enter your preferred separator in the "Custom separator" field.
🚫 Stop Words Management
Our tool offers flexible stop word handling:
- Remove stop words: Eliminates common words (a, an, the, is, are, etc.) that add no SEO value
- Use default stop words: Toggle our built-in list of 70+ English stop words
- Custom stop words: Add your own words to remove (comma-separated). Useful for removing industry-specific filler words or brand terms you don't want in URLs
🔢 Remove Numbers
Enable this option to strip all digits from your slugs. Useful when you want evergreen URLs without dates or numbered lists (e.g., "10 tips" becomes just "tips"). Keep it disabled if numbers are essential to your content (like product model numbers).
➖ Remove Consecutive Separators
When multiple spaces or special characters appear together in your input, they can create double or triple separators (e.g., "hello---world"). This option (enabled by default) merges them into single separators for cleaner URLs.
✨ Trim Separators
This removes any leading or trailing separators from your slug. For example, if your input starts or ends with spaces or special characters, the final slug won't have awkward hyphens at the beginning or end.
🔗 URL Preview & Base URL
Enable "Show URL preview" to see exactly how your final permalink will look. Set your website's base URL (e.g., https://yourblog.com/posts/) to preview the complete, ready-to-use URL. This feature also unlocks additional copy formats:
- Copy Full URL: Copies the complete permalink with your base URL
- Copy as HTML Link: Generates
<a href="...">Your Title</a>code ready to paste - Copy as Markdown: Creates
[Your Title](url)format for Markdown editors
↩️ Undo Functionality
Made changes and want to go back? The Undo button lets you revert to previous input/output states. This is especially helpful when experimenting with different options or if you accidentally cleared your work.
📜 History Tracking
The tool automatically saves your last 10 generated slugs in the "Recent Slugs" section. Click any history item to reload it, or use the quick copy button. Your history persists across browser sessions using local storage.
⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts
Speed up your workflow with these keyboard shortcuts:
- Enter: Generate slug (when Auto Mode is off)
- Ctrl + Shift + C: Quickly copy the generated slug to clipboard
💾 Settings Persistence
All your preferences—separator choice, stop word settings, advanced options, and base URL—are automatically saved to your browser. When you return to the tool, your preferred configuration is restored, saving you time on repeated visits.
Why Are Permalinks Important for SEO?
Permalinks play a crucial role in your website's search engine optimization strategy. Here's why using a permalink generator to create optimized URLs matters:
- Search Engine Understanding: Clean, descriptive URLs help Google and other search engines understand your page content, improving indexing accuracy.
- Keyword Relevance: Including target keywords in your URL slug signals relevance to search engines for specific queries.
- User Trust & Click-Through Rate: Users are more likely to click on readable URLs in search results compared to long, cryptic strings.
- Social Sharing: Clean permalinks look professional when shared on social media platforms and messaging apps.
- Link Building: Descriptive URLs are more likely to be used as anchor text when others link to your content.
Best Practices for Creating SEO-Friendly URL Slugs
Follow these guidelines when using our slug generator to maximize your SEO benefits:
- Keep it short and descriptive: Aim for 3-5 words that accurately describe your content. Use the "Max length" feature to limit slug length.
- Use hyphens as separators: Google recommends hyphens over underscores for word separation in URLs.
- Remove stop words: Words like "a," "the," "and," "is" add length without SEO value. Enable "Remove stop words" for cleaner slugs.
- Include target keywords: Place your primary keyword near the beginning of the URL slug.
- Use lowercase letters: URLs are case-sensitive on some servers. Lowercase prevents duplicate content issues.
- Avoid special characters: Our tool automatically removes punctuation, symbols, and unsafe URL characters.
- Make it evergreen: Avoid dates or numbers that might make your URL appear outdated (unless necessary).
When to Use This Permalink Generator
Our URL slug generator is versatile and useful for various scenarios:
- Blog Posts & Articles: Convert your post titles into SEO-optimized permalinks for WordPress, Blogger, Ghost, or any CMS.
- Product Pages: Create clean URLs for e-commerce product listings on Shopify, WooCommerce, or Magento.
- Image File Names: Rename images with SEO-friendly slugs before uploading to improve image search rankings.
- Category & Tag Pages: Generate consistent URL structures for taxonomy pages.
- Landing Pages: Create memorable, shareable URLs for marketing campaigns.
- Documentation & Wikis: Maintain clean URL hierarchies for technical documentation.
- Podcast Episodes: Generate slug-formatted episode identifiers.
Hyphen vs. Underscore: Which Separator Should You Use?
When creating URL slugs, you have two main separator options. Here's what you need to know:
| Aspect | Hyphen (-) | Underscore (_) |
|---|---|---|
| SEO Preference | ✅ Recommended by Google | ⚠️ Treated as word joiner |
| Word Separation | Recognized as space | Words may be joined |
| Readability | Easier to read | Can blend with underline |
| Best For | Web URLs, blog posts | File names, programming |
Recommendation: Use hyphens for permalinks and web URLs. Google's Matt Cutts confirmed that hyphens are treated as word separators, while underscores join words together.
How Permalinks Connect with Image SEO
Image SEO is an often-overlooked aspect of on-page optimization. Before uploading images to your website, you should rename them using a URL slug format generated by this tool.
Why does this matter?
- Search engines read image file names to understand content context
- Descriptive file names improve image search visibility
- Properly named images contribute to overall page relevance
- Clean image URLs are better for accessibility and screen readers
Example: Instead of uploading IMG_20240115_143022.jpg, use our tool to convert "Blue Running Shoes Nike Air Max" into blue-running-shoes-nike-air-max.jpg.
Benefits of Using Clean, Optimized URLs
- Improved Click-Through Rates (CTR): Studies show that descriptive URLs can increase CTR in search results by up to 25%.
- Better User Experience: Visitors can understand page content from the URL before clicking.
- Enhanced Social Sharing: Clean URLs look professional and trustworthy when shared.
- Easier Analytics Tracking: Readable URLs make it simpler to identify pages in analytics reports.
- Future-Proof Content: Permanent, meaningful URLs maintain their value over time.
- Reduced Bounce Rate: Users who understand where they're going are less likely to leave immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a Permalink Generator?
A permalink generator is an online tool that converts text, titles, or phrases into URL-friendly slugs. It removes special characters, replaces spaces with hyphens or underscores, and creates clean, SEO-optimized URLs suitable for web pages, blog posts, and content management systems.
What is the difference between a permalink and a URL slug?
A permalink is the complete, permanent URL of a webpage (e.g., https://example.com/blog/my-post-title). A URL slug is specifically the customizable part that comes after the domain and path (e.g., "my-post-title"). Our tool generates the slug portion, which you can combine with your base URL to form the complete permalink.
How does a clean permalink improve SEO?
Clean permalinks improve SEO in several ways: they help search engines understand page content through descriptive keywords, they increase user trust and click-through rates in search results, they're easier to share and remember, and they provide clear signals about page relevance for ranking algorithms.
Should I use hyphens or underscores in my URL?
Hyphens are recommended for SEO. Google treats hyphens as word separators, meaning "best-seo-tips" is understood as three separate words. Underscores, however, are treated as word joiners, so "best_seo_tips" might be interpreted as a single term. For web URLs and permalinks, always prefer hyphens.
What are stop words and should I remove them from URLs?
Stop words are common words like "a," "an," "the," "is," "and," "or," "in," etc. Removing them from URLs is generally recommended because they add length without SEO value. For example, "the-ultimate-guide-to-seo" becomes "ultimate-guide-seo"—shorter, cleaner, and equally descriptive.
Can I edit my permalink after publishing content?
Yes, but proceed with caution. Changing a permalink after publishing creates a new URL, which can result in broken links (404 errors) and lost SEO value. If you must change a permalink, always set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one to preserve link equity and user experience.
What is the ideal URL slug length for SEO?
The ideal URL slug length is between 50-60 characters or 3-5 words. Google typically displays about 50-60 characters of a URL in search results. Shorter URLs are easier to read, share, and remember. Use our "Max length" feature to automatically limit your slugs to an optimal length.
How do I use the Bulk Mode feature?
Enable "Bulk mode" using the toggle switch at the top. This reveals a text area where you can enter multiple titles—one per line. Click "Slugify" to convert all titles into URL slugs simultaneously. Use "Copy All Slugs" to copy the results. This feature is perfect for batch processing blog posts, product listings, or image file names.
Does this tool work with non-English languages?
Yes! Our permalink generator supports multiple languages and character sets. It automatically removes diacritics (accent marks) from characters like é, ñ, ü, converting them to their base letters. This ensures your URLs are compatible with all browsers and systems while maintaining readability.
Can I use this tool for image file names?
Absolutely! Using SEO-friendly file names for images is a best practice. Enter your image description (e.g., "Red Nike Running Shoes Product Photo"), generate the slug (red-nike-running-shoes-product-photo), and rename your image file before uploading. This helps search engines understand your images and can improve your visibility in image search results.
Is this Permalink Generator free to use?
Yes, our URL Slug Generator is completely free with no usage limits. You can generate unlimited permalinks, use all features including Bulk Mode and Advanced Options, and access your history—all without registration or payment.
What is Auto Mode and how does it work?
Auto Mode is a real-time generation feature. When enabled, the tool automatically converts your text to a URL slug as you type—no need to click "Slugify" or press Enter. This provides instant feedback and speeds up your workflow, especially useful when experimenting with different title variations.
How do I set a maximum length for my URL slugs?
Click "Advanced Options" and enter your desired maximum character count in the "Max length" field (up to 200 characters). The tool intelligently truncates at word boundaries, so your slug won't be cut off mid-word. Set to 0 for no limit. For SEO, we recommend 50-60 characters.
Can I add my own custom stop words to remove?
Yes! In Advanced Options, you'll find a "Custom stop words" field. Enter words separated by commas (e.g., "guide, tutorial, tips"). These will be removed in addition to—or instead of—the default stop words, depending on whether "Use default stop words" is enabled.
How do I copy my slug as an HTML link or Markdown?
Enable "Show URL preview" in Advanced Options. This reveals additional copy buttons below the URL preview: "Copy Full URL" for the complete link, "Copy as HTML Link" for ready-to-paste anchor tag code, and "Copy as Markdown" for [title](url) format. Make sure to set your Base URL first for accurate results.
Are my settings saved when I leave the page?
Yes! The Permalink Generator automatically saves all your preferences—including separator choice, stop word settings, advanced options, base URL, and mode selections—to your browser's local storage. When you return, your configuration is automatically restored. Use the "Reset" button to restore default settings.
Related Tools You Might Find Useful
Enhance your content optimization workflow with these complementary resources:
- Permalink to Text Converter – Reverse the process and convert URL slugs back to readable text.
💡 Quick Tip: Bookmark this Permalink Generator tool for quick access whenever you're creating new content. Consistent URL structure across your website helps both users and search engines navigate your content more effectively.